Happy Christmas, Season's Greetings, Happy Holidays, Joyeux Noel, Glædelig Jul, Nollaig Shona Dhuit

Happy Christmas, Season's Greetings, Happy Holidays, Joyeux Noel, Glædelig Jul,  Nollaig Shona Dhuit to all of our sailing guests, friends and family all over the world. 

The day could not be better for sailing; I'm sitting here looking at around 15 - 17 knots, blue sky and white puffy clouds.  A perfect day to anchor in English or Falmouth Harbours and head into Nelson's Dockyard for the Christmas Day Dockyard party.  Just enough cloud to keep you cool.  Enjoy the champagne, steel bands and live entertainment.  

There have been some terrific events leading up to this day; we had the arrival of Santa in Jolly Harbour just last week.  When asked by a small child in the crowd if it was the "real" Father Christmas, I replied, 'of course'.  Not convinced by my answer he commented "but why is he so early?".  Hmmmm.... why indeed?!  Quick as a flash, I replied 'because he has so many countries to visit on his sleigh (or in our case a helicopter) that he has to start somewhere in order to fit every chimney in'.  

Santa arriving in style to Jolly Harbour

As the sun set, we were treated to an impromptu carol concert outside of Epicurean supermarket (where else?!); two Antiguan groups of singers, accompanied by some of the best drummers I've heard.  True talent right there.  

A very special evening in the Marina for visitors and residents alike and a lovely reminder of all the great things about the Season. 

Youngest singer in the choir

However you say it, best wishes to you for the Season.

Horizon Antigua celebrates "Operator of the Year" awarded by Latesail yacht broker

Prize giving at Jolly Harbour Marina, Antigua

Our Horizon Yacht Charters base in Antigua has been awarded "Operator of the Year" by Latesail, the charter yacht broker.

In a special ceremony at their base in Jolly Harbour Marina, the owner of Latesail, Dan Lockyer, and two of his team Dave and Candice, flew into Antigua yesterday and awarded Alastair and Jackie Ashford, the base owner-operators, with a wonderful champagne prize.

Thank you to the team at Latesail and thank you so much to our loyal staff who are integral to the success of the operation.

We're off to celebrate!

Afloat or ashore, sailors and non-sailors... Antigua has it all.

Oz Doc of Cowes on the dock of the Condo

Each year people all around the world have the same conversation: "shall we sail this year?" or "shall we have a land-based vacation?". Quite often it has to be a compromise in order to keep everyone happy, after all, holidays are precious times.   


The perfect way to please everyone on your sailing vacation is to take advantage of Horizon Antigua's special STAY & SAIL package.  The package is unique to our Antigua base and consists of chartering our Bavaria 42 "Oz Doc of Cowes" and combining this with a 2 bedroom, waterfront condo right here in Jolly Harbour; complete with its own dock.


The boat sleeps up to 6 people in 3 double cabins, and the villa sleeps up to four people in 2 double bedrooms.  This is the perfect combination for groups of people with different interests. Some of you will be passionate about sailing every minute of every day, and there are some who would prefer to cruise for a few days and then explore further inland by local bus or rental car; this package has it all.   

Relax on the large sundeck and watch the world go by

The self-catering condo is situated in the heart of Jolly Harbour Marina on the picturesque west coast of Antigua.  Just a 20 minute ride by taxi from the International airport and you could be sitting on the deck with a glass of something cold admiring your yacht and thinking about all the adventures you will have in the next week or so.  


The combined package for 7 nights/8 days is US$4, 965.  If you have the maximum of 10 people split between the boat and the condo, this works out at just US$70 per person, per day!  All linens and towels are included.  


Imagine, after a wonderful day sail, coming back to your dock and stepping onto your jetty - jumping in a hot shower and enjoying the stunning sunsets.  Of course, you can choose to stay at an overnight anchorage after a day of cruising - it's entirely up to you.  

Step from your yacht to the Condo

You can have it all with our Stay & Sail package.  


Email Jackie at info@antiguahorizon.com to check package availability and to get further details.  

Enhance your sailing experience in Antigua with our new live aboard course

Sailing should be fun!  That is our belief at Horizon Yacht Charters - we hope it's yours too!  You have enough stress and worry in the real world - sailing can be a great stress reliever - after all, you can't exactly think about share prices or spring cleaning if you're trying to anchor in 20 knots!

With this in mind, we sat down with our Instructors over the past few weeks and said "how can we make sure our guests have the best possible experience on board when they charter with us or at any of our other bases?".  

The result? Our new 5 day live aboard sailing course for groups of friends or family.  

The aim of the new course in Antigua is to provide the practical tools you will need to sail more confidently and competently in the future either as the Skipper of your 'own' boat or as a valuable crew member.  The course will help you work better together as a team; not just with the people you are sailing with on this charter, but for all of your future bareboat holidays or daysails on the Chesapeake or the Solent, or wherever your sailing ambition takes you.  There is nothing better than having an experienced and fun Instructor to learn from and be able to ask the questions you might feel stupid asking at your local Sailing Club.  

Instructor Dave Buller with happy students!

The course outline covers an initial assessment by your Instructor.  He will watch how you interact as a yacht crew and how you handle yourselves around the boat.  It's not a test just a good way for him to analyse your strengths.  From this, the Instructor will have a good understanding of your competency level and can then tailor the course content just for you.  

There is a focus on the Captain with this course.  You will learn how best to manage your crew for great results considering their level of experience or non-experience, for that matter.  You will discover new ways to communicate with your crew for maximum effectiveness.  

A happy crew is what it's all about.

As a team, you will learn about passage planning - from where to cruise given the sailing conditions around Antigua at that time, to plotting your course as a team and reviewing your course under way.  

Docking always seems to be a headache for crews; lots of hard wood and concrete ready to jump out at you.  On this course, your Instructor will have you docking stern to and alongside as if you were born doing it.  As a team, you will discover more about sail trim - both on and off the wind - how to get the most out of your boat.  In Jolly Harbour Marina, we have stern-to docking right here as a test ground.

Stern-to docking can be conquered - without any gelcoat damage.

Safety is an important element of this course and it runs throughout the 5 days but there will also be a focus on keeping everyone safe on board, man over board and dinghy handling and safety.  

Sailing around Antigua you will find very few mooring balls, so an element of the course will be a masterclass in anchoring for your whole team.  

Finally, the correct use of the VHF radio will have you sounding like professional yachties on this course.  

This course is designed to enhance your sailing experience; whether that's in Antigua, elsewhere around the Caribbean or your home port. 

For more information, call or email me:  Jackie +1 866 439 1089 or +1 268 562 4725.

Email is info@antiguahorizon.com

So, what do you want to know?

As a charter business with our feet firmly routed in Antiguan soil/sand/floor tiles, we are always asked plenty of questions by guests and budding guests before they arrive for their charter.  I suppose it is because we are in the heart of the action and live and breathe this sailing destination.

We get back to guests quickly because we know the frustration of emailing hotels or restaurants, for example, and getting diddly-nothing back.  How does that work?!  Perhaps their customer service person is paid whatever they do so its easy to delete emails and pretend they never arrived - I honestly can not think of another reason why I would not get a reply that could generate business.

Of course, we could simply direct people to our FAQ section on the website but each person who sails with us probably has their top 5 questions that THEY would like answered, not anyone else's questions.

Having looked after so many people in the last 8 years, I can reveal to you my personal Top 5....

What time does the supermarket stay open to? {This really gets number one position)


Can I leave the dock early? (That is an all-time favourite! Why, I don't know, as there are plenty of bars and restaurants here but then, that's just me!)


Can I bring in my own frozen food? 


How long have you lived in Antigua? (And why not! Closely followed by "Whereabouts in Australia are you from?... er.... London)


Where can I get fresh fish? (Don't even think about trying to get this beauty on the yacht's BBQ!)

It is interesting that I get very few what I would classify as "sailing" questions.  Perhaps that is because our guests have diligently reviewed the sailing area, asked their own friends, and applied their own learning strategies before they actually decide to sail Antigua and the Leeward Islands.  All credit to them.  But if you have questions, or anxieties, or whatever, just ask.

So, what would be your Top 5 questions? Drop me an email at info@antiguahorizon.com and test our 24 hour response time.  If you don't hear back, it's probably because I'm at the supermarket waiting in line to buy fish!

Wake up and smell the coffee!

As I sit here in Antigua looking for dates of the Russian Revolution on the internet (don't ask!), I am constantly surprised and delighted by the sheer volume of information that is available to me at the touch of a few buttons.

Recently, to demonstrate the power of the internet, a friend of mine from the UK mocked me when I said I had seen an article about a turtle that was given wheels as he/she had lost the use of his/her back 'legs' (I'm sure that I will be corrected about the use of the word 'legs').  The popular view is that if you live in the islands you spend most of your waking hours full of rum (and a few sleeping hours, too, for good measure) and tend to talk a lot of nonsense.  Imagine my satisfaction when I searched for said turtle and there he was; in all his back leg, wheely glory!

The purpose of this ramble is clear (!).  You can do so much research on the internet for your next sailing trip, weekend away, or annual vacation, that you actually start to believe you have been to that place already.  This happened recently when I started to research, with some gusto, a trip to Scotland.  I had routes planned around favourite restaurants and had even reviewed the menus so knew in advance that I would be having the lobster and Chardonnay on said date.  The upshot of all of this research was that I felt like I had already been to Scotland and the result was a trip to Las Vegas (now that is a sensory experience!).

Imagine what I missed through not having the experience through my own eyes.  I did not get to smell the wild heather growing in abundance on the moors.  I did not get to pet that sheep in the lane or try and understand what the barman was asking me with his broad, Scottish accent and I certainly did not get to smell the salty freshness of the sea first thing in the morning.  There is just no substitute for having the experience.

When people ask me, as they do each and every day, so what's it like to actually sail and vacation in Antigua, no matter how hard I try, I can not truly get the experience across.  I can articulate the feel of the white sand under your feet when you jump out of the dinghy - I can certainly say it is as soft as flour, but it does not get you the reality.

I explain the smell of the island as you emerge from the plane after so many hours in a small, confined space; you know you've arrived in the tropics the minute you step foot on the steps.  If you were blindfold, you would immediately know:  "I'm in the islands".

I explain the feel of the tropical sun at different times of day; the gradual heating of the island as you move from breakfast time to mid day and beyond and how it feels on your skin.  I explain the look of the sunset each night as you sit on deck (clutching said rum) or on the beach and the sense that another day is coming to an end.

In my view, in the days of information overload, it is always best to leave something to be discovered and enjoyed and remembered.  Sailing Antigua?  Wake up and smell the tropics.

Why sail Antigua in the Caribbean this October? We say, why not?!

I'm quite often asked by guests how is the sailing in Antigua & Barbuda during October.  My answer is always the same; blissfully peaceful.  Having spent some time travelling this Summer:  Hong Kong, Australia, UK and Singapore, I am constantly drawn back to Antigua for the complete laid-back pace of life and quiet-ness.  It is such a contrast to the fast pace of life on other Continents that when we travel overseas, our eyes are not big enough to take in the people, the lights and the energy that simply reverberates from person to person.

To give you an example of an October anchorage, the photograph below is typical of the closest anchorage to our base here in Jolly Harbour.  Quite often, guests arrive anxious and stressed, having worked hard all year to have the vacation and then to have the stress that airline travel brings!  This anchorage is a possible overnight anchorage for your first night of slow down:

From here, you could either sail north or south, the choice is yours.  If you head north, you might find yourself in the North Sound of Antigua.  Plan to eat on board as there aren't any restaurants in this part of the island.  Take a look:

 North Sound area of Antigua

From here, you might decide to visit the sister island to Antigua:  Barbuda.  Many people have written about this island because it is so totally unspoilt and the colour of the water will take your breath away.  I took this photograph below during a busy Easter, can you believe?!

There's something very magical about Barbuda that draws you back.  You have a choice of two delightful overnight anchorages; one of which is 11 miles of unbroken white sand beach.  It's hard to capture that in a photograph:

A trip up to Barbuda (just 25nm) would not be complete with a call into our man Goldilocks to arrange for some fresh lobster.  Goldilocks is so accommodating that he will even give you top tips on how to prepare and cook your lobster.  Remember the lemon from Antigua as there is only one store on Barbuda, and that is a water-taxi ride across the lagoon!

There are so many peaceful anchorages when you sail Antigua & Barbuda, that I hope we have given you a flavour of just a few that are special to us.

Sailing the islands of Antigua & Barbuda during October is very good for you and your soul... at the end of a day of sailing, swimming, snorkelling, exploring or just good old book reading, it's a reward in itself to enjoy a rum on ice and the perfect sunset.

See you here!

To fish, or not to fish, that is the question.

We get a mixed bag of sailors with us here at our Antigua charter base.  By that I am referring to their desire or lack thereof, to fish!  Some are so adamant that they have "come to sail" and you "can forget that fishing idea".  Some confess, albeit quietly, to trying the sport of fishing but with zero success. Some have caught the biggest fish in the history of fishing but sadly it got away.... hmmm.....

I would say that most of our guests prefer to see their fish swimming under the water at one of the many snorkelling spots around Antigua & Barbuda.

Perhaps you have to start young - a bit like skiing.  I snapped these youngsters having their own mini competition on the dockside:

The whole fish thing is just a good excuse for a party.  As I discovered a couple of weekends ago when I went to the weigh in following the Antigua & Barbuda Sports Fishing Tournament.  A staggering 43 boats got together to compete against each other in this annual fishing tournament.  They came from far and wide and made an awesome sight in Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbour.

As far as the eye could see the competitors were polishing their reels and fluffing their lures (You are right, I am not a fishing expert!).

The weigh in took place amidst cheers of "well done" and "nice catch".  I missed the big fish, but managed to see this chap having his photograph taken by the press.

The brilliant thing about the tournament, for the non-fisher-people amongst us, is that they cook what they catch on huge BBQs - everything from grilled mahi-mahi to lobster and avocado wraps.  So you could get all sorts of food or grab yourself a fresh lobster and a glass of wine and watch the entertainment.

When the sun goes down, the party really gets going.  The Carib girls were in great demand by the media - FishTV were following them around rather closely!  I wonder why?

The boats made an impressive sight after dark and the crews were finally able to relax after a scorching day on the water.  The Carib and Wadadli flowed as Chicki Hi Fi played some heart-thumping music.

You can always join in the fun and partying if you are chartering with us.  Just anchor in English Harbour, dinghy ashore and join in the lime.

That's all for now... join me soon when I'll be experiencing just some of the many events and parties that take place around Antigua and Barbuda.  For now, I'm hanging up my blogging gloves.

Sailing to the Peak in Antigua

When a friend says to you "fancy a hike" it's somewhat better than "take a hike" but still it conjures up images of  sore feet, dodgy knees and lots of out-of-breath puffing!  And I wasn't disappointed!

Antigua has so much to offer and it's great to get inland once in a while during your sailing charter to see the flowers, vegetation and the stunning views.

Pats from Indigo Divers (PADI dive operator based right here in Jolly Harbour Marina) decided that it would be a great idea to hike to the tallest point on Antigua called BOGGY PEAK.  Well, to be technically correct, it was renamed back in 2009 and it is now called MOUNT OBAMA after Barack Obama.

Given that this was a great way to research a hike for our sailing charter guests, I enthusiastically agreed.

I was collected at 05.15am on a Sunday morning (excuse me, isn't Sunday a day of rest?) and told to wear stout shoes (what, no flip flop chic?!) and bring water. Bearing in mind the sun had not yet risen and even the birds could not muster any energy to chirp, it was no surprise to be told "no sunscreen".

We met our Hiking Group just past the Pineapple farm (home to the famous Antigua Black pineapple) which is located further south along the west coast from Jolly Harbour Marina. Here we joined a lively group ready for the hike.  I use the word "hike" loosely as the word "climb" would have been more appropriate.

The temperature was around 80 degrees and felt positively cool as the sun has not yet made an appearance.  The path is an actual road so it is easy on the feet; all good so far.  The path winds around the mountain and then starts to get a little steeper but it is still manageable if you take your time and sip water along the way.  The vegetation along the path is lush; bananas huddled together for company in bunches, sitting under broad, green leaves waiting to ripen.  At that time of the morning, the mongoose were out scampering and doing whatever mongoose do.

There are some very steep pitches and you wonder how you would ever get a vehicle up there; even a 4x4.  The views through the trees are very much worth it.  You can see the ocean and the palm trees along the coast.  Looking at the view is also an excellent, tactical way to recover your breath and this is to be recommended as you don't want to peak (excuse the pun) too early.  

Some time later, we reached our goal - the tallest point on Antigua - Boggy Peak, or Mount Obama, was conquered!  We felt great; a sense of accomplishment and a little warm.

Having conquered the peak and caught our breath. we were then ready to make our descent.  Perhaps now was not the time to tell Pats that I have a fear of descents; bizarre as it seems.  Pats was brilliant and decided that she would tell some interesting scuba diving stories to take my mind off the 45 degree angle that my legs were unnaturally coping with.  The walk down is quite tough on your legs but we made it to the bottom at around 07.15am.  Who's for breakfast on board?

When you are ready to head inland and want to stretch your sea-legs, I would thoroughly recommend this hike.

Fact File:

Hike time:  1.30 - 2 hours
Height:  1319ft
Mountain range:  Shekerley Mountains, Antigua
Best time of day:  start 5.30am - 6am
Essential:  water, small towel and your sense of fun 

Dr Who's time machine spotted in Antigua?

Stuart and Dianne are the owners of a Bavaria 40 in our Antigua charter fleet.  A great couple, they really epitomize the idea that you can own your own boat in the Caribbean even if you don't live here year-round. Here's what Dianne has to say about her yacht ownership experience in Antigua.

"We live just outside Toronto, Canada.  Our sailing season is short here (May – October) and we have strong winds early and late in the season with the odd interesting summer storm with STRONG winds! We have owned our own yacht up here for 6 years , starting with a DS22, evolving through a C&C 30 and we currently have a Beneteau 350.

We decided to buy our Bavaria 40 partly because Horizon offered a great deal, and we also liked the layout and our experiences with Horizon in Antigua.  The name of our yacht is TARDIS! 

Dr Who’s time machine was called Tardis which stood for Time and Relative Dimensions In Space. In other words, when you went inside Tardis it was much bigger than it appeared on the outside. Couple that with visiting the Islands being like a trip back in time and you have it.

Our favourite anchorages in Antigua & Barbuda are the south shore of Barbuda - this is our absolute favourite - but we also enjoy English and Falmouth Harbors as well as Deep Bay and Nonsuch Bay.

We sail together as husband and wife on board Tardis.  To do this successfully you need a boat that has enough space to get away from each other when the need arises without being too big. Also patience is a prerequisite as each has their own learning curve and different levels of comfort.

Our long term sailing plans are to spend a minimum of 5-6 months of winter aboard Tardis starting in 3 or 4 years. A longer cruise has also been discussed but as yet nothing firm. When we are back home the biggest thing we miss about sailing the Caribbean is the sun, the people, the ocean and Ting".

Beautiful video of Antigua and Barbuda by Bec Williams on board our Bavaria 40 "Tardis"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV8euhZWRNQ

If you want to find out exactly what it is like to experience Antigua & Barbuda, I think this is one of the best representations I've seen.  Bec Williams the author was on board our Bavaria 40 "Tardis" with Jen Wilks and friends.  Watch this and dream.... really beautiful video.

info@antiguahorizon.com
www.horizonyachtcharters.com
1 866 439 1089

Welcome to our world of sailing in Antigua & Barbuda!

Welcome to our very first blog post on our very first blog site for Horizon in Antigua.  Through this blog site, we will be sharing with you what it is like to sail these pristine waters - whether you are new to sailing or have tons of sailing experience.  That's the beauty of this sailing area; there is something for everyone.  I am going to kick off with a few pictures (really to practice uploading!) that highlight the sailing area.  So here goes with the upload:

OK, so far so good.  I am going to start our tour of Antigua & Barbuda with our home base.  This is Jolly Harbour Marina.  A great Russian client of ours came two years ago and bought with him Russian TV and official photographers.  The official photographer took this great shot of the Marina just as the sun had gone down.  So I can't take any credit for this photograph.  The Marina is a great place to start your cruise or your sailing course; whatever it is you are up to.  Why so great?  Restaurants, bars, large supermarket, banks, art shops and just a 10 minute walk to a beach that stretches for 1 mile.  I'm going to practice another upload and  show you the beach that is closest to your boat - should you choose to charter with us:

We are fortunate to live a few minutes walk from this beach and it makes a great sunset location for walking and remembering why you live here and why so many people visit the island.  The next post will be talking about the Horizon team here in Antigua; so if you do decide to come sailing here with us, you will know exactly who's who.  I might even try and upload a video - is there no end to my talent!