What determines a Caribbean yacht charter vacation so attractive?
The Caribbean Sea is huge – it spans over a piece of 2,754,000 km² in the North Atlantic Ocean. You will find over 7000 islands to choose between and that they all have their individual character. This means you are spoilt for choice here!
This big too much to handle water is bordered in the southern region by Colombia and Venezuela also in the North through Greater Antilles beginning with Cuba. To its West lie the Central American countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, C r, Nicaragua and Panama. In the East you find the Lesser Antilles, that happen to be creating the Leeward Islands in the North plus the Windward Islands in the South.
A myriad of gulfs and many reefs are contained in the Caribbean Sea. There is the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef which stretches over 1,000 km along side Central American coast and is actually the 2nd largest barrier reef on the planet. For this reason this sea boasts such fantastic underwater fauna and flora so that you can admire and explore. Snorkeling and scuba at this point is absolutely paradisiac. In general, there is a high diversity of geography – there are coral based islands yet others of volcanic origin. Dependent upon the altitude, the landscape can change from jungle to forest and woodland to savannah, mangrove and lagoon vegetation.
Within the Caribbean you encounter tropical temperatures moderated via the trade winds. This area is spoilt by year-round sunshine and steady temperatures. The tidal range doesn’t exceed half a metre. This makes sailing and mooring in addition to swimming very safe. There are numerous bays and coves which you could moor your boat, the big number of islands and islets offers an endless possibility for sailing trips and the prevailing trade winds are predictable in force and timing, as clockwork.
In addition, there are plenty of colourful festivals, different cultures and beautiful towns with colonial style architecture to explore. You can sample the rich cuisine which consists regarding a fusion of African, Amerindian, European, East Indian, Arab and Chinese Cuisine.
What cruising grounds do you think there are within the Caribbean?
Move to the Windward Islands like Martinique, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and of course the Grenadines and Grenada. Saint Lucia offers wonderful long beaches to cruise along and of course the infrastructure for sailing is superb. Rodney Bay toward the north side is an large bay with just the a small opening towards the sea, as a consequence of which it is fully protected and the waters are calm. Here you can moor in the prestigious Rodney Bay Marina that offers 253 berths for sailboats and superyachts as much as 85 m in addition to many services. The exclusive marina at Marigot Bay upon the west side is equally beautiful and secured. It could host 40 yachts as much as 75 m. In case you moor up there you get treated as a guest of one’s 5-star resort next to the marina and could use all of its facilities.
Cruise the Leeward Islands including Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Guadeloupe, Saint Barths and Saint Martin. Enjoy some easy island hopping mixed with open-water passages there. Invest in the good duty-free shopping and the many resorts. Especially Antigua consists of a very indented coastline and consequently many protected marinas. Sail the idyllic British Virgin Islands located about 100 km east of Puerto Rico. They involve Tortola, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda. This popular charter destination is boasting stunning shorelines with several coral reefs in several colours. In particular, pass by the coral atoll of Anegada, which is the simple resting point for lots of sunken ships and ideal for wreck diving. The British Virgin Islands stretch along either side considering the approximately 90 km long Sir Francis Drake Channel and are perfectly suited for line-of-sight sailing.
Lap up the original charm of Cuba and sail around your stunning Canarreos Archipelago when using the famous Cayo Largoisland south of Cuba. It really has about 350 islets and is actually almost provided that the Florida Keys. There you encounter miles and miles of pristine white sandy beaches and bright turquoise coral reefs. This can be a yacht charter inside a paradise-like environment.
Which weather systems are essential for your chosen bareboat yacht charter inside the Caribbean?
The climate here has often been considered as “perpetual spring” due to the cooling easterly trade winds which create lovely temperatures during the year. They are always in the 20s° and 30s° and vary from summer to winter by 2° – 5° inside the southern islands its not good 10° – 20° inside the northern islands.
Rainfall is heavily according to altitude and topography and typically the eastern shores, especially Dominica, Martinique and Saint Lucia, receive more rain. The precipitation is extremely different from island to island and within every island itself. Finally it rains most within the mountains and Mount Pelee in Martinique receives a whopping 6 m annually. The nearby Presqu’ile de la Caravelle toward the east coast gets six times less. The driest islands are considered the Netherland Antilles being inclusive of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. The wintertime months hold the least rainfall inside the Caribbean. In fact this is the best charter season, when holidaymakers from northern countries try to escape the cold weather.
June to November is hurricane season and September and October run the very best risk for tropical storms. April, June, and July hold the best mixing of warm as well as low rainfall. May brings a limited rainy season in many places. From December to February it´s a good idea to persist with southern destinations, like Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbados.
Some figures as far as the sailing weather inside the Caribbean:
Hurricane season: June – November
Prevailing winds: North-easterly trade winds, 3 – 5 Bft.
Warmest destinations: Cayman Islands, St. Lucia
Coolest destinations: Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos
Highest annual average daily temperature: 29° – 32°
Lowest annual average daily temperature: 20° – 26°
Annual average temperature of water: 27°
Highest total annual rainfall: 2,575 mm, Dominican Republic
Lowest total annual rainfall: 409 mm, Aruba
Which possibilities for yacht charters do you think there are in the Caribbean Islands and what do you do can it cost?
Generally, you can book a 12 m sailing yacht from 2,500 € a week. Depending on the type of yacht, the equipment and the size prizes go up accordingly. You are able to do a charter on sailboats, motor yachts and catamarans with or without captain up to 20 m length. Once you choose something more exclusive, you can select an extravagance yacht charter on boats bigger than 20 m with crew. Private boat hire will come in weekly terms along with form of day charter or 2 to 3 day packages along with sunset trips. Day yacht charters for deep sea or sport fishing with power boats are extremely popular among the Caribbean.
What else can there be to perform in addition to cruising on your Caribbean boat rental?
There really is a a large amount of islands to be, here we advise only some out of them:
Cuba is calling with salsa dancing, impressive colonial buildings, friendly locals, vintage cars, rum, cigars and a generally vibrant atmosphere. For sightseeing here look at the Cristobal Colon cemetery regarding its many beautifully sculpted memorials just for instance.
The Bahamas with their capital Nassau offer lush wildlife, long beaches, coral reefs and really good shopping. On Paradise Island usually there are some stunning luxury resorts similar to the Ocean Club that featured in the James Bond film Casino Royal as well as Atlantis that features a 141-acre waterpark. There you may also swim with dolphins, gamble in the casino or play a round of golf. In several towns in the Bahamas highly regarded Junkanoo festival is dealt with on Boxing day and New Year´s day. It´s a conventional and colourful street parade with music, dance and costumes. Similarly, lively parades with dance and music transpire interspersed year.
Move to Santo Domingo, the main city of Dominican Republic and UNESCO world heritage site. It is actually the oldest permanently inhabited European settlement within the Americas and is one of the largest cities among the Caribbean.
Have a look at Saint Martin regarding its Caribbean, Dutch and French influences, rainforest-like landscape, amazing wildlife, white beaches and exquisite towns.
Visit Antigua along with its 365 beaches. Attractions you will find the best town St. John´s, St. Nelson´s Dockyard, built in the eighteenth century through Royal British Navy or the sugar cane plantations and rum distilleries that used to be fundamental considering the island´s prosperity.
Visit Fort Christian on Saint Thomas – the oldest standing structure in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was once a Dutch stronghold and was much fought over. Additionally there is some great duty free shopping to be accomplished here.
To produce a good sailing regatta make your way to St. Barths` popular Bucket Race, the Heineken Regatta in Saint Martin, both kept in March, or the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta in April. Those events really are a great opportunity for yachties globally to get together and party after the races.
Other than parties like that the nightlife among the Caribbean is characterized by a relaxed atmosphere, good wining and dining, the obligatory rum cocktails and steel drum along with reggae music. It doesn´t improve than that!
You may also go turtle watching (nesting peaks from 2nd and hatchlings emerge several weeks later), go deep sea fishing, diving, snorkeling or play any other of the many available having fun under the sun.
