We are in the early stages of planning a sailing trip. We are looking at chartering a sail boat to sail around the Bahamas and/or Turks with provided crew. There are multiple charters where you can fly into the Bahamas and sail from there. Boats are large catamarans with 4-6 cabins. We have 6 adults (3 couples), maybe 4 couples, we are looking at going with. I'm curious has anyone done one of these type of trips? I've always wanted to sail around the islands and enjoy fish and snorkeling random areas.

I have cruised around them, and found them to be fantastic places for beaches and water and snorkeling. A sailing trip sounds like a blast, last trip was Turks and Caico and Domincan Republic during Christmas.

Buddy of mine just did it in November with several other couples. Said he had an absolute blast, and the food was amazing and the vibe was great. I'm considering doing it myself.

do you have a link to these activities?

sounds like a blast

A buddy of mine has done several. He even got his captain's license. He said that it is worth the money.

This is the boat he was on...I think it had 6 cabins. He said every day they would wake up and decide where they wanted to sail...

Consider BVI

My buddy did that type of trip in Greece this past summer, it looked like it was a blast.

Highly recommend it. The Bahamas are great. I haven’t chartered a boat, but I have taken my center console from Ft. Lauderdale to the Bahamas. It’ll be even more relaxing for you since the crew will take care of everything. Just make sure your travel companions won’t get on your nerves after a few days.

A close family friend owns this one. I’m hoping to catch a trip on it someday.

I doubt I could get you a price break but can guarantee you’ll be treated well and taken care of.

https://www.epicyachtcharters.com/yachts/zingara-catamaran/

We were on a 48 foot leopard with four berths and the pilot. It was two adult couples and two coeds from Arkansas. Meals were good and simple as the galley in a cat that size ain't that large. The BVI was closed due to covid and we had an absolutely wonderful time sailing around the US Virgin Isles. Park in a bay (think cove at nearest lake) and see no lights. You are right there all the time and it was spoiling. Absolutely spoiling.

I think I saw Buzz and Red Ranger when passing by Little Saint James Island.

I used to work with a guy that rented a sailboat, bare boat basis. He and his wife and two little kids cruised around the islands and had the time of their lives. Also said that over time clothes became more af a nuisance than a necessity, and eventually they sailed naked. I don’t know about sailing naked, but it sure sounded like a lifetime sort of dream trip.

I'd be worried about the yardarm hitting my yardarm.

I did some business last year with an Agent out of Del Rio, her and her husband had a little B&B on Sycamore creek that had great water and was a popular tourist destination.


They recently sold that, bought a sail boat and are en route to the French Polynesia islands as I write this.


I don't know how I would l handle being on a boat for that long, but sounds like a hell of an adventure!

My wife and I had the opportunity to go on a trip similar to this a few years ago but our youngest daughter was graduating from high school that same year and we would have missed some her graduation activities. The other couples that went on the trip had a blast. This trip is still on my bucket list! Here is a site I was looking at recently. Keep us posted on your trip.

www.emeraldsail.com

How much was it? I know that the amount is divided by the group, but I am wondering how much a full service that trip would cost.

The trip my buddy did was self service/cooking.

Not sure about that one, but the one my buddy went on in November on the boat I posted above was $29k for 5 nights. They split it between 6 couples. It included all food and drink. They tipped the crew another 10-15%.

PSA for anyone looking into this, absolutely do not skimp on the tip.

this is great

With good weather and friends, it ought to be a wonderful time

My wife and I bought a catamaran and sailed the Caribbean for 2 years. was one of the best times of our lives. It's a great lifestyle and met a lot of wonderful people. We jumped in feet first. I'd driven a lot of small fishing and ski boats but never sailed before. I did have a lifetime of offshore work experience so being on the water full time didn't worry me. A charter is likely a very good way to start so if they give you a chance to operate the boat, let them give you some instruction. You may want to bareboat (without a crew) charter sometime in the future. Having your own schedule and itenerary makes it that much more injoyable.

Picture of our boat when we were down in the Grenadines.

For the week I believe it was around $8k for the boat. They had a list of supplies you could order from that would be on the boat for you at time of departure. They did not have a crew my buddy had a Captains license at the time. They said when they do it again they would get a bigger boat. But they had a great time.

Here is the charter company they used:
www.//conchcharters.com