Antigua & Barbuda Cruising with Style

Introducing the Dufour 45 E "Heartbeat IV".  Built in 2010, this performance cruiser is now available for your next yacht charter from our Horizon base in Antigua & Barbuda.

Heartbeat IV at our base in Antigua

This superior sailing yacht can sleep up to 8 people in three double cabins and a large saloon that converts to a spacious double berth.  Located in Jolly Harbour Marina at our Horizon base, this is the perfect start point for your next Caribbean charter.  This would make a wonderful choice for a vacation cruising Antigua & Barbuda or further afield, island hopping to Guadeloupe and our one way trip to St Martin.  

Drop down transom 

Heartbeat IV is fully equipped with the latest navigational and safety aids including Raymarine Chartplotter, Furuno Navtex and EPIRB.  

She has two carbon wheels and main boom.  The removable cockpit table is great for creating even more space in the cockpit when you are sailing.  She has a fixed helm bimini and a large, removable bimini to give you extra shade from the tropical Antiguan sun whilst at anchor.  

Saloon converts to a spacious double berth

Two bimini's provide shade from the sun in Antigua & Barbuda

Are you ready to experience performance sailing in Antigua on your next charter?  We promise you, you won't be disappointed with Heartbeat IV.  

Read more about this yacht by clicking here.

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.

Life's a sunset... when sailing Antigua

Hazy conditions create interesting photographs

I think I am addicted to sunsets.  Since living in Antigua, I think I've taken more pictures of sunsets than you can shake a stick at.  I wonder what it is about sunsets that are so compelling?

Many of our sailing guests comment that it's like a punctuation mark after a great day of sailing and before the cocktails are made!  Now, that's what I call a great sailing vacation!  Others say that it's like a  new day is coming and there is hope to achieve what you want.

When you sail with us, or take a learn to sail course, it is likely that you will see plenty of sunsets from the west coast anchorages, but you will experience a different angle from the top of Shirley Heights, for example.  For those cruisers who are not familiar with Antigua, Shirley Heights is the weekly jump-up overlooking English Harbour and beyond.  It's a great tradition here on Antigua and one that should not be missed.  Enjoy a brilliant steel band who will play anything from jazz, to modern to classical on their steel pans.  The rum punch is not bad either!  The trick is to get there before sunset!

Sunset from Shirley Heights, Antigua

From the west coast of Antigua, you might be anchored at an overnight anchorage at Hermitage Bay.  This is an excellent anchorage for sunsets (and swimming, cocktails, beach combing....).  This sunset below was taken from the south beach on Morris Bay just along the coast from Hermitage Bay.

Sunset from South Beach, Antigua

Sunset is also a time for romance!.  We were sent these two brilliant photographs by charter guests this past season.

Special time at sunset, Antigua

View from a guests' charter yacht - happy sailing vacation!

Last night, we were asked by friends on their charter yacht "Jabberwocky", to take their photograph at sunset.  At this time of year, with some Sahara dust in the air and low clouds, you are never quite sure what effect you are going to get.

Jabberwocky charter yacht sailing back into harbour

I think the one thing that sunsets do is to make you appreciate the beauty around you.  We are certainly blessed to be able to see so many shapes and colours of sunsets in our back yard.  Next time you come bareboat sailing or crewed sailing with us in Antigua, take a pic and we'll compare notes!

Horizon Yacht Charters
info@antiguahorizon.com

What lies beyond the beach in Antigua & Barbuda?

Antigua & Barbuda has developed such a strong marketing position and earned a reputation for it's stunning beaches (all 365 of them, but who's counting?) that some of our sailing guests forget to explore beyond the beach when they come cruising these Caribbean islands.  If you've never sailed these waters, you might want to dip into a brief summary here.

So, what lies beyond?

What I personally love about living and sailing in Antigua is the wildlife and the rich heritage of these Caribbean islands.  The wildlife in particular is simply wonderful.  I've lost track of the number of pictures of hummingbirds I've taken in 9 years but I think this one below if my favorite.  This chap comes along every sunset when I get home in the evening to enjoy some sugar water - a bit like a hummingbird Happy Hour in Antigua!  You can buy hummingbird feeders right here in the Marina, so perhaps take one with you next time you are sailing Antigua.  You can pick one up with your provisioning when you're at the market here.

Hummingbird Happy Hour in Antigua

When I leave Jolly Harbour Marina to run errands in town, it's always rewarding seeing a farmer galloping along at speed on his preferred mode of transport - the Antiguan donkey.  I have a particular fondness for donkey's as a lovely lady I know in Australia used to breed them and had her own sanctuary.  We also have a donkey sanctuary right here in Antigua that is definitely worth a visit if you have enough time; especially great if you have kids on your sailing trip and they may not want to sail every day.  This picture below was actually taken in Nelson's Dockyard during the Antigua Yacht Charter Show last December.  Not sure of the relevance of a donkey at a Boat Show but it added some authenticity to the event!  He/She seemed totally ambivalent to the millions of dollars tied up on the dock.

Happy donkey ambivalent to the mega yachts around him.

If I photograph hummingbirds like they're going out of fashion, then lizards come a close second in my photograph albums.  What I like about lizards is that they eat mosquito's which makes them heroes in my book.  When you're sailing the Caribbean - in particular Antigua & Barbuda with its laid back charm - it's nice to step away from the computer, laptop, DVD, iPad and just watch nature at its best. If you're now tempted to explore sailing Antigua & Barbuda, do check our special offers from time to time as we quite often have some great last minute deals.  

Lizard keeping the mosquito population down in Antigua.

For my next blog, I'm going to share with you some of my "heritage-rich" photographs that I've taken around Antigua & Barbuda.  The heritage experience here is not like the States or the UK that is super polished; here you can be hiking on a trail and stumble upon an old sugar mill, or an old school dating back to 1879.

In Antigua & Barbuda, you don't have to step very far off the beach to enjoy wonderful wildlife and enjoy an experience that is uniquely Antigua.  Take a look at some of our sample sailing itineraries right here.  

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

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!