Tall Ship Voyages from Antigua, Caribbean

Caribbean Tall Ship Voyages from Antigua

We do not have any planned at the moment but as soon as we have we will announce them via our email newsletter, you can sign up below.

Falmouth & English Harbour - A great Naval tradition

In the old days it was hard to find secure ports in the Caribbean that were easily defendable with immediate access to the trade winds, yet protected enough to careen (lean it over on the beach) a ship and be safe in a hurricane.  Falmouth and English Harbour sit side by side on the South coast of Antigua and meet all those requirements.  If you want to arrive in the Caribbean a few days early then we can recommend the hotel at Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour is built in the wonderfully restored stone dock buildings.  Tenacious uses the larger Falmouth Harbour with its vast bay accommodating super yachts from around the world. There is usually an excursion to Shirley Heights - the fortified hilltop above the two harbours.  From here you have an amazing panorama of your likely cruising ground from Guadaloupe to the south and the volcano on Monserrat sillouetted in the sunset.

Antigua - 365 Beaches & Yachting Mecca

The island of Antigua has a complex coastline with offlying coral reefs, inside passages and some stunning bays like Five Islands Harbour or Deep Bay with its a three masted shipwreck 'The Andes' with masts still intact.   Captain Claire C of Tenacious's sister ship Lord Nelson lives on Antigua and in past years the ship has spent all winter based here, so the crew know all the best haunts to visit and how to make the most of the boisterous trade winds for the best offshore sailing.

Antigua is home to the famous Antigua Classics (sadly in April !) and her proliferation of stunning beaches, anchorages and safe ports draws yachts from all over the world.

Barbuda - Frigate bird colony & sting rays

Barbuda is a day sail away from Antigua so may be a first stop. Miles of shoal water with brilliant turquoise seas surround this low lying island and endless pale pink sand beaches create a desert island feel to Barbuda. There is a frigate bird colony and if the ship anchors in the shallow waters you may spot sting rays or eagle rays from the deck.  Even better- why not climb aloft to spot the larger marine life like turtles.  Tenacious crew never like to leave anyone out so this might be a good spot to hoist you aloft in your wheelchair.

St Kitts & Nevis - dive bombed by Pelicans

The seperate islands St Kitts and Nevis are the same country. Nevis has a 3000ft peak in the centre and looks like a Sombrero from a distance with trade wind clouds sometimes hanging over the summit. An interesting bit of navigation might be to sail a large tall ship through the Narrows but as this is only 15-20ft deep you may be cruising around the outside ! Charlestown is Nevis's only port with many stone buildings and a restored waterfront. There are pelicans on Nevis and many other islands like Antigua, and you can while away pleasant hours watching them dive.  There is a Nelson museum on Nevis. Tamerind Bay is one of the nicer anchorages on the sheltered side of Nevis.

Montserrat - devastated by lava & untouched beauty

In 1995 the volcano erupted on Montserrat and the lava flows destroyed the capital Plymouth.  An island that once had 12 000 inhabitants now seems somewhat empty as many evacuated people have never returned.  On half of the island is starkly barren under tonnes of ash but the North remains untouched, lush anf green.  The volcano is quieting down but is still active, and Radio Montserrat issues volcano  navigation warnings daily.  Currently the ship can anchor off the Northern part of the island and sailing past the southern half of the island is a sober reminder of the power of nature.

Caribbean style Itinerary

As with all our sailing holidays the Captain has many considerations to plan for when chosing the weeks itinerary so these islands are only an informed guess at where you might sail.  Weather, swell from unusual directions, customs clearance regulations and new marine wildlife reserve anchoring restrictions or even booking an alongside berth to change crews, fuel or water the ship can all affect the plans for the 10-15 days. Even the time of day and whether the sun it ahead or behind you can influence pilotage in these coral reef strewn coastlines - but it is all facinating stuff the the Captain or mate will brief you each day to explain the latest plan !

Read more about voyages from Guadeloupe

Read more about Turks & Caicos & North to Bahamas