First time sailing charterers with Horizon Yacht Charters in Antigua?

It's always exciting sailing from a new Caribbean island but there's also some apprehension about what will happen when you arrive. "Where will we eat?",  "What are the facilities like?", "Is it a good start point for my cruise".  Our base in Antigua is a brilliant place to start your cruise!

I thought I'd put together a mini-Guide that highlights what you can expect when you charter with Horizon Yacht Charters in Antigua.  Your first night!

Well firstly, we are located at Jolly Harbour Marina on the west coast of Antigua.  It's a 300 acre marina surrounded by waterfront Condos and small canals full of privately owned motor boats and sailing yachts.  Here's an aerial view of the entire development.  Just as an aside, if you stay in one of the 2 bedroom, waterfront condos through JoAnn of "Keeper of the Keys" do book a golf cart because you could be way around on the north side of the Marina and it's a long walk to get back to our office for your check-out.

Jolly Harbour Marina excluding the golf course and pool.

As you can see from the pic above, there are four distinct docks.  Horizon is located on Dock B; second dock from the left on the left hand side. Our fleet is located right there.  Our office is located behind Melini's waterfront restaurant.  As you depart the taxi, just turn along the covered walkway to the left and our office is just 1 minute walk along on the left.

Horizon Yacht Charters has two offices here in the Marina

There are some great places to eat in the Marina; so if you are here for your first night, there is lots of choice. Here's just a selection:

Melini's Restaurant - Italian and International Cuisine - Located at the head of your dock, this well-established restaurant has a wide selection of fish specials, pasta dishes and pizza.  Remember you can get everything to go, so if you want to eat on board under the stars, just get the order to go. While you are waiting, enjoy a cocktail at the bar with Barman Romeo; he can make anything!  If you buy a drink, you can get wi-fi too.

Melini's Restaurant and Bar

There are four other restaurants right here in the Marina; Peter's Steak and Seafood BBQ, The Dogwatch Tavern, The Crow's Nest and Al Porto.  Al Porto is a short walk around the dock and is located next to Customs office.  A great place to enjoy live music on Thursdays, 2 for 1 pizza on Tuesday and complementary desert served to Horizon guests!  The Crow's Nest is also open for breakfast from 7.30am and also lunch.  They are located alongside the pool.

If you are looking for something a little different; you can try the Greek restaurant just outside of the Marina gate. This is a family run restaurant where the mother cooks in the kitchen (lamb shank, souvlaki, home made hummus) and the son serves at your table.  The name is "Akropilis".

If you are want a vacation away from the stove and don't want to cook breakfast the following morning, say hi to Terry in Starfish Coffee Shop and, as an ex-chef in the Royal Airforce, he'll make sure you're full of all yummy things before you set sail.  Terry is also good for local knowledge (and gossip) so plan for a large coffee as he likes to chat!  Wife available too.

For Happy Hour, try Dogwatch Tavern, Crow's Nest and the West Point Bar in the heart of the Marina.  West Point is owned by Dutch George, you'll enjoy a great view of your boat and a cold beer.

West Point Bar

Speaking of beer, the local beer is called Carib and Wadadli.  I only say this because you can sometimes buy it in a bucket at Dogwatch for a great price.

For those guests with more energy, you can take a walk to Castaway's Bar and Restaurant right on the beach.  This bar has a loyal, happy hour crowd and is a great venue for watching the sun set.  We took these pics a few weeks ago:

Stunning sunsets from the beach that is 5 minutes away

The supermarket "Epicurean" is very large and is located 1 minute walk from our dock.  The staff help you with packing and will then bring your cart to the dock with you.  Give them EC$5 or US$2 per cart. Epicurean is open from 8am to 8pm every day; fresh baguettes made daily.  Ice available at check out.  Of course, we offer a full provisioning service so that you can just turn up, check your items, and get on with the business of having a great sailing vacation.  Remember that we include a Welcome Starter Kit including a nice bottle of Cavalier Rum... see more of what we include for you here.

There is also a well stocked pharmacy that pretty much sells everything from painkillers to tennis balls.  Miss Warner is the charming owner and will help you.  Onsite pharmacist most days.

Quin Farara's is the liquor store just behind our office.  They sell cigars and also a great selection of rums.  They also sell Saki if that tickles your tastebuds!

This should give you a taste of what to expect when you arrive for your charter.  For the best views of the Marina, take a look at this great website that has an interactive map of all the stores and places to eat:  www.jollyharbourantigua.comwww.jollyharbourantigua.com

If you are chartering with us out of Antigua, and have any questions, please just email us and we'll be delighted to help.  info@antiguahorizon.com

Horizon Antigua T Shirts - the Holidays are over but the gifts keep coming.

It's always nice to get presents, don't you think; and to have a keepsake from your trip. With the Holidays just over and everyone heading back to work, packing kids off to college or digging your car out of the snow, we'd like to offer a small token of our appreciation to our Captains who will be chartering with us this March.  Don't ask us why March, we just picked that month at random!

For every charter start we will be presenting each Captain with a Horizon Antigua T Shirt as a 'thank you' for chartering with us.

West Coast of Antigua sunset

We can't promise you sunsets like this when you get home, but we hope the memories that you take with you will keep you warm throughout the Winter months.

Remember for the month of June 2012, we are offering our charter guests a special promotion of 10 nights for the price of 7 nights.  Which means you get to see more sunsets!  You can keep up to date with sailing offers on our website. Horizon Antigua Special offers

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!