Life Onboard
Onboard Adventure
Sail Caribbean has spent over 40 years in the British Virgin Islands, and we’ve learned a thing or two over that time. With the wind at our backs and nature’s best-kept secret on the horizon, we have empowered thousands of students by providing opportunities for personal growth, leadership development, and learning in an environment of unparalleled beauty and adventure. Each Sail Caribbean Adventure is part of a larger fleet, where multiple boats sail together as a united group. While each program has an age range of 11-18, students will live aboard a sailing yacht with other teens similar to their age and grade. Our Mega Fleet includes four programs—Bravo, Charlie, Foxtrot, and Sierra—while the Alpha Fleet consists of two programs, Alpha and Tango. Both fleets typically sail with 5-7 boats in total. In addition, the Delta, Echo, and Lima fleets sail independently, each with a 1-2 boats. The boats within each fleet are primarily organized based on the age and grade of the students, ensuring that participants are grouped with others of similar experience and maturity.
Life On Water
Whether you are plotting a course on a chart, hauling in sails, chopping vegetables, or just getting to know one another, there’s a certain magic in life onboard a boat. When you’re sailing together, a team spirit grows out of necessity and spills over into everything you do. Sail Caribbean alumni say that the most rewarding parts of their adventures were the challenges of teamwork and the lasting friendships they cultivated.
Our Yachts
At Sail Caribbean your yacht is your home and also your classroom. It’s a modern, 50-foot, single-hull sailing yacht or 45-foot catamaran. Whether you’re just learning port from starboard or looking to expand your sailing skills, you’ll have a high-performance craft, an experienced Captain and Mate as constant companions, and enthusiastic crewmates to share the adventure of sailing Caribbean waters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our voyages combine the best of small and large group qualities. Each boat has students of similar age, ensuring an intimate, experiential learning and living environment onboard. Each crew bonds as a close unit. The boats in each program also sail together as a fleet. Our fleets have from two to five boats, with 20-50 students. For ages 12/13-18, our fleet size is 20 to 50 teenagers with 10-12 students of similar age aboard each boat and a balance of girls and boys. Students form the closest friendships with the peers of their crew as they learn, work and play together. But there are many opportunities to socialize with all participants on the trip (and even other fleets) during watersports and land activities.
We sail in fleets for safety and instructional purposes, and also for the fun and social opportunities it provides. Our Mates rotate from boat to boat on a regular basis, each sharing his or her own unique knowledge and enthusiasm for sailing, navigation, scuba, marine biology, and cooking, the list is endless. Ashore, the crews gather to enjoy newfound friendships, various ages, and backgrounds, and news about how each boat is meeting its challenges. And of course, there’s the excitement of yacht racing. There’s nothing quite like a fleet of large yachts tacking upwind together!
On land, safety continues to be our highest priority. In every case, students are given clear boundaries (and the attractions and highlights within those boundaries so students are not tempted to stray). During daytime excursions, our staff members wear their staff shirts and join the students ashore to provide area supervision throughout the designated areas and particularly at points of interest. Students must travel in buddy groups and check in on a regular basis. During evenings ashore, students and staff are together at all times. The venues are carefully chosen for the student’s enjoyment and with foremost consideration for safety and supervision.
On the boat, there are always at least two, and sometimes three, adults onboard for 10-12 students when the boat is underway. A support staff boat may also accompany our BVI and Leeward Island fleets, providing a “main office” for the Program Director, Fleet Captain, Provisions Manager, and Medical Officer, as well as carrying additional supplies and equipment. These additional staff normally sail with the students each day, rotating through the fleet. Our overall student-to-staff ratio in all programs is 4:1.
the Sail Caribbean Experience
Sail Caribbean has spent over 40 years in the British Virgin Islands, and we’ve learned a thing or two in that time. With the wind at our backs and nature’s best-kept secret on the horizon, we have empowered thousands of students by providing opportunities for personal growth, leadership development, and learning in an environment of unparalleled beauty and adventure.
