$3,400.00
Skipper & Mate
Synopsis
Extend your Thanksgiving holiday and come sailing in the Caribbean! Both ICEBEAR & ISBJORN will sail in company, departing Tortola for the passage south and east to Antigua!. We'll sail to Ile Fourche & St. Bart’s on the way, so it will be a combination of island exploration and proper, Caribbean ocean sailing!
We sailed this route in 2016 & 2017 on ISBJORN, and it’s one of our all-time favorites.. Normally, it's upwind all the way, against the prevailing easterly trade winds. But in 2016, we sailed out of the harbor in Road Town after the sun went down, and almost miraculously sailed through the night on starboard tack, the wind from the south, which is extremely rare in that neck of the woods at that time of year.
Once we depart Tortola, we'll aim east. There is no set itinerary, but several places we can stop along the way. The French side of St. Martin is always a fun place to visit, and definitely the classier side of the divided island. Ile Fourche, the gorgeous, deserted marine park that belongs to St. Barth's is another popular stop where we often go ashore before the dawn for a sunrise hike up the moon-like landscape.
Antigua is the easternmost island in the Leeward Islands, so it's all upwind from St. Martin or St. Barth's. Good thing ISBJORN is such a windward thoroughbred! Depending on timing, we can make landfall in Antigua in Jolly Harbour on the island's west coast, or sail another 30 miles or so around to the south and into Falmouth Harbour, the epicenter of the Caribbean superyacht scene.
This passage is classic Caribbean trade wind sailing, taking in some of our favorite destinations en route to Antigua. You'll love it!
The Route
Itinerary
November 30: Join ISBJORN in Tortola, BVI at 1700. Dinner with the group either ashore or onboard.
Dec. 1: All-day safety briefing & boat orientation (plus some swimming & beach time!). Dinner onboard, early bedtime.
Dec. 2: Depart BVI for Ile Fourche (part of St. Bart’s). Overnight, upwind sail.
Dec. 4: Sunrise hike on Ile Fourche with the crews from BOTH boats! (Wake-up at 0500!). We’ll land the dinghy on the beach in the dark then set out up the steep rocky slopes of one of the islands five peaks, making it to the top in 30 minutes or so and early enough to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean. In the afternoon we’ll daysail down to Gustavia, in the heart of St. Bart’s harbor.
Dec. 5: Day ashore in Gustavia, the (formerly Swedish!) capital of St. Bart’s and one of the French Caribbean’s most beautiful towns.
Dec. 6: Depart for Antigua. Overnight sail down to Falmouth Harbor on the island’s south coast.
Dec. 7: Arrive Falmouth / day ashore or exploring.
Dec. 8: Crew depart ISBJORN in Antigua by 1200 noon.
Travel Logistics
Either fly into St. Thomas (STT) and take the ferry to Tortola, OR fly right into Beef Island (EIS) where you can literally walk from the airport down to the beach in Trellis Bay where ISBJORN will be waiting on anchor.
Fly out of Antigua (ANU), which has direct flights to Miami & New York/Newark where you can connect to other major US cities. Flights to and from Europe as well.
How to Join
To register, complete the Offshore Passage Registration by clicking the 'Register Now' button above, or at the bottom of the page. You'll be asked to complete the form - make sure you hit submit. Indicate ‘ISBJORN’ as your boat choice, and '2019-12: BVI-St. Bart’s-Antigua' as your preferred passage.
Once we receive your registration, you'll be sent an invoice for 50% of the balance, due immediately. The final 50% of the balance will be due 60 days prior to the passage date. Terms and conditions are in the registration form, and you'll be asked to agree to them before submitting your deposit. Please read them carefully.
Blogs from 2017
The first trip of 2017! Crew members Kevin, Tom, Irena & Vlado joined Isbjorn in Trellis Bay, Tortola in the BVI! We knew going into it that it would be an upwind trip, and it was! After a quick sail over to Spanish Town where we cleared out, we set sail for Ile Fourche, a small island just north of St. Barth's. Ile Fourche is one of our favorite anchorages, nothing ashore except great hiking and turtles swimming around the boat! From there, we sailed the few miles to Gustavia and St. Barth's, enjoyed some cold drinks and a 'Cheeseburger in paradise'. The last leg of this trip was to Falmouth, Antigua and the sail was just spectacular, almost full moon and the islands of St. Kitts, Nevis and Statia to our starboard. A great start to the year!