A cruise in the Caribbean
The Caribbean, its islands, its warm and transparent waters, its mild temperature at all seasons... What could be better when winter arrives in France than to sneak across the Atlantic for a cruise at sea. Whether you are new to sailing or want to enjoy and do nothing, Sunsail offers crewed boat rentals. We had the opportunity to sail a week between Saint-Martin and Anguilla and we suggest you discover the advantages of a charter cruise with a skipper.
Catamaran or monohull, crewed or unmanned
Sunsail Charter Company offers cruises to more than 26 destinations around the world. For your rental you have the choice between: without crew, with skipper or in a fleet, on a monohull from Jeanneau or Bénéteau shipyards or on a Leopard catamaran from Robertson & Caine. The size of the boats ranges from 32 to 53 feet.
For our cruise, we were on board two catamarans - the Sunsail 444 and Sunsail 454 and we have a crew - skipper and hostess - for the larger of the two.
On board, there are two double cabins per hull with private bathroom and a beautiful bright living space on deck, completely open to the cockpit, where we spent most of our time, Caribbean obligent?! The steering station located high on the roof is equipped with a wheel steering system and allows you to enjoy the joys of sailing. Finally, the large trampoline at the front is ideal for a nap at soleil?!
A cruise with a skipper
Choosing a Sunsail skipper offers you the opportunity to enjoy a peaceful stay, whatever your level of sailing. If you are a novice, you can discover the Caribbean by sea in complete safety, if you are a seasoned sailor, but you want to play it cool, your skipper will take care of everything. However, this does not mean that you will not be able to participate in navigation and manoeuvres, right at contraire?!
On board our catamaran, Jacques-Yves was our captain. Port manoeuvres, navigation, anchoring, he took care of everything and it was up to us to participate if we wanted to. That is what we had chosen. For a few days or for the week, it is up to you to choose the duration of his stay on board.
Karine and Jacques-Yves ©Bateaux.com
The itinerary of your choice
Thanks to his knowledge of the region, our skipper was able to guide us in our choice of stopovers and shore visits: Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthélemy and Anguilla and share his experience with us: anchor roller at such a place, prohibition to stay the night in Tintamarre, night at the port in Saint-Barthélemy..
You can also invite them to come during the stopovers, they will serve you as real tourist guides!
Feet under the table?!
Alongside Jacques-Yves, Karine, our hostess for the week, was in charge of the meals on board. Nothing to envy to the great hotels, the meals are of quality and served in quantity: breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, without forgetting the aperitif with the essential glass of rrhum antillais?!
Before our arrival, we had informed Sunsail of the number of passengers and our wishes for meals. Karine had taken care of the shopping before our arrival according to our desires and needs, drinks and food. And at each stopover, she would take care of buying back what was missing. So we never lacked for anything.
If your skipper and hostess can take their meals independently of yours, it is always nice to invite them to your table. Often, they live on site - as is the case for Jacques-Yves - and do not lack anecdotes about your navigation area.
