August 20, 2023
What do you know about Antigua and Barbuda? This is definitely a distant and exotic land. We offer you an interesting opportunity to discover this island nation in the Caribbean. You can feel the local flavor, immerse yourself in the relaxing atmosphere of Latin American dances, enjoy the local cuisine and nature, and have an unforgettable catamaran vacation – 7 days yacht tour.
Tour route
1 Day. Jolly Harbour, Antigua
2 Day. Jolly Harbour — English Harbour
3 Day. English Harbour — Green Island
4 Day. Green Island — Stingray City — Great Bird Island
5 Day. Great Bird Island — Cocoa Bay, Barbuda
6 Day. Cocoa Bay — Low Bay
7 Day. Low Bay — Dickenson Bay — Deep Bay, Antigua
8 Day. Deep Bay — Jolly Harbour
From the point of view of sea cruises, the best time for them in the Caribbean is from early December to mid-March, just when winter comes in our latitudes. If you are tired of snow and frost, want back to summer, want sun and beaches, this can be arranged! A winter week sailing tour of Antigua and Barbuda is just what you need. A few hours on the plane, and you are on the warm sand of a tropical beach with a cocktail in your hands, among palm trees and tropical fauna. You can book your winter tour right now. Book your cruise with Sparks Life.
Tour description:
1st day. Getting to know Antigua
So, you arrive in Antigua and we begin our tour of this exotic country. Your acquaintance with the islands begins at V.C. Bird International Airport ”, from where you have to drive 15 km to our starting point, Marina Jolie Harbor. You can either immediately take a taxi to the marina from the airport, or, if you have time, book a sightseeing tour. It takes several hours and during this time you will have time to see a lot of interesting things on the main island of this small state – Antigua.
So, you arrive at the Jolie Harbor Marina, where the crew and the handsome Beneteau Lagoon 42 catamaran are already waiting for you. It will become your mobile home for the next week. Then you need to carry out all the necessary operations – to take the ship, draw up documents, purchase food and supplies for the whole tour, the captain and the crew will take care of this.
In the meantime, everyone is busy with preparations, you can go … to the beach), for you your vacation begins here and now! Warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea, white sand, and local exotic nature – all this is a two-minute walk from the marina. Here you can fully enjoy your beach holiday in December!
In the evening you can dine at one of the local restaurants located right on the beach. You will have the opportunity to taste Caribbean cuisine and skip a couple of cocktails based on local rum. Yes, yes, people in Antigua love real rum, there are two distilleries here, so you can taste just the local rum. It is better not to linger here, because tomorrow our sea tour begins, tomorrow we will have a rich program, tomorrow your adventure awaits you.
2nd day. English Harbor, Antigua
So, today your sea adventure begins, but before we go out to sea, we go to the beach at night to … meet local sea turtles. These sea giants spend most of their time at sea, and climb out onto land with only one purpose – to lay eggs. At night they come out of the water, dig a hole in the sand, lay their eggs there, and go back to the sea. If you’re lucky, you can see these sea giants up close. Their age can reach 100 years, and their weight is almost 500 kg, they lived on Earth during the time of the dinosaurs and have not changed much since then, so they are truly prehistoric creatures.
At sunrise we board our catamaran and sail from Jolie Harbor. Our first destination is English Harbor, 12 moles away, but our first stop is not far away, just three miles away, at Fries Beach. It should be noted that Antigua and Barbuda is a country of beaches. There are over 350 of them here, so we will have plenty to choose from.
So, we arrive at our final destination for today – English Harbor. Our task is to have time to climb to the Shirley Heights fortress and meet the sunset there by the end of the day. This is just a fantastic place, the view from there is simply incredible, especially in the rays of the setting sun, so it is not surprising that this place is very popular with locals and tourists. Here they like to arrange fun Caribbean parties with cocktails, incendiary dances and Latin American music. Sometimes even steel-drum bands perform here. Festivities are held here every Sunday, and of course we cannot miss such an event! On this positive note, we will end our second day in Antigua and Barbuda.
3rd day. Pillars of Hercules and Green Island
So, on the third day, we can leisurely explore all the other sights of English Harbor, and there is something to see here. Let’s start at Nelson’s Dockyard National Park. In addition to the shipyard itself, there is Clarence House and Shirley Heights on the hill where we were yesterday. The park is named after Admiral Nelson, who was the governor of the island from 1784 to 1787.
After a few hours among the historic buildings of the late 18th century, we return to our catamaran and continue the sea cruise. Before leaving English Harbor, we will go to another attraction – the Pillars of Hercules. This unique natural formation was formed only under the influence of wind and water, although from the outside it seems that they were carved by hundreds of human hands. If we are lucky with the weather, we can stop right next to the Pillars of Hercules so you can see them up close.
Next, according to the plan, we have a sea voyage and an overnight stay in the bay of Green Island.
4th day. Devil’s Bridge, Stingray City and Bird Island
Then we head north and sail near the so-called “Devil’s Bridge”, which leads to Bird Island. It is a natural rock, shaped like a bridge arch. It was formed under the influence of sea waves and wind. Here, under the rocks, waves always rage, so if a person was not lucky and he fell down, it almost always ended in death, hence the name and notoriety of this rock. True, it is very beautiful here, we will consider everything from a safe distance. Then we go to Stingray City (City of Stingrays). The area got its name from the large group of stingrays that live here, on the shoals, not far from the coast. There are just ideal conditions for these fish – clean and warm water and shallow depth, they feel just fine here.
You will have the opportunity to observe these sea giants in their natural environment, you will be able to feed them and take some photos for memory. Well, then we go to Great Bird Island. You probably already guessed from the name that the island is completely inhabited by a variety of birds. The island is densely covered with tropical vegetation and is just a paradise for birdwatchers: various herons, frigates, phaetons and other large and small representatives of the bird world, all of them can be found here, on a small island near Antigua.
5th day To Barbuda
In the morning the next day we set off for the second large island, Barbuda (translated as “bearded”). This day will be completely spent on a sea voyage to the “bearded” island.
On the way, we will come across several places that are just perfect for those who like swimming and snorkeling. Since there are practically no underwater currents and winds, these places are well suited even for beginners. You can visit the coral reef, which is home to hundreds of different sea creatures, large and small.
We will stay here for the night, or, if the weather is good, we will move to Cocoa Bay, there are excellent places for mooring a catamaran.
6th day “Bearded” island Barbuda
Our sixth day is fully dedicated to the second largest island in this country – Barbuda. The population density is significantly lower than in Antigua, so you can easily find empty beaches and untouched corners of nature.
We can arrange spear fishing with locals on the high seas or in the shallow backwaters of the mangrove forest. Want to catch some real lobsters? It can be arranged. Then you can have a Caribbean lobster grill party!
Locals are justly proud of their natural gem – a national park in the Cordington Lagoon. It is a true paradise for exotic tropical flora and fauna.
7th day. Back to Antigua
So, we hope that you have already had time to enjoy the beaches and nature of Barbuda, because it is time to return to Antigua. Ahead we have a long sea voyage of 32 nautical miles (takes about 5 hours). This is the best time for those who want to try their hand at driving a catamaran, in addition, you will be given a master class on knitting sea catch, you can take a selfie, so you will not be bored.
We have already seen the south and west of the island, so now we will head along the northeastern coastline of Antigua. Our first stop is Dickenson Cove. There is a beautiful beach, hotels, bars, and restaurants. You can visit a unique bar – Kon Tiki.
Its peculiarity is that it stands straight …. in the sea. You will need a boat to enjoy a glass of rum or local cocktail here, or you can just swim to it). The owners of the bar, Joni and Emma, regularly take visitors back and forth to the bar in their boat. We will not wait for them, because we have our own boat, so we will definitely look here. After the floating bar we head south to Deep bay, where we will spend the night before the final day of our cruise.
We chose this bay for anchorage for a reason. The fact is that here, not far from the coast, lies the English ship “The Andes”, which sank back in 1905. Since the ship sank very close to the coast, the crew managed to escape, and the ship became a local landmark and is popular with snorkelers. “The Andes” has become part of the ecosystem, fish and molluscs have settled here, it is completely overgrown with sea sponges and other animals, and at low tide you can see the top of the ship.
8th day. Return
Alas, all good things come to an end sooner or later. So our one-week yacht tour in Antigua and Barbuda has come to an end. By lunchtime we will have to hand over the catamaran so that it can be prepared for the next tour, so in the morning we head back to our starting point – Jolie Bay.
On the way back we will pass Hawkesbeal Rock, which resembles the head of a sea turtle.
So, at lunchtime we arrive at Jolie Bay, rent the catamaran and say goodbye to the hospitable and cheerful Antigua. It’s time to go home. But we know very well that after the completion of one journey, another begins, so we will be glad to meet you again under sail!
7 days yacht tour – Beneteau Lagoon 42
Our catamaran, Beneteau Lagoon 42, is a popular model of the world famous French shipyard Beneteau. Lagoon 42 is a spacious and comfortable vessel with four guest cabins and two crew quarters. Each cabin has its own bathroom, the large galley is equipped with everything you need, and there is enough space on the deck to rest for several people.
Yacht tour cost = 1300 euros per person
Included in the price:
- Place in the cabin (all cabins are double);
- Captain’s services;
- Towels and bed linen for the entire tour;
- Dinghy and snorkeling equipment rental.
The price does not include:
- Airplane ticket;
- Transfer from / to the airport;
- Visa (if needed);
- Medical insurance;
- Food, fuel, payment for parking in marinas (up to 200 euros per person);
- Security deposit for the catamaran (returned after arrival);
- Excursions, tickets to museums, parks, etc.
