Manhattan Sailing Club sails the Caribbean

by Sail-World Cruising on 17 Dec 2011 Every winter, New York's Manhattan Sailing Club and Manhattan Sailing School organize an incredible sailing vacation known as 'De Caribbean Regatta.', and this is what they say about it:

This is one week of sun, sailing and socializing. If you have dreamed of sailing on turquoise waters, running on white sand beaches and sipping pina coladas under palm trees, this is your opportunity.

You can join our flotilla of New Yorkers who fly to the Caribbean and charter beautiful boats. Then we sail to a new location every day while enjoying the sunshine, warm winds and great company. This will be your best vacation ever, but many of the boats are filled already with crew, so you had better be quick.

All club members and sailing school graduates are invited to join De Caribbean Regatta. You can also bring friends. So pack your bathing suit and a few t-shirts, buy your airplane ticket, sign up and get ready for the warmth and sunshine of the Caribbean!

Here's how it works:

Dates and places:
We organize our Caribbean trip right in the heart of the winter when it is coldest in New York City and we need a Caribbean getaway. Exact dates are:

Trip 1 - British Virgin Islands, Jan. 28 - Feb. 4, 2012

Trip 2 - Grenadines, Mar. 11-17, 2012

The British Virgin Islands are considered the best cruising grounds in the world. The BVIs are a series of small islands located around Sir Francis Drake Channel. Every day is warm and there are consistent trade winds from the east.

Yachts:
We charter beautiful boats from the Moorings & Footloose. These range in size from 40 to 50 feet and can be monohulls or catamarans.

Skippers:
Sailing school instructors and club members sign up to be skippers. The skipper decides which boat he or she wishes to sail, and this has already happened. Then club members and school graduates are invited to join the skipper. You can bring friends as well.

Crew:
You are the crew! You will have a great time sailing on a beautiful boat. You will help raise the mainsails, unfurl the jib, trim the sheets and steer the boat. Boats sail with 6 to 10 crew depending on the model selected by the skipper.

Cabins:
All boats have double occupancy cabins. Most boats also have a private head in each cabin. If you sign up with a friend, you will share a cabin. Your skipper can also help match you up with a cabin mate.

Cost:
The entry fee varies from $1,490 to $1,990 per person. The difference is the type of boat selected by the skipper.

What's Included:
The Caribbean Regatta is a great vacation value because it includes most food, your 'hotel room' and sailing on a beautiful boat as well. Your hotel is the boat and it moves to a new location every day.

Food:
Included in the entry fee are all breakfasts and lunches as well as 3 dinners during your sailing vacation. Beverages are extra and each sailor pays for their own dinners when eating out at restaurants.

Airfare:
Your responsibility to arrange the flights and air fare.

How to Pack:
You will need less clothes than you think during the regatta. Most sailors live in t-shirts, shorts and bathing suits for the full week. The whole week is casual. Since it is so warm, sailors normally do not pack foul weather gear. One wise sailor said, 'Put everything you think you need out on a bed, then take half.' If you check a bag on the airplane, be sure to also bring shorts, a bathing suit and a t-shirt in your carry-on bag. This is the Caribbean and every year, 1 or 2 sailors get separated form their luggage for a day or two.

Next Steps:
You can sign up at any time. Just click on the http://www.myc.org/Caribbean/registration.htm!Registration_Form. You can sign up at any time, even before you select your skipper. Nothing is charged to your credit card until you are scheduled on a boat and that boat is full (we do not confirm boats until they are filled). Closer to the regatta, boats which are not filled often combine with others to complete and get confirmed.

More Info:
To get more of a feel for the regatta, go to the http://www.myc.org/Caribbean/de_caribbean_regatta.htm!Regatta_website, see the boats which still have available space and then check out the Itinerary.

For all further questions, call the sailing school at +1- 212-786-0400 .