Bravo 21-Day
Become an intrepid explorer and seasoned sailor.
Bravo 21-Day
Overview
Highlights
- Offers the most optional courses to customize your trip
- Plenty of watersports instruction and opportunities to build your skills while you snorkel, waterski, wakeboard, kayak, tubing and more
- Hiking & Island Exploration
- Community Service: 5-8 hours
- Marine Biology Seminars
- Optional ASA Basic Keelboat & Basic Coastal Cruising Certifications (For experienced sailors)
- Optional Scuba: Introductory Discover Scuba, Open Water certification, Advanced OW and recreational diving
- 3 weeks $7195
Bravo 21-Day Description
You’ll pack a lifetime of experiences in 21 days with perfect sailing, watersports and scuba conditions while living aboard a 50-foot sailboat. Bravo offers the widest array of activities and devotes the most time to watersports. No experience is needed, but we guarantee you’ll return home after three weeks a seasoned mariner. Starting at our home base in Tortola, you’ll sail three to four hours a day to the most famous locations in the British Virgin Islands, as well as quiet hideaways where you’ll see a side of the islands that only the locals know. Together with your crewmates, you’ll learn by doing. Before you know it, you’ll be sailing with confidence.
Hug the coast in a kayak. Take a thrill ride on a wakeboard. Grab a tow on a fast-moving tube. You’ll also give back to the islands, and grow in the process, by working with local youth and restoring a beach to its natural beauty. Sail Hobie cats at the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda, explore the enormous boulders at The Baths, one of the most extraordinary natural wonders you’ll find anywhere. When the sun goes down, the fun gets going. Dance with stilt walkers at our Fireball Party at Trellis Bay.
There’s plenty to do on Bravo programs, but if you’re looking for more, our optional diving and ASA sailing certification courses let you shape the program experience to fit your goals.
Bravo 21-Day Activities
Kayaking
Ready for a little exploring with a friend? With all the beautiful anchorages and coves we visit there’s much to explore by paddle power.
Snorkeling
Meet the creatures below the waves. Swim alongside a friendly sea turtle, join a school of Blue Tang fish, and explore the reefs!
Stand Up Paddleboarding
Get your footing and you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to maneuver with perfect balance. You’ll have terrific views above, as well as below the waves.
Tubing
Our Number 1 watersports toy is nicknamed “Papa”. You’ll be hanging on so tight you won't even be able to give a thumbs-up.
Wakeboarding
Once you’re up it’s a thrill every single second, especially if you get airborne. No wonder this is a Sail Caribbean one-handed favorite!
Small Boat Sailing
You’ll learn so much on your big yacht. Try applying your seamanship skills to smaller boats and feel how swiftly they respond.
Social Events
Dance with Moko-Jumbie stilt walkers at our Fireball Party, win the famous Chili Cookoff, and compete for glory at the SC Olympics.
Beach Sports
Team up for a spirited game of volleyball or a fast-paced soccer tournament, then cool off rehearsing a synchronized swim.
Hiking
The islands we visit are mountainous. Reaching the best vantage points provides challenges, but the pay offs are breathtaking vistas!
Community Service
Whether your interest is in cultural heritage, marine biology, or environmental conservation, you’ll have opportunities to roll up your sleeves and pitch in!
Marine Biology Seminars
Topics include: respect and awareness of marine organisms, coral biology, geologic formation, sharks, invasive species, sea turtles, and the night ocean.
Island Exploration
Hike through a rainforest, travel mountainous hillside roads, learn about the art of glassblowing, visit an organic farm, and discover different cultures.
Yacht Racing
It’s the ultimate team sport! Whether you're on the helm, trimming the jib, or on the rail helping to balance the boat, everyone’s efforts count.
Sailing
If you've never set foot aboard a 50' sloop, it's OK with us – No Experience Necessary! You’ll learn by doing and we’ll be by your side all the way. If you’re already a sailor, build on your knowledge!
Scuba
If you choose scuba, it doesn't matter if you're a seasoned diver or if you're taking your very first scuba lesson. You're in for the ultimate dive experience.
Advanced Sailing
There are opportunities to build on your sailing and seamanship skills through American Sailing Association courses which include practice time on our 26' Colgate training boat, Opal Bella.
Advanced Scuba
Work your way up from Advanced Open Water to Rescue Diver with Specialty certifications along the way. If you're 18, you can even 'Go Pro' and become a PADI Divemaster.
Kayaking
Ready for a little exploring with a friend? With all the beautiful anchorages and coves we visit there’s much to explore by paddle power.
Snorkeling
Meet the creatures below the waves. Swim alongside a friendly sea turtle, join a school of Blue Tang fish, and explore the reefs!
Stand Up Paddleboarding
Get your footing and you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to maneuver with perfect balance. You’ll have terrific views above, as well as below the waves.
Tubing
Our Number 1 watersports toy is nicknamed “Papa”. You’ll be hanging on so tight you won't even be able to give a thumbs-up.
Wakeboarding
Once you’re up it’s a thrill every single second, especially if you get airborne. No wonder this is a Sail Caribbean one-handed favorite!
Small Boat Sailing
You’ll learn so much on your big yacht. Try applying your seamanship skills to smaller boats and feel how swiftly they respond.
Social Events
Dance with Moko-Jumbie stilt walkers at our Fireball Party, win the famous Chili Cookoff, and compete for glory at the SC Olympics.
Beach Sports
Team up for a spirited game of volleyball or a fast-paced soccer tournament, then cool off rehearsing a synchronized swim.
Hiking
The islands we visit are mountainous. Reaching the best vantage points provides challenges, but the pay offs are breathtaking vistas!
Community Service
Whether your interest is in cultural heritage, marine biology, or environmental conservation, you’ll have opportunities to roll up your sleeves and pitch in!
Marine Biology Seminars
Topics include: respect and awareness of marine organisms, coral biology, geologic formation, sharks, invasive species, sea turtles, and the night ocean.
Island Exploration
Hike through a rainforest, travel mountainous hillside roads, learn about the art of glassblowing, visit an organic farm, and discover different cultures.
Yacht Racing
It’s the ultimate team sport! Whether you're on the helm, trimming the jib, or on the rail helping to balance the boat, everyone’s efforts count.
Sailing
If you've never set foot aboard a 50' sloop, it's OK with us – No Experience Necessary! You’ll learn by doing and we’ll be by your side all the way. If you’re already a sailor, build on your knowledge!
Scuba
If you choose scuba, it doesn't matter if you're a seasoned diver or if you're taking your very first scuba lesson. You're in for the ultimate dive experience.
Advanced Sailing
There are opportunities to build on your sailing and seamanship skills through American Sailing Association courses which include practice time on our 26' Colgate training boat, Opal Bella.
Advanced Scuba
Work your way up from Advanced Open Water to Rescue Diver with Specialty certifications along the way. If you're 18, you can even 'Go Pro' and become a PADI Divemaster.
ON EVERY SAIL CARIBBEAN ADVENTURE
Sail Caribbean offers ten different adventure groups with 30 different sessions in the British Virgin and Leeward Islands of the Caribbean. You live aboard a modern 50′ monohull yacht or 45′ catamaran with other teens in your age group and learn to sail. No experience is necessary. Every adventure focuses on an activity, but each offers scuba, marine biology, community service, cultural exchange, watersports, friendships, personal growth and lifelong memories.
Want to compare adventures? Download our 2023 Schedule (PDF)!
Bravo 21-Day
Itinerary
Day 1
Get acquainted with our beautiful home base. Meet your Captain and everyone on your program. You get settled into your boat, have your first boat meeting over a delicious dinner, and set the course for the rest of your adventures to come.
Days 2-5
Your captain leads you through a safety briefing and de-docking lesson before your first sail across the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Have a go at the helm and raise the mainsail for the first time as a crew. Once anchored at The Bight, you take your first swim in clear Caribbean waters. You spend time getting to know your crewmates, and cook your first meal onboard.
Days 6-9
By the end of the first week, dive students will complete their Open Water certifications! Your captain and mate will push you and your crew to take on greater responsibility for each other and the boat. You’ll talk about strategies for leadership and teamwork at boat meeting on the beach at Nanny Cay.
Days 10-13
As you approach the third week of your program, you and your crew will face your biggest test yet. Challenge Day is always a highlight of the program as it is a day for you to show us what you have learned. You and your crew will take control of the boat and sail us to our destination. Your Captain and Mate are only along for the ride, so you’ll have to rely on each other and make decisions as a team.
Days 14-17
Get ready for Sail Caribbean race day! The first boat to pick up a mooring ball at The Bitter End wins! Celebrate the day by enjoying all that the resort has to offer: a hike with spectacular views, shops and restaurants, and small boat sailing. Spend the afternoon enjoying some thrilling watersports or hanging out at the beach.
Days 18-20
As you approach departure day, you’ll prepare for you ASA exams or finish up your dive specialties. One of the last stops of the program will be the most memorable when you stop off at The Baths. Experience a thrilling plunge off Jump Rock and explore the maze of tunnels and passageways created by massive boulders. Take your last turn at the helm before your final docking at Hodges Creek.
Day 21
After a night of celebrating your accomplishments and reminiscing about the journey, you’ll exchange fond farewells and airplane letters before parting ways!
Bravo 21-Day
Sessions
Bravo 1
Begin Date
06/25/2023
End Date
07/15/2023
2023 Tuition
$7195
Service Hours
5-8
# of Dives
8-12
Bravo 2
Begin Date
07/17/2023
End Date
08/06/2023
2023 Tuition
$7195
Service Hours
5-8
# of Dives
8-12
Optional
Courses
Sailing Courses
Sail Caribbean Crew Certification
Prerequisites: None
This certification is bestowed on any crew member who demonstrates the ability to fully participate in the daily sailing tasks on board and passes a written test proving that they’ve mastered fundamental information on safety, seamanship, navigation and boat handling skills.
Sail Caribbean Bosun Certification
Prerequisites: SC Crew
Proving you have an understanding of some of the more advanced sailing theories and demonstrating the ability to participate in sail reefing, timed tacking and jibing, island crossing, advanced navigation, anchoring, docking and de-docking skills along with racing tactics and proper safety techniques will earn you our Bosun certification.
Sail Caribbean Mate Certification
Prerequisites: SC Crew & Bosun
A focus on leadership while underway is the core of this certification. You’ll earn Mate certification if you succeed at assigning crew positions, directing most phases of seamanship and safety drills, demonstrate proper engine, dinghy and equipment use and maintenance, keep an accurate ship’s log and monitor the weather all skills that make you a capable second in command.
ASA 101: Basic Keelboat Certification
Prerequisites: None
If you’re arriving at Sail Caribbean with prior sailing experience and are very keen on making the commitment to learn more, why not take this opportunity to gain a nationally recognized certification? You’ll participate in seminars and practice your helmsmanship on our big boats, and then demonstrate your sailing and seamanship skills during two to three intensive days on our own Colgate 26’, Opal Bella. The goal of this certification is for the participants to be able to single-hand (maneuver alone) these keelboats. Written and practical exams fulfill the requirements and you’ll have an official certification that’s valid for years to come and a stepping-stone to many other sailing certifications. View more details about ASA certifications here.
ASA 103: Basic Coastal Cruising
Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat Sailing (ASA101) certification
Demonstrated ability to skipper a sloop-rigged auxiliary powered (outboard or inboard engine) keelboat of approximately 25 to 35 feet length by day in moderate winds and sea conditions. Knowledge of cruising sailboat terminology, basic boat systems, auxiliary engine operation, docking procedures, intermediate sail trim, navigation rules, basic coastal navigation, anchoring, weather forecast interpretation, safety and seamanship. View more details about ASA certifications here.
ASA 104: Bareboat Cruising
Prerequisites: Basic Keelboat Sailing (ASA101) and Basic Coastal Cruising (ASA103) certifications
Demonstrated ability to skipper a sloop-rigged, auxiliary powered keelboat (or catamaran, if course is conducted on such) of approximately 30 to 45 feet in length during a multi-day cruise upon inland or coastal waters in moderate to heavy winds (up to 30 knots) and sea conditions. Course is conducted as a live-aboard cruise of at least 48 hours. Knowledge of provisioning, galley operations, boat systems, auxiliary engine operation, routine maintenance procedures, advanced sail trim, coastal navigation including basic chart plotting and GPS operation, multiple-anchor mooring, docking, health & safety, emergency operations, weather interpretation, and dinghy/tender operation. View more details about ASA certifications here.
Scuba Courses
PADI Discover SCUBA Diving
Discover a whole new world beneath the waves!
You will experience the thrill of scuba diving under the close supervision of a qualified PADI Instructor in ideal conditions. Under the palm trees on the beach, we’ll begin with an orientation and skills session – you’ll be introduced to the basic concepts of scuba diving. Next you’ll learn about equipment, basic skills and safety procedures. Afterwards, you’ll practice those important scuba skills in three to five feet of calm, clear water right off the beach. You’ll continue with your first dive experience off that same beach in 20-30 feet of calm water. Once you’re comfortable with the basic skills, one of our custom dive boats will take you to enjoy your first open water dive. It will be no deeper than 30ft, and you’ll be able to explore one of our amazing reefs with your instructor.
The DSD course is available on all of our programs except Charlie. Students will spend 2-3 sessions with our PADI instructors. In the future, if you decide to become certified, these skills and the open water dives may be credited towards your PADI Open Water Diver course.
PADI Recreational Diving
Prerequisite: Must be Open Water certified or equivalent
Non-certification recreational diving is available as an option on all of our adventures. Ever imagine diving on a coral garden, drifting through a rainbow canyon, or exploring a sunken wreck? You will enjoy recreational diving in the BVI with our own Sail Caribbean Divers Instructors and Divemasters. On Delta in the Leeward Islands, professional dive instructors from each island along with our dive staff take you to gorgeous dive sites. You’ll gain expert knowledge from each local instructor and get the most out of every dive site you visit. You must provide proof of certification from a recognized agency like PADI, NAUI, YMCA, or NASDS.
PADI Open Water Diver
Prerequisite: 12+ years of age.
This PADI course is the most popular entry-level dive program in the whole world! Throughout our PADI Open Water Diver course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of safe scuba diving, including dive equipment, techniques, and planning. This certification allows you to rent scuba equipment, obtain tank air fills and also enroll in PADI Continuing Education courses (PADI Adventure Diver, PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, or even PADI Specialties).
The PADI Open Water Diver certification is recognized worldwide. To earn this rating, we’ll introduce you to eLearning:
- eLearning is an online Open Water course developed by PADI.
- Non-diving “classroom” lessons are completed at home before your summer program starts.
- The online course, averaging 6-8 hours to complete, presents the material in an “easy to use” manner and assures that you thoroughly understand the information. You can divide the course into several separate learning sessions to fit your schedule. No pressure — you set your own pace.
- You can get one-on-one assistance from our professional scuba instructors in the Caribbean — the same instructors that you’ll have during the summer! They are on call by email to answer questions you may have along the way. This is personal attention that might not be available in a larger classroom setting.
- Parents can oversee the sessions and possibly offer assistance.
- The greatest advantage is that when you arrive in the Caribbean your time is spent underwater developing the skills required to become a qualified, capable, and safe diver. You’re not in the classroom! The first thing that you do is take a review test to prove that you’re ready to go diving!
During five confined water training dives, your instructor will demonstrate, and then you’ll practice and master, important diving skills. Finally, applying everything you have learned, you will make four open water dives at favorite dive sites around the British Virgin Islands.
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
For Open Water divers who want to earn the next certification.
Divers who are already certified can go to the next level and improve their skills. You will receive your PADI textbook upon arrival in the islands. During the course you will complete interesting and informative knowledge reviews along with navigation, night and deep dives, plus two other dives of your choice in assorted specialty areas for a total of five dives. After the course, you can use your skills to enjoy recreational dives during the remainder of your adventure.
Bravo 21-Day
FAQs
How much sailing or diving experience do I need?
No experience is necessary, but you should be comfortable on and in the water, have a spirit of adventure, the ability to take on responsibility, and a desire to be challenged. While everyone is involved with sailing instruction, scuba is an option on Bravo. (The snorkeling alone is amazing!)
What kind of boat will I be living on & where do I sleep?
You’ll live and sleep on a modern 50-foot monohull sailboat. Each boat has five cabins plus a main salon that can convert to a 6th cabin, six heads (bathrooms), and a fully equipped galley. Cabins are mainly used to store your belongings and to change clothes. Most nights the stars are so beautiful and the breeze so refreshing that you’ll set up your hammock or sleeping bag and decide to sleep on deck with the rest of the crew.
Who will my crewmates be?
Students join us from all over the country and from around the world. Their ages range from 12 (finishing seventh grade) to 18. Each co-ed boat has 10-12 students of similar age with a balance of girls and boys. On Bravo, our fleet size is 24 to 48 teenagers. Each day offers sailing and meals with your crew and then activities, electives, and socializing with the entire group.
How much of a time commitment is required for the ASA optional courses?
The ASA courses are “challenge courses” and involve about one-fourth of the participants’ free time. We always incorporate free time into our days and evenings. When we’re not sailing, students can take advantage of a wide range of activities, including watersports and optional courses.
What kind of boat will I be living on & where do I sleep?
You’ll live and sleep on a modern 50-foot monohull sailboat. Each boat has five cabins plus a main salon that can convert to a 6th cabin, six heads (bathrooms), and a fully equipped galley. Cabins are mainly used to store your belongings and to change clothes. Most nights the stars are so beautiful and the breeze so refreshing that you’ll set up your hammock or sleeping bag and decide to sleep on deck with the rest of the crew.
Bravo 21-Day
Reviews
“I felt sharing the responsibilities was so important. If something on the boat needed to be done, we got it done, and getting it done together meant we could be done faster. It’s also important that we shared responsibility on the boat because it taught me how to work with others, even if they were terrible at helping.”
Lexi J., age 19, Goldsboro, NC
“Grace clearly looked up to the staff and speaks about them with great admiration and respect. She has talked about them a great deal and seems inspired by their lives.”
Cat B., parent of 13 year old daughter, Washington, DC
“All of the counselors were well educated and made sure everyone was having fun and learning.”
Olivia B., age 16, Rye, NY