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!