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What to Expect in a Caribbean Charter Vacation

October 25, 2016 by Sherry Boswell

I have a new favorite color: Caribbean Blue. Why? Because it reminds me of the gorgeous color of the waters you find in the Caribbean. My September was filled with a couple of vacations in these clear beautiful waters, and I’m officially hooked! We had the vacation of a lifetime on a Caribbean charter with iYachtClub. Our family enjoyed 5 nights of pure bliss as we charted our own itinerary and had the Caribbean islands as our playgrounds. Here’s our video and photo highlights of this epic family vacation that will be hard to top.

5 things I learned on My first catamaran charter

 

September was one busy month for traveling. The highlight for my family? A catamaran sail in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. And yes, September can be a bit risky to travel to the Caribbean with tropical storms and hurricanes as a possibility. But hey, that’s what travel insurance is for, and it is an absolutely fabulous time to travel in my opinion. Fewer crowds, and the weather was perfection.

Disclosure: My family and I were hosted by iYachtClub on their catamaran charter Bella Vita. All thoughts and opinions are my own and based on my personal experience.

iYachtClub spoiled us in making the planning and preparation such a seamless process from start to finish. And the actual sail? Heaven on earth! We had a catamaran to ourselves. And Denise, our captain AND chef, made us feel like family from Day 1.

The experience was so amazing, I wanted to chain myself to the catamaran. I’ll let the photos and video that my teen made of our iYacht Club catamaran experience speak for themselves and share a few tips and tricks we found helpful to make us shipshape for our sail!

Chartered Catamaran with iYacht Club

Video

One thing I love about my kids’ school: they are proficient on iPads, iMovie and technology in general. So I’m taking full advantage of that by having my teen prepare our video montage of our catamaran highlights. Seeing is believing!

Scrapbook

I love documenting my trip with our favorite photos. It really takes me back and lets us relive our vacation.

Captain Denise and her new motley crew.
Captain Denise and her new motley crew. Our rendezvous point was in Red Hook at the American Yacht Harbor Marina in St. Thomas.
Cooper Island overlook catamaran sail Caribbean
Cooper Island rocks! Literally, it’s worthwhile to climb the rocks and get this magnificent view.
What's SUP? My girl knows how to cruise on a stand up paddleboard.
What’s SUP? My girl knows how to cruise on a stand up paddleboard.
Exploring favorite spot: the Baths on Virgin Gorda. Don't miss this national park that feels like an outdoor scavenger hunt.
Exploring favorite spot: the Baths on Virgin Gorda. Don’t miss this national park that feels like an outdoor scavenger hunt.
Captain and first mate (my son) charting a course for us to adventure.
Captain and first mate (my son) charting a course for us to adventure.
snorkeling-off-catamaran
Snorkeling spots are plentiful in the British Virgin Islands. We found this one just outside the Caves of Norman Island, the inspiration for the novel Treasure Island.
Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke is a must see spot!
Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke is a must see spot! Famous for creating the Painkiller, an island concoction of premium dark rum, cream of coconut, pineapple and orange juice and topped with fresh grated Grenadian nutmeg.
Caribbean catamaran charter
Hey, it’s Crush from Finding Nemo! Up close and personal with a sea turtle was a highlight!
Sunset on Tortola our first night really set the tone!
Sunset on Tortola our first night really set the tone!

 Tips

  • Pack light! All we needed to pack were: bathing suits, cover ups, and a few T shirts, shorts, and maybe 1 dress for ladies. Omit almost all shoes because they don’t allow them to be worn on board. Water shoes are a must!
  • Pack a duffle bag and not rolling suitcases. They are far easier to stow on your catamaran/sailboat.
  • Bring Bonine or motion sickness medication just in case. We didn’t really need it at all, but it’s a good idea to have it on hand.
  • Rashguards and sunscreen! Don’t bring home a sunburn souvenir. We were on the water a ton and easily could have gotten burned if we had been lax about sunscreen. We also did rashguards which helped protect our fair skin.
  • Save room for dessert…and snacks…and meals..and drinks. You get the point. Stay active with your excursions, swim, kayak, paddleboard, anything to keep moving to burn some calories so you can eat all the foods. The food was topnotch, restaurant quality!
catamaran-food
Nom nom: sushi, homemade flan, and lamb were just some of the amazing dishes we dined on during our catamaran charter. Chef Denise is an exceptional cook!

You can also read my review of iYachtClub on TravelingMom.

Thank you to iYachtClub for hosting my family for five nights to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. You can always count on me to be totally honest! Scout’s honor.

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Filed Under: Caribbean, Travel Tagged With: boats, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean, Caribbean charter, Caribbean vacation, catamaran, catamaran charter, iYachtClub, sailing, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Comments

  1. Tonya Prater says

    October 25, 2016 at 10:57 PM

    This sounds like so much fun for a family vacation and I love the video!

    • Sherry Boswell says

      October 26, 2016 at 9:04 AM

      Our family loved being able to choose where we went, jumping off the side of the boat, and the water toys. Hope you try this one someday!

  2. Dana says

    October 26, 2016 at 7:36 AM

    Sounds like the perfect family vacation- I need to check them out.

    • Sherry Boswell says

      October 26, 2016 at 9:05 AM

      Yes, Dana! Your adventurous crew would love it.

  3. Robin says

    October 31, 2016 at 7:02 AM

    What a dream vacation! Looks like the perfect way to explore the Virgin islands.

Hi there! I’m Sherry Boswell, an Independent Travel Advisor

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Travel Plans in My Hands

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