How to look like a rock star Charter Captain in the Caribbean; even before you step on board

You've worked hard to find the perfect charter boat, the best sailing location and you've got your crew together.  The excitement is building as your charter gets closer.  Your crew is dreaming of turquoise blue ocean and white sand beaches...

...this is when you might start to experience crew communication overload; how many emails can a Captain handle in one day?!  To stop this happening, here's a simple guide to help you look like the best Charter Captain that ever sailed the Caribbean sea; even before you step on the boat!

Before you arrive at your sailing destination

Have your charter company send you an overview of the facilities at the Marina (showers, restrooms, shopping, customs, fuel dock, bars, happy hours etc).

Sending crew off to a nearby pool will earn you extra points

Make sure your crew know what time the actual boat boarding is.  Some of your crew may arrive before you; make plans for the charter company to store their luggage and find the closest beach/pool for them to relax in before the fun starts.

If you are arriving late when the charter company has left for the evening, make sure you get the codes or coins for the showers - this will earn you many points or rum vouchers with your crew.

It's good to have a cell phone contact at the charter company.  Quite often a winter storm can delay your flight so make sure you can let someone at the base know where you are.

Note what kind of storage space you will have on board and importantly, the size of the fridge - you don't want to order 45 cases of beer only to have no space to store it!  Also ask about a freezer; valuable input into your assigned provisioning team.  We provide coolers for our guests but not all charter companies may do this.  Make a special request in advance.

Find out about the supermarket location and opening times.

Do check on currency; if you are in Antigua we accept Eastern Caribbean dollars and US dollars.  Make sure you know the best currency to have at your next sailing destination.  If you are island hopping, ask about Euro's too if you are thinking of visiting a French island such as Guadeloupe.  Remember banks close on public holidays, so have your money changed in advance so there are no glitches or embarrassing moments in the liquor store.

Do not assume that all charter companies are created equal.  Some will include snorkel equipment and others will not.  Make sure that you can pre-order, have your crew list their requirements and shoe size.  Some snorkel providers are also dive operators so bear in mind they might be out diving if you leave it until you are here - leading to many frustrated crew members huffing and puffing on the dock.

Pre order all snorkel equipment for your crew

Keep your lines of communication clear with the charter company - so many times we have been asked for an extra tea towel by 5 different crew members.  Great if you want to do lots of drying up; but does waste time for your crew.  Assign one person for housekeeping items (always check the cork screw and can opener before you leave the dock!).

Be careful about public holidays and Sunday opening times of stores.  We are fortunate in Jolly Harbour that our store is open from 7am to 9pm every day; and is also open on Christmas Day!  This may not be the case elsewhere.

Coffee is crucial on a sailing trip. Do you need to buy coffee filters or is it a stove top pot; there's nothing worse than getting demoted to the worse Charter Captain on Day 2 if the crew can't have coffee for breakfast at your first anchorage.

What power supply does your boat have - what adapters do you need to bring for happy crew mates.

Ask about the iPod aux outlet on the stereo - does it have an outlet and do they provide the cable - frustrating to have to sing every evening and not be able to play your recently purchased "all the classics, steel pan style".

Tell the crew in advance if they are not going to be using hairdryers - get crew hats printed if a "bad hair day" could ruin one of your crew's sailing vacation.

Crew hats will hide the bad hair days

Delegate, delegate and delegate some more

Assign tasks in advance of your arrival.

Make sure you have two people in charge of provisioning; not just the provisioning on the day, but ahead of time so they know what to buy when they are here.  Will you have any vegans or vegetarians on board?  Avoid buying too many sausages for the BBQ if you still want to have those friends at the end of the trip.

Not everyone needs to sit in on the chart briefing, make sure you have your First Mate and other interested parties - give someone the task of making notes so that you and your First Mate have time to listen and ask questions.

Time your boat briefing and provisioning arrival.  The last thing you need is to have your crew fighting over where to store the Oreo's whilst you are listening to the finer points of battery management.

Assign your Head of Finance; someone who is going to make sure that all is fair in love and chartering and is meticulous at keeping notes.

Appoint a Head of Dinghy Management in advance - very important crew job as these are expensive items to lose and charter companies do not look favorably on people who say "pirates came in the night/a pod of dolphins chewed through the line and made off with it".

Appoint your Head of Dinghy Management in advance

Planning your sailing itinerary ahead makes you look like a rock star Charter Captain

What Guide books will you be given upon arrival?  Perhaps buy in advance and review before you arrive at your sailing destination.  Check which charts you will be given and perhaps consider buying in advance so you have a heads-up on where to go and which reef to avoid.  They make great memento's of your trip if you can get them framed.

Chart homework pays dividends before your charter

It's always a good idea to have your charter company recommend a sailing itinerary - for example, we have a number of suggested itineraries on our website and these are hugely valuable in advance of your trip.
Link to sample itineraries for yacht charter

Be mindful of anchorages that do not have restaurants or beach bars.  Think about how many nights you all want to eat on board - work with your charter company to make suggestions for restaurants.

Special occasions; you can't always buy balloons or 60 birthday candles in the islands, so if you are celebrating a special occasion on board, remember to tuck the balloons in your checked luggage.

Special occasions deserve bubbles and balloons

You have now mastered the art of looking like the most organised Rock Star Charter Captain that ever sailed the Caribbean.  Now all that's left to do is cast off those dock lines, head out to the turquoise blue water and have fun!

Happy chartering - courtesy of Horizon Yacht Charters Antigua

A trend for longer term chartering out of Antigua

We're seeing an interesting shift in the amount of time sailors are looking to charter; especially coming through for next year (2013/2014 charter season).  The trend we are seeing is for people to charter for 6 - 8 weeks at a time.  Perhaps we are seeing this trend in Antigua because it is such a central island in the Caribbean for making the longer passages.  With the wind direction from the North-North-East, it's a perfect point of sailing.  We had a charter captain who said to me that "tack is a swear word on their boat"!  I love the fact that sailing is such a great sport that it attracts the out and out racers and the laid-back charter guests who really could not be bothered about the speed log.

Long term chartering brings its own rewards.

We are certainly seeing more people looking to explore "life aboard" and testing the cruising water (excuse the pun) before they make a life decision to buy a yacht in the Caribbean and cruise for several months each year.  We had a couple recently who purchased their first yacht at a Boat Show and were so excited by this that they cancelled a free charter that they had won at a competition.  All credit to them and we wish them many happy years of cruising aboard their very own yacht.

There are more and more people who sail south from Antigua to explore Guadeloupe, Iles des Saintes and Dominica, and change their crew as they head south.  I think this is because it can be liberating with just the two of you, at one with the ocean, leaning to live together on board and work together as a seamless team, but it is also fun to have friends fly in to perhaps share some of the running costs (and a case of beer or two).

Dominica as part of your long term charter - magical.

The people who charter bareboat with us long term tend to be the couples who are keen on fishing, cooking and even baking on board.  We've recently provided a set of baking equipment to a charter guest who liked to bake her own bread, cookies and deserts for the crew ( we can vouch for her fatless pound cake - vegan-style).

Seek out fishing competitions and the local guys to buy fresh fish for BBQ

Perhaps this is a long term dream for many of you, but more and more are realising their long term chartering dreams right now.  You'd be in good company.

Follow the herd; and then sail Antigua & Barbuda

There's something magical about being at an anchorage with just you, a good book and the lapping of the water on the side of the hull.  For many, the lure of the beach bars is a thing of the past as they are increasingly finding that a little bit of peace and quiet is good for the soul.

There are so many hidden gems like that when you sail Antigua & Barbuda that it's hard to know where to start.  For me, Great Bird Island in the North Sound is a special place.  I love watching the birds fishing and the wading birds standing like statues pretending to be invisible to their prey.

Where is everybody?  North Sound Antigua and a myriad of offshore island to explore.  

For the perfect sailing vacation, a trip around the south west and south east of Antigua should not be missed.  Many people are surprised how long it takes to sail along the interesting coastline of Antigua and enjoy the change of pace from cove to cove.  For some reason the perception is that Antigua is a much smaller island than it actually is!

A beautiful spot on the east coast of Antigua is Nonsuch Bay and Green Island.  Green Island is an uninhabited island that is perfect for a beach lunch. If you have any energy, you could try your hand at kite surfing as you will be on the Atlantic side of the island with great breeze but perfectly protected by the reef.

Nonsuch Bay, east coast of Antigua - home to Green Island

From Nonsuch Bay, you head out the way you went in and sail north up to Barbuda.  Call ahead to Uncle Roddy to make sure he has plenty of fresh lobster to serve you when you arrive.  That and a cold beer to stay hydrated!

Uncle Roddy preparing delicious lobster lunch

Low Bay, Barbuda - 11 miles of paradise awaits

When you sail Antigua & Barbuda you certainly feel like you are part of something special.  You'll be mixing with the locals and learning more about their culture and way of life.  I think that's what travel is all about; that and getting away from the herd.

Follow your own herd and sail Antigua & Barbuda.  We have a last minute yacht open for a Thanksgiving Week sailing charter so do get in touch.

Horizon Yacht Charters
Email: info@antiguahorizon.com
Tel:  +1 (268) 562 4725
Skype:  jackieashford1

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!