Sample Lifestyle
Sample the Cruising Lifestyle
Join Team Jeff & Jean to learn if Cruising is for both of you. Please contact us to arrange custom sailing to meet your goals
Sample the cruising lifestyle while having fun sailing in exotic places!
Picture yourself on a beautiful sunny day with crystal clear skies above, a light breeze kissing your face as you glide through turquoise waters in quiet tranquility on board a sailing yacht. As you sail along the coast you pass slowly by a beach of white sugar sand nestled in a small cove, you pick out a secluded spot and drop anchor. After enjoying some well-deserved rest you venture on to a new island and explore a small village where the local people welcome you with rum drinks served in a coconut shell. So far it sounds great!
Why spend a big chunk of your budget on a live aboard vacation? Do you really think the locals are topless tropical beauty's serving you umbrella drinks as soon as you hit the beach? What it is really like? Like all things in life both good and bad can be found so before you go and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a boat maybe you should investigate further. Selecting a sailing vacation where you live aboard a sailing yacht close to the same size you have been considering is a good way to test the waters. (You don't know what you don't know.)
Two couples per sailing (occasionally three couples) with two Captains / Instructors provides almost private instruction.
Where should we go? First you want to carefully choose the destination based on both of your combined sailing experience. So for example: He has sailed several times with friends who needed racing crew; but she has only been out on a sunset cruise once and felt queasy. He loved the feel of the boat heeled over with the rail in the water and spray coming over the deck, she was uneasy with the boat heeling. Based on this information choosing what we call a Level One location would be best until the party with the least experience can get more comfortable on board a boat. You both have to want to learn more and the best way to build the desire to learn is a good experience. Level One locations would include: the British Virgin Islands, Belize and the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, these areas feature short sailing days in protected waters each with their own flavor. What experience do you both need for a Level Two location? You should both have been sailing and perhaps even taken some formal lessons and feel comfortable on board a boat at sea. Level Two locations would include Antigua, Guadeloupe, Tahiti and Tonga in these locations you will experience open water sailing and some of the islands are very remote so you will learn more about having limited resources. So how about Level Three what skills should we have to go to these locations? By now you should have twenty days of sea time, have the ability to navigate and feel comfortable on a boat in open water. Level Three locations would include: St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and the Seychelles.
When is the best time to go to these places? The Caribbean is a year round destination so you may want to consider the typical wind speeds for certain times of year to help you decide. Springtime the winds are lighter therefore easy going sailing for the novice. Summer is Hurricane season but early in the season like July in the BVI's can be a great time with less crowds and warmer water temperatures for first time snorkelers to delight in seeing tropical fish and colorful corals. In the winter, the winds will be stronger but the temperatures will still be a delightful break from that of North America, a great time to use your holiday vacation time to explore the possibilities.
"We were fortunate to be aboard the Leopard 44 with Jeff & Jean. They constantly were helping us improve our sailing skills. We can't imagine being "on" constantly like they did. It is obvious both of them love what they do."
Nancy & Curt
Now owners of Leopard 40 "Rum Tum Tiger"
Kit & Adrienne and Cyndee & Dan with Jeff & Jean at Goff's Cay in Belize with our Leopard 45
Cat in the background. Kit & Adrienne went on to purchase a Fountaine Pajot 42 Catamaran while Cyndee & Dan bought a Catalina 350 monohull. Both used TwoCanSail shopping and surveying services.
Nancy & Curt TwoCanSailors:
Couples Seminar, Try A Cat, Shopping assistance, Surveying and On-Board Training
