A reel expert can tackle anything.. even whilst sailing!

There are many fantastic opportunities whilst chartering in Antigua and one of the best ones has to be having the freedom to sail across the blue seas and go fishing! Just simply set your course, whether it be to another island or just along Antigua's beautiful coast and cast your line. I'm going to fill you in on some secrets and let you know how the locals do it here in Antigua..

Firstly you're probably wondering, where is best to fish in Antigua!? Surely you can fish anywhere in the Caribbean and catch something!, but where can you catch the big ones, the ones you can eat, the ones you have to fight for!? Antigua has a continental shelf about 5 miles West from the entrance of Jolly Harbor. This is the best place to catch the bigger fish as they swim along this shelf or 'drop off' looking for their next meal. Here you should be able to catch some Mahi Mahi, Wahoo, Grouper, Barracuda or even a Tuna or two! If you are adventurists and are heading to explore a different island then this would be the best time to cast your lines! Between islands are where the bigger fish normally are, such as Marlin, Sailfish and the bigger Tunas so if you're off to Guadeloupe, St. Kitts or even Barbuda don't forget to cast your lines for some fresh dinner!

Mahi Mahi

There are several ways to catch these fish, however, as your on sailboat it's probably best and easiest to trawl, so grab a trawling rod, reel and some lures and set your sails whilst you eagerly await your next meal! It's always fun and games trying to reel in the fish but then what do you do with it once you've actually caught it?! How do you get it on board without it thrashing all over the cockpit? (at this point we hope you haven't caught a swordfish). It's probably best to travel with a net to pick it up with or if you are really keen fishermen and like a bit of violence and are sure you can eat it, then it's also possible to use a gaff, however, if you're more of a catch and release person then we would recommend using the net. Just be wary that not all fish are edible here in Antigua! Some don't actually taste too good or they may even carry the Ciguatera disease (mostly found in fish caught between the shelf and the shore) We wouldn't recommend eating either Barracuda, Jacks or King Mackerel. Once you know you can have the fish for dinner then there are two ways to stop the fish thrashing around. The first, more vicious way, would be to just hit it over the head with a blunt object or you can pour rum straight into the gills.

Eugene and his grouper caught off the continental shelf!

If you're not wanting to bring any rods and reels with you on your trip then you're probably wondering where it's best to get all the equipment from here in Antigua. There are two stores that will sell everything you need! One of the stores is based right here in Jolly Harbor, it's called Budget Marine and the other store is called Aquasports, which is located in Heritage Quay in St. Johns. As you'll be chartering from Jolly Harbor, Budget Marine may be easiest for you as it's just across the road from the marina!

All Antiguan's have different ways of cooking their freshly caught fish but the best way would be to just grill it on your BBQ. Just season it with some lemon and pepper and enjoy the fresh taste of the fish itself, or you could also add a sauce. We would recommend a nice melted garlic butter with a few capers thrown in there. Don't forget the tartar sauce! 

A successful landing!

It's totally understandable if you're on vacation with the family, who don't want to see you spear a fish on your relaxing sail around Antigua, then there is another option you can choose. Come and give fly fishing a try! You can simply anchor off one of the best beaches in Antigua; Darkwood Beach and give Captain Nick a call who will take you to the pond opposite the beach to fish for some of the biggest Tarpons in Antigua. If this catches your fancy then visit www.antigua-flyfishing.com for more information or head to YouTube to watch some of his latest videos!

One of Nicks happy customers half way through reeling in his Tarpon

If you are now feeling lured into a sailing vacation here but it means missing your fishing trip then think again! Now you can combine both of these vacations into one, here in the blissful Caribbean island of Antigua, whilst on a sailing boat! What more could you want?...

365 beaches, 365 sailing days!

Antigua is lucky enough to have year round sailing opportunities. Come and experience our best, most secretive months..

Chartering in Antigua in May and October is simply the best. The kids are in school, people are still at work and Antigua still has those 10-15 knot breezes inviting you to come for a sail. May and October tend to be our quieter months here in Antigua so why not steal yourselves away for a while and come and make the most of the tranquil bays, calm blue seas and gorgeous sunsets all to yourselves.

Our Bavaria 33 cruising along the coast.

Leave your hatches open and let the calm breeze cool you down or just take a dip in the deep blue. Perhaps put your snorkels on and explore the depths! Deep Bay is amazing place for snorkeling, so anchor off and swim towards the wreck at the entrance of the bay. You'll likely be the only people there at these times of the year so why not make the most of having some alone time with the fishes! Another great advantage about coming to Antigua in May and October is there is less ground swell. So head off in your kayaks and paddleboards to explore the coast line or simply just paddle around enjoying the peace and quiet of the bay.

Our Bavaria 33 gently sailing onto the next bay

One of Antigua's great advantages is that you are never far from another bay. Some bays are no more than an hour away from each other! After all, there are 365 beaches to discover! Slowly drift down with the breeze to the next bay to enjoy another of your very own sunsets, have a relaxed evening, light up the BBQ and enjoy a cool, refreshing drink. Perhaps you're not gourmet chefs, or you don't feel like lighting up the BBQ some evenings? Why not go ashore in the dinghy and have a front row seat at your favorite restaurant while there's fewer people around.

Our Lagoon 440 peacefully anchored for the night.

Not only does Antigua have 365 beaches to discover but she also has a beautiful sister island, Barbuda. May and October are the perfect months to visit and explore this little pink beach island. Due to the calmer swells here during these months it will allow you to pull your dinghy onto the shore to walk these beautiful beaches or, perhaps visit the Frigate Bird sanctuary, eat fresh lobster, or just enjoy the views from the comfort of your cockpit!

Charter with us in Antigua and discover places only accessible by boat. Experience Antigua at her most peaceful, secretive, relaxed time of year and witness the 365 sailing days all to yourselves.

Kids and Sailing vacations - like peanut butter and jelly in Antigua.

Where do you take the kids on their next vacation?  You only have to look at these pictures of kids having the best time and you know that Antigua offers so much for family sailing; for you and them. With water temperature at a lovely 26 degrees, and all day air temperatures not dropping below 27 or so, your kid's days will be filled with fun and warmth (don't forget the Factor 50!). The west coast of Antigua offers protected bay hopping with beautiful white sand beaches waiting to be explored.  

Connie Smith - only happy when splashing in the sea!

You know how kids can be; hungry one minute, refusing to eat the next.  Sometimes quite tricky when you are staying in a hotel and you can see your holiday dollars disappearing fast!  A sailing holiday is different; you provision the boat, decide what to cook and when, and your kids can eat when they are hungry.  Trust us though; if they are out on the water all day, jumping off the boat, splashing on the beach, they may eat you out of house and boat!

Harry learning to jump into the deep blue!

We love this shot of Harry jumping from our Lagoon 440.  He's a great swimmer and loves everything to do with water.  Can you imagine how early they'll be in bed after all of this energetic activity?!  It's not just about the water and sailing, take them on an island tour with a bit of horse riding thrown in, or take them zip lining through the lush rain forest - as long as they are active, they'll be happy!

Quality time with your kids.

That's not to say you don't deserve the best time, too!  After all, you've handled all of the reservation, packed their favourite toys, kept the kids quiet on the flight, put the dog into kennels and you are exhausted!  Well, imagine yourself with a glass of wine looking at this view!  Enjoy the quiet because next day, you'll be sailing to your next anchorage (a short hop along the coast to keep the kids interested) and you can start all over again.  

Pour a glass of wine, mix a cocktail and relax!  

5 reasons to convince your partner that sailing and romance go hand in hand - bring on Valentine's Day!

Convincing your significant other that a sailing holiday is going to rate way up there on the romantic scale just got a whole lot easier with our 5 great reasons below.  Have a read; you'll thank us for it later.  

Great reason #1:

365 white sand beaches to stretch out on without another soul around.  What could be more romantic than your own secret beach hideaway?  Drop the hook and dive right in (first checking that your anchor is secure, of course!).  Nobody around to view your latest Speedo selection as you take that romantic beach stroll hand in hand, or having to breathe in as you walk by other beach dwellers.

Where is everybody?  Your own romantic hideaway awaits.

Great reason $2:

Sunsets bring out your inner romantic!  There's something special about sitting side by side on the back of the boat watching the sun dip below the horizon; even better if you have a glass of something nice in hand.  After a lovely day on the water in the bright sunshine, it's nice to feel the heat of the day leaving - let the evening begin.

Release your inner romantic in Antigua.

Great reason #3:

Sailing makes you hungry - fact - perhaps it is the salty air, the Caribbean breeze; or the fact that you forgot to provision enough crackers before you set sail.  So where better to treat your lovely to a romantic dinner than a waterfront restaurant in Antigua.  Now this is really piling on the romantic points - The Pillars Restaurant based in historic Nelson's Dockyard is shown below.  Anchor in the Harbour and dinghy in to enjoy fine food, a little wine and an amazing view.

One of the many waterfront restaurants around Antigua.

Great reason #4:

Beautiful boats, designed with the two of you in mind, abound in our Antigua charter fleet.  From our perfectly formed Bavaria 33 to our sprightly Jeanneau 36i's - all calling out to be included in a romantic sailing adventure.

Horizon's Antigua fleet has small but perfectly formed boats. 

Great reason #5:

It's no coincidence that Antigua hosts the Jolly Harbour Valentine's Day Regatta.  Fun days on the water and evenings full of parties and bonhomie!  We're not suggesting you do any racing; that would certainly take some of the romance out of your sails, but it's a great event to enjoy the spectacle, meet other sailors in the bar afterwards and dance the night away to the live music.

Just the two of you.  It's all you need.  

Ready to find your inner romantic sailor?  info@antiguahorizon.com

April in Antigua! Let's go sailing..

Celebration of sailing for everyone!

This one is for all of you crazy sailors out there that love sunshine, salty hair and the odd Caribbean party! The tropical climate, trade winds and the ideal ocean swell make Antigua the ultimate place for any sailing adventure. Whether it's sailing around the island, cruising up and down the coast or hunting for the best beach spots. Antigua is the place to be! Antigua is perfect for sailing almost the entire year round, however, April is when the super yachts, classic yachts and cruising boats really come out of the depths!

April in Antigua is the perfect place for the 49th Antigua sailing week to be held. The starting date is the 24th April until the 29th April.  If you want to be right in the buzz of the sailing action then this is the place to be! Antigua sailing week is held in Falmouth and English harbor and will be full of extremely large sailing yachts all competing in different races. It's an awesome spectacle to watch and the parties are almost as large as the boats! Every year here in Antigua sailing week gets bigger and better and I have a feeling that this year is going to be the best one yet! Antigua sailing week is now gladly sponsored by Peters and May who are a large global marine transport company and thanks to this, people are now able to ship their yachts across oceans and we are starting to see people from all over the globe, shipping their boats to this huge event. 

Falmouth Harbor! Photo credit - Andre Phillip

If you love to see old, well kept, classic yachts then the Classic yacht regatta would be perfect for you! From the 13th to the 19th April all of the classic yachts assemble at Falmouth and English harbor for their official race week. It is an amazing sight to see as you enter the marinas and see all of these amazing classic yachts. It's also fantastic to see them in action! 

What defines a classic yacht? Yachts in this class must have a “look” that is true to a traditional design and must demonstrate excellent craftsmanship and tradition both on deck and in the hull. They may however, use modern technology in their rigs and as navigation. 

A traditional 'classic' yacht

Sailing week and Antigua's classic yacht regatta welcomes people from all over the world! Perhaps you're on a boat yourself?! There are lots of different places you can moor/anchor and watch all the happenings! There are three marinas on the South side of Antigua that will get you right in the middle of all the action. You have a choice of Nelsons Dockyard Marina or Falmouth Harbor Marina (although I'm pretty sure Falmouth will be fully booked with super yachts!) both have around 70 berths each and are stern to berths. There is also Catamaran Marina which is slightly further away from the action but close enough to be involved! About 30 minute walk away from the main buzz. There are also mooring buoys in Falmouth Harbor, owned by a guy called SeaPony (John Bentley). These are probably the best option! Or you can also drop anchor in Falmouth so long as it's not in the main channel which is clearly marked. 

Pelicans flying off one of the Five Islands just outside Jolly Harbor

If you have come for a bliss sailing adventure to discover Antigua's beautiful beaches and avoid all of the hoo-har, then you are still in the right place! Antigua is often overlooked by all of the Spring breakers from the USA so it's perfect for dodging the co-eds, however, the cruise ships are still coming in which means all of the shops, bars and restaurants will still be open for business! With all of the action happening in Falmouth and English harbor it could be an idea to head North if you wanted some peace and quiet! Places like, Deep Bay, Pinching bay or Dickenson Bay offer lovely calm beaches. Deep Bay is perfect for snorkeling as it has the wreck in the entrance to the bay and a lovely long stretch of beach to explore. Pinching Bay is a beautiful spot where you are likely to be the only ones there! There is no road leading to this beach, so unless you're on a boat there's no getting there! There's plenty to explore and lot's of snorkeling spots. Dickenson Bay has a few restaurants if you wanted to dine ashore as well as a store to top up your provisions and a beautiful beach to wander.

Life in the slow lane... Antigua is calling your name.

When you need a bit of a retreat from you real world, a cheeky week of sailing in Antigua could be just the escape you need. Sailing is a great hobby to have that takes you away from worrying about this and that.  

Stunning scenery sailing Antigua & Barbuda

Firstly, you are on the ocean - can anyone reach you?!  Even if they can, it's a great excuse to turn off data roaming!  The fact that we give you a local phone for your trip is entirely your business!

Secondly, you are having to concentrate on wind direction, reefs, other boats, unruly crew members - who then has time to think about the next management meeting, did you leave the iron on and other regular life issues?  

You do need to be a fairly good navigator to sail Antigua and Barbuda; there is reef that is marked on the charts (we give you Imray Charts for the duration of your trip) but not marked on the water - so concentration is key! We also give you a one to one chart briefing and help you with your itinerary planning; looking at the weather forecast etc.  

Thirdly, when you have such natural beauty around you - the ocean, the beaches, the palm trees, the goats, it immerses you in a bubble of paradise.  We like to think of it as being off duty and devoting some time to your well being.  

So, when are you coming?  

Enjoying the Antigua tradewinds

Can you hear me now?!

Not everyone can be a concert pianist, but it's fun trying.

It's always fun to push yourself and try something new.  At the tender age of 14 my father took me to private piano lessons.  My father was musical and, as it quickly transpired, I was clearly not!  But I persevered and even managed to bash out a good enough rendition of "She'll be coming round the mountain". So, why is this relevant to learning to sail?

Well, not everyone is going to turn into Sir Ben Ainslie - Olympic medalist extraordinaire - after a week of learning to sail, but you will have a huge amount of fun trying, here in the sunny Caribbean!  

Learning to sail in Antigua

We always see a flurry of inquiries for learning to sail in Antigua each New Year - what a great resolution to make!  So I thought I'd jot down some pointers for those new-to-sailing people out there who know they want to experience sailing, but really don't know what happens on one of our ASA certification sailing courses.

Well firstly, we only offer private, live-aboard courses.  We don't team you up with other people on board.  This means that you arrive in Antigua with your buddy/best friend/husband/wife and you have an entire boat just for you. You don't stay in a hotel or a hammock on the beach, but you sleep on your boat in your own cabin - perfect!  You will be on board with your Instructor for the duration of your course - no classrooms as part of this certification.  Everything happens on board; cooking, learning to sail, jumping into the warm Caribbean sea.  

You step on board at our base in Jolly Harbour Marina and, after a safety briefing and itinerary discussion, you will leave the Marina for your week of sailing adventure.  The courses are structured so that you will experience not only sailing, but also the beauty of Antigua, too.  So yes, there will be time for swimming, snorkelling and exploring ashore.

Your home away from home for the week

You will sail each day to a new anchorage. This means that you have every opportunity to practice your knots, your sail handling and your newly found navigation skills.   It's all about time on the water and getting as much experience under your belt.  Every day will be different, you will experience different conditions - sometimes less wind, sometimes more wind.  All of this is great for you as you are building your knowledge in different situations.  

Your Instructor is there as your friend and teacher.  They have so much experience - probably sailing all over the world and crossing oceans - so use them to ask as many questions as you can think of.  There's no such thing as a bad question here.  

People learn differently, and our Instructors recognize this.  Some people need to see something first and then they pick it up, others need to make notes.  Whatever works for you, works for us.  

Waterfront dining in Antigua

If, after a week afloat enjoying the Antiguan scenery, you decide to follow up with an Olympic sailing campaign then fantastic, or if you decide that becoming a concert pianist is more suited to you, then that's great too. Either way, sailing is a wonderful hobby that brings people together, makes you forget everything else happening in the world and means you get to see some of the most beautiful parts of the world - all under sail power!

To find out more, contact Jackie at info@antiguahorizon.com