Best places in the world to get connected with the community and start sailing?

[DaniBelle]

Hello,

I currently live on a 47ft x 12ft Dutch Barge in the UK and have done for 13 years. I am looking to learn to sail and potentially swap my canal/river life for a sailing life.

I'm hoping to get away in February/ March for an extended trip somewhere warm and not too expensive to stay where I can get involved in the sailing community, gain some sailing experience and also potentially look at some sail boats for sale.

The internet is always throwing up Bocas del Toro so I am naturally pulled towards that at the moment, especially as I could get there in time for the Regatta on the 17th Feb, but is this the best place for me to go? Are there other places like Bocas Del Toro around the globe?

I am open to any suggestions at the moment. But the main thing is that it is warm and needs to be cheap enough for me to spend a couple of months or more without breaking the bank as there will be a break in my employment/income. I will be looking/applying for remote work whilst I am there.

Any help is hugely appreciated!

Dani

[boatman61]

I would suggest St Martin FWI or the BVI's.. the former has boats that have crossed and owners don't want to do the return and the latter has two large charter bases which have boats coming out of charter for sale regularly.

https://www.sunsailbrokerage.com/use...n_country%3AVG

https://www.mooringsbrokerage.com/us...n_country%3AVG

https://bviyachtsales.com/yacht_type/sail-boat/

A Google search will throw up many other brokers in the East Caribe..
Panama is a great place if your aim is the Pacific however it is a slog if you want to head back East.
Another plus for St Martin is it's the cheapest place in the Caribbean to outfit your 'new' boat.

[leecea]

...where I can get involved in the sailing community

Have you thought through what this means to you because I'm not sure. Is the idea to just hang out and make friends with sailors who will then take you out sailing? I see a lot of posts about how that's the way to do it but I'm skeptical of it working and it may also take a long time to build connections.

[rls8r]

Originally Posted by DaniBelle

... where I can get involved in the sailing community, gain some sailing experience ...

You may want to think about responding to "Crew wanted" listings on this forum.

Otherwise - you may want to consider joining a cruising association - like The Cruising Association (of UK), the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, or the Seven Seas Cruising Association. I'm sure that there are others - but none spring to mind. Certainly other Forum members can suggest some others.

[DaniBelle]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I would suggest St Martin FWI or the BVI's.. the former has boats that have crossed and owners don't want to do the return and the latter has two large charter bases which have boats coming out of charter for sale regularly.

https://www.sunsailbrokerage.com/use...n_country%3AVG

https://www.mooringsbrokerage.com/us...n_country%3AVG

https://bviyachtsales.com/yacht_type/sail-boat/

A Google search will throw up many other brokers in the East Caribe..
Panama is a great place if your aim is the Pacific however it is a slog if you want to head back East.
Another plus for St Martin is it's the cheapest place in the Caribbean to outfit your 'new' boat.

Hi Boatman61,

Thanks for the info. Great to know about the boats coming out of charter life and potential bargains to be had. Also that St Martin is the cheapest place in the Carribean to outfit the boat. What do you mean in terms of out fit, do you mean kitting it out with all the essentials/ parts and materialist/dry standing/labour....or all of these things? Also, what is the cost of living like on these islands if I were to take an extended stay?

Many thanks

Dani

[DaniBelle]

Originally Posted by rls8r

You may want to think about responding to "Crew wanted" listings on this forum.

Otherwise - you may want to consider joining a cruising association - like The Cruising Association (of UK), the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, or the Seven Seas Cruising Association. I'm sure that there are others - but none spring to mind. Certainly other Forum members can suggest some others.

Hey rls8r,

I've been keeping my eye out in that forum for anything suits and also joined a bunch of Facebook groups both Crew wanted generally and Bocas groups. Will check out those cruising associations you mention. Thank you!

Dani

[DaniBelle]

Originally Posted by leecea

Have you thought through what this means to you because I'm not sure. Is the idea to just hang out and make friends with sailors who will then take you out sailing? I see a lot of posts about how that's the way to do it but I'm skeptical of it working and it may also take a long time to build connections.

I have also been seeking crew positions from afar and communicating with sailors over the internet but as you say I have read a lot about people being more willing to take you on as crew if they meet you in person and get a feel for you. I also feel a bit more confident going onto a boat if I can get a sense of someone/crew in person as opposed to committing to a crew position over the internet, having no sense of that person until I arrive and then it's too late to back out. So I am trying to combine an extended trip and this idea. When I get to where I choose it's possible I may find it hard to meet people or start conversations. I also understand that the people I want to chat to will be mostly on the water and not on the land, primarily, so maybe it will be tricky. I am open to suggestions of other ways in getting involved if you have any?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by DaniBelle

Hi Boatman61,

Thanks for the info. Great to know about the boats coming out of charter life and potential bargains to be had. Also that St Martin is the cheapest place in the Carribean to outfit the boat. What do you mean in terms of out fit, do you mean kitting it out with all the essentials/ parts and materialist/dry standing/labour....or all of these things? Also, what is the cost of living like on these islands if I were to take an extended stay?

Many thanks

Dani

It has outlets of 2 of the largest Chandlers in the Caribe (duty free) and a large variety of yards on both French and Dutch side, an International Airport with good links to Europe.
The BVI's is more expensive than SXM for accommodation, but then it depends on the level of luxury your after.
I rented a room with shower above a bar in Phillipsburg, somewhere to sleep and freshen up was all I needed at $40/night..BVI's was $100 but it was a bit flasher.
SXM has a variety of sailor accommodation at reasonable prices as its more of a hub..

[Adelie]

Welcome to CruisersForum!

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.