Caribbean

Excessive Merriment & Hilarity in the BVIs

by Meredith Laitos, Posted October 15, 2012

The first time I met Julian Putley, I brought him a pair of shoes. We were shooting a video on bareboat sailing, and Julian’s boss didn’t want him to be barefoot on screen. “I’ll only wear these once,” he laughed when he saw them.

Last Mango In Paradise

by Dana Williams, Posted August 13, 2008

Splat! A large lump of something yellow hit the path in front of us. Then another, and another. Flinching, I glanced up into the rain-forest canopy. Flashes of movement and an insolent chattering betrayed the culprits—monkeys, and plenty of them. Splat! Now we recognized the somethings as the remains of mangoes dropping from the canopy as the monkeys finished munching them. Messy

The Great Octopus Hunt

by Peter Nielsen, Posted November 10, 2010

Some people start a charter with a set itinerary worked out well in advance. Sunday night in anchorage X, Monday night on a mooring in bay Y, Tuesday the lobster special at bar Z, and so on. Others take a more free-form approach, only deciding where to go after they get up in the morning and check out the wind strength and sea state; if getting to X involves a stiff beat that’ll wipe the grins

Spanish Virgin Islands: The Light Fantastic

by Tim Sheehy, Posted October 16, 2012

The thumbnail moon was below the horizon, making it tough to see the dust devils rising through the holes in the floor of the rusty Ford Econoline van as we careened down the bumpiest dirt road I’ve ever travelled.

Heading Down Island

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 14, 2008

It’s been a while since I sailed out of St. Vincent—the “mainland” to the eight inhabited (three by resorts) islands of the Grenadines, plus the Tobago Cays—so I was happy to be invited on a press trip there, especially one that included two days of sailing. It’s probably the most popular charter area after the Virgin Islands, and with good reason: the sailing is superb, though more

Much Ado About St. Martin

by Meredith Laitos, Posted November 11, 2010

Most people think of St. Martin/Sint Maarten—northernmost of the Leeward Islands—as being half-French, half-Dutch. But it’s also Creole, Caribbean and a hodgepodge of over 125 other nationalities. More importantly, it is an excellent jumping off point for a charter cruise replete with lovely sailing, blue bays, white sand beaches and high-end French shopping and cuisine.Several charter

Cowboys in The Caribbean

by Meredith Laitos, Posted July 16, 2011

Six weeks before we took off for St. Lucia, my nervous father texted me, “I’m buying some new clothes for the trip. Will I be okay in T-shirts and quick- dry tops?” “Sure!” I replied, “Think about buying some linen, too.” “Linen?” he texted back, “where on my body and where on a boat would I put linen?”

Caribbean, the Real Deal

by Jan Hein, Posted October 31, 2008

If you think a Caribbean charter is all about the perfect reach, you might be missing the boat. There’s plenty of fun to be had on shore, so jump ship and find it. Sure, you’ll have a good time at the hangouts catering to sailors and pirates, but for a true taste of island life, take a hike. Stroll to a back street, walk the beach, or climb a hill to find that little store full of nothing or a

School's in Session

by Rebecca Waters, Posted November 11, 2010

If your goal is to be able to charter a boat in your dream destination, nothing will prepare you better than a sailing course taught on a charter boat. Working on a charter boat, your instructor can walk you through the entire charter process, from chart briefing and provisioning to the final return. And who’s to say your class can’t be in that dream locale?“We use charter boats to teach

Win an Escape to St. Vincent

by Meredith Laitos, Posted October 19, 2012

Yearning to get away this winter on a Caribbean charter? You still have a week to win SAIL’s Great Escape contest: a free weeklong charter in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with TMM Yacht Charters.