I love that you guys don’t mind me filling this week with vacation recaps. It really was such an adventure and I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the details of planning a trip like this, the boat, the food, etc. So here it is…
David owned a 28’ monohaul (sailboat) a few years ago and got bitten by the boat bug. He knows the basics of sailing, but being that I’m a newbie, we didn’t want the responsibility of handling a large (44’) catamaran by ourselves. For this reason, we decided to look into crewed charters, which set you up with a captain and a cook.
There are several companies that offer crewed charter options, like Festiva, The Moorings and Sunsail. We came across these companies at the Annapolis boat show last year. We looked into them all, then decided to go with Festiva because we found them to be the least expensive.
The boats used for charter (usually 44’-45’ Lagoons) house 3-4 couples and many companies require you to assemble the group. We couldn’t find 2 other couples to commit to the vacation with us, so we opted to just rent out a cabin in the boat and roll the dice with with who the other two couples would be. We are pretty easy going people and didn’t worry about it too much.
On board there are 4 bedrooms, each with their own bathroom.
I can’t believe I didn’t snap a bathroom picture, but liken it to the size of an airplane bathroom, but clean. The nitty gritty details? You can’t put toilet paper in the toilet, so you put it in a wastebasket that they empty daily. The ‘shower’ is the sink faucet that you pull out and hook to the ceiling.
Also, ladies, there is no need to bring a hairdryer or straightener. Air dry is the way to go. And I think I wore make up 2 evenings total on the whole trip. It’s a great way to connect back to living au-natural!
The salon is a good size for being on a boat, but the weather is so nice outside that we didn’t spend any time in there.
The galley didn’t have enough storage area and the oven didn’t work, but somehow our cook still managed our meals.
Our sailing instruments weren’t working either. No worries, though, we had a captain and were up for adventure! David likened sailing to camping on the ocean.
The covered area in the back is where we ate all our meals and spent a night or two playing cards.
Speaking of meals, here’s a peek at the food.
It was good enough and filled me up most of the time, but both David and I were surprised by the lack of fresh seafood. We had mahi-mahi one night that had been previously frozen and other nights were chicken and pork. Being surrounded by the sea, we were hoping for fresh fish.
There were preference forms we filled out ahead of time, but I’m not sure how much attention they paid to them. Luckily David and I aren’t picky eaters and did fine with what we were served.
I’ll be honest though, it was SO tempting for me to find a market and get in the galley myself. Next time I’d love to do all the cooking. English muffin pizzas was not what I had pictured eating.
We opted with a boat with air conditioning. I thought it would be nice to have as an option in case it rained and we had to close the hatches. (Usually the hatches are opened at night and you get a wonderful cool breeze!).
Because of the preferences of some of the other guests aboard, the AC always ran at night and the generator vibrated the boat all night long.
What David and I were most looking forward to was the sailing.
We LOVED it. I asked an obnoxious amount of questions and soaked up every detail I could find. From hooking the mooring balls to reefing and tacking to gybing, I get it now. To accommodate for the guests that preferred to not have the rocking motion and due to calm winds, we didn’t actually get to sail all that much, maybe a few hours over the entire week. Every other time we motored to the next destination. Again, another lesson learned that we would do differently next time.
The islands, though, are simply breathtaking. It was nice having a captain that knew all the good spots to go and how early we needed to get there to snag a mooring ball. He was friendly and often followed us ashore to snap pictures for us. Captain Reon was fabulous!
I think I touched on all your questions, but let me wrap things up in a pretty little bow.
Did I enjoy myself? Absolutely. It’s hard to put me anywhere though where I won’t look for the good, especially while in the islands!
Would I do it again? Yes and No. I would LOVE to go sailing again, but next time David and I want to bare-boat (sailing without a captain and cook) and would bring Hailey with us. Given our experience, I would not choose to go through Festiva again.
If you are interested in doing a similar vacation (as I know some of you mentioned), please email me and I’d be happy to answer any questions and give you more details. There are a lot of options available if you desire a little more comfort at sea.
blackhuff says
I love that you have loved this sailing trip and I love all the photos you have posted this far. I would also love to do this, just a little bit later one 🙂
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
That foods looks awfully tasty, but you are right, being able to cook your own meals on the boat would be fabulous!
Kelly @ Runmarun says
Awesome recap! I’m so glad you had such a great time and I appreciate that you were honest about your experience. I can definitely see why you would want to go it alone next time, and of course bring H too. I thought of you a few times over the last week and wondered how you were doing being away from her. 🙂
Brittany says
I cried when I left her (I blame the fear of dying in a plane crash), but once we got there I really was distracted and had a good time. Our parents sent emails every night with pictures and updates, which helped a lot! Unfortunately we only got them every other night or so because of no internet. Once the last day arrived, though, I was SO anxious to get home. I think she grew a few inches while I was gone. Love that girl! 🙂
Kelly @ Runmarun says
Thanks for your thoughts- I’m glad you were able to enjoy yourself! Your parents are so sweet, that was incredibly thoughtful of them! We have left L to attend two concerts this past summer (one when she was already in bed for the night) but otherwise, nothing. I am already getting anxious/upset about the fact that we can’t bring her to the hospital when I deliver in July! 🙂 I am ridiculous.
Lindsey @ Pas de Deux says
Looks like it was a great trip! Your sailing posts always have me thinking of my aunt and uncle who owned a boat for years (now they are sharing one with another couple) and have been on many sailing trips. My uncle often volunteers to be a crew member for boats that have been raced one direction and need to be returned to their “home” dock. I’d be happy to connect you to them if you have questions!
Brittany says
I do have a question- can I come live with them? 😉 Where do they own their boat?
Lindsey @ Pas de Deux says
Haha, they live in Orange County, CA.
Jen says
It would be a ton of fun to get a group together and alternate cooking. I really don’t think I’d be able to go with a company like you guys did b/c I’m such a picky eater! I can’t believe there was no fresh seafood. Very odd.
Brittany says
Very odd indeed! Luckily we had 3 dinners ashore, so I did manage to get my fix 🙂
Marie [ The Finer Points of Life ] says
It seems like you guys have enough experience to try it on your own next time! It would be so fun to do with a group of friends, too. The views are so gorgeous – jealous!
julia says
thanks for the honest and thoughtful recap, Brittney. I’m someone that gets seasick easily, did you ever feel sick on this trip?
julia says
i mean, brittany, sorry for the bad spelling!
Brittany says
I was so fearful of getting seasick that I stocked up of Stugeron. It’s a motion sickness pill that doesn’t make you sleepy. David and I each took half before we boarded and never took it again. I never even felt the slightest bit off or sick and I was so relieved.
On our honeymoon I slept so much because I wore the seasick patch. It was nice to get to go med free!
Maria says
“We couldn’t find 2 other couples to commit to the vacation with us”
The next time you have this problem, you know how and where to reach me 😉 Though, I would be drunk of Dramamine the whole trip, I’m a good sport.
Brittany says
Haha, I’ll let you know when we have our next adventure! You may not even need the dramamine, as catamarans are much more stable than monohauls 🙂
Nicole @ Fruit 'N' Fitness says
One year for Christmas my mom and I joined one of her college friends and her husband on their sailboat for a week. The bathrooms on their boat were a little more like regular bathrooms, aka you could flush tp and take a real hot shower. My mom’s friends husband did all the cooking. I think we went to a local market on each island on a daily basis to stock up on fresh foods, and lots of fresh seafood from the other boats around us. I would have been disappointed in the lack of fresh seafood but I am glad you were still able to enjoy yourselves.
Brittany says
Sounds amazing! That is exactly the experience I’m hoping for next time! David calls me a ‘comfortable’ sailor 😉 I’d love to cook and eat fresh, local food and a real shower every couple of days would be nice, too!
Megan says
Ohh this makes me just yearn for the ocean. Come on summer! Looks like a great time. But I bet you would have enjoyed cooking. I agree, I’d expect fresh fish when you are on a boat surrounded by them 🙂 sounds like a wonderful getaway though!
Mike @ Midwestern Bite says
I don’t understand sailing. I’m not saying I don’t understand the allure. I’m saying I conceptually don’t understand how it works.
And that pisses me off!
So the wind usually blows one way. Usually west to east for us, right? So how does anyone ever sail from Europe to North America? Makes no sense and I think all of our human history has been fabricated solely as an elaborate hoax entrapping me.
I like to think I’m a pretty sharp guy, with multiple Engineering degrees and all. It pisses me off that I totally 100% understand flight. Pressure, lift, drag, Bernoulli’s Principle, etc. Makes total sense to me.
But not sailing into the wind. And yes, people have tried to explain how you “zig zag” into the wind. Still does not compute for me.
I understand modern 747s no problem. But not transportation Vikings (supposedly) used thousands of years ago to visit Canada.
So if you guys sailed the Caribbean from West to East, then beached your useless boat somewhere and flew home, I’m glad you had a good time! If you’re saying you sailed islands East to West, how about you level with us with what you guys really did?
😉
Brittany says
I seriously threw my head back laughing reading your comment! I’m forwarding it on to David because I’m sure he will get a huge kick out of it, too (also being an engineer).
I didn’t get it either and to be honest, I still probably couldn’t explain it, but while being on the boat and FEELING it, it sunk it. Obviously, you’re right, it’s impossible to sail into the wind, but if you get the right boat you can sail pretty darn close to the wind, zig zagging you’re way to your destination.
Clearly this means you just need to hop aboard a sailboat and FEEL what it’s all about. Physics be damned! 😉
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
After hearing the details, I can understand why you wouldn’t do it again and would prefer to sail on your own. Looks like a fun experience though and I’m sure you both learned more from it. Hopefully you’ll be sailing on your own one day soon!
Lindsay says
Thanks for sharing Brittany! I really enjoyed hearing about your vacay! I’d love most posts about it! A L. o. n. G. Time ago I commented on a post you wrote that included a recap about how you guys brew beer and I mentioned that we do as well. I think I asked you if you brew from scratch or if you brew kits. You answered ‘kits’ and asked what we do but I never answered!! So here it is. We brew from grains and hops but used malt extracts , so we don’t ‘full grain ‘ brew, but we are about half way there. We just did a stout that will be ready to drink in a few weeks, and next up is a watermelon wheat! How delicious does that sound? Feel free to email me if you guys ever want to talk brewing!!!! My husband and I Love it! I love your blog BTW 🙂
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says
Sailing is a blast!
marci says
what an interesting way to vacation! glad to learn about other things out there!
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
If I ever get to go sailing like this, I will happily take your advice. And although that one salad with chickpeas looks good, I definitely would have been pushing my way into the kitchen. 🙂