What You Need to Know to Start Planning Your First Sailing Vacation

The experience of exploring the crystal blue waters, snorkeling among untouched, spectacular reefs and relaxing on secluded white sand beaches is what is in store for you when you plan a sailing vacation. For those who have never experienced it, the feeling is quite hard to define. Sure, you can show pictures of the beautiful sites and the amazing sea life, describe the different islands, beaches and local hotspots…but what you can quite articulate is the feeling you get as you sail throughout some of the most spectacular island locations in the world. It can be defined as intoxicating, exhilarating and many times even life altering, but the one thing you can say is that is unlike any other vacation you’ve ever experienced and like none that you will ever experience again… that is… until your next sail.

When you compare the experience of taking a crewed all-inclusive charter vacation to that of a cruise line vacation, other than the fact that you are floating, the similarities end there.

And when you think of the millions of people each year climb aboard a huge cruise liner and begin the journey of lines, crowds and buffets… it’s hard to understand why more people don’t jump ship and discover the adventure of crewed chartering.

There are many misconceptions that people have when they think of a sailing vacation on an intimate sailing vessel which may deter them from taking the plunge. What we would like to do is to answer some of the many questions, set the record straight on the many misconceptions and give you a better idea of what to expect if you had ever considered taking a sailing vacation.

Choosing a destination

The first and foremost benefit of taking a crewed sailing vacation is that no matter which location in the world you decide to go to, you will get the opportunity to see that area’s sights from a perspective that can only be seen from a yacht. Where cruise liners are restricted to ports of call, private sailing vessels can reach locations that are away from the crowd. Catamarans are unique in the fact that their “draft”, or depth that they sit in the water is only about 4 feet making for great access to those secluded island locations. This allows for easy beach access to enjoy beach bars, local shops or just to enjoy a shallow dip in the water.

Weather patterns and sailing

Once you set sail, what you need to keep in mind is that you are not venturing out in to the high seas on some sort of transatlantic journey. The experience of chartering a private yacht is much more about island hopping. It’s about going from one beach to another stopping along the way to experience the great spots for diving, snorkeling, having lunch on the beach or just to take in the sites.

Many times, your journey from one spot to another is within eye shot, as in the British Virgin Islands where you can explore some of the best sailing waters in the Caribbean which are all well protected by the islands. Its can be like sailing in a bathtub which makes the BVI one of the most popular sailing destinations.

For those whose interests lie more in experience the exhilaration of sailing, locations such as St. Marteen feature some further distance sails from island to island that can be up to 3 hours in duration. Mixed in with shorter sails, these itineraries let you get more of a true sailing adventure along with exploring some of the local towns, markets and beautiful beaches.

What’s included?

A fully crewed, all-inclusive sailing experience is often described as 'Mindless Relaxation.' You pay one, all-inclusive price for seven days aboard one of our yachts and the rest is up to us. Sailing packages vary on destination but include sporting equipment, a meal plan, open bar, captain and chef. On our stateroom packages, we'll ask you first to fill out a preference form telling us some specifics about you and your vacation expectations. If you are reserving just one stateroom, we can then match you up with other couples with similar interests and expectations. This information will also give us insight on the types of activities you would like to participate in, any specific information regarding birthdays, anniversaries or other events that we can help to make more memorable.

Festiva Sailing Vacations offers a diverse destination portfolio: British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, St. John, The Greek Isles and a for a limited-time only; Croatia – The Dalmatian Islands. So, what are you waiting for?

Contact Festiva Sailing Vacations and start planning the vacation of a lifetime.