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Remote Islands - sailing destination

photo: Bora Bora from the t'gallant yard

Remote Islands & Archipelagos

"If you fantasise about a Robinson Crusoe experience on a desert island or just like querky, resillient island communities then this is definately the website to get you there in true explorer style." Travel writer Fiona Smythe

We have over 250 remote islands in our voyage itineraries

Looking at the map of the world we realised that Classic Sailing is pretty unique in sailing to some amazing islands – hot and cold, deserted or inhabited....in fact we counted over 250 small islands described in our voyage itineraries for 2012.

Our smaller pilot cutters have always featured island hopping rather than marina hopping. Wildlife seems to be more prolific on islands so many of our voyages seek out far outposts for unspoilt nature and curious creatures. The trade wind routes our tall ships follow often involve big ocean crossings where any inhabited island with an anchorage is a ‘jewel’ to be cherished because you are made so welcome by the local inhabitants....

Classic Sailing Wager:

Who can visit the most remote islands?

It started with a wager amongst friends, but it has become a bit of an obsession. Classic Sailing charter skippers Adam and Debbie versus the Merchant Navy – represented by our friend Kirsty. The competition was: Which of us could visit the most obscure, remote islands in the world ?

Debbie was quite proud of her Tristan Da Cuhna passport stamp after waiting 3 days for the swell to die down enough to land in 2007. Adam counts circumnavigating the island of Cape Horn on tall ship Europa in 2010 but Kirsty now has a shiny new Master Mariner ticket so does this mean she can take unfair little de-tours on her Maersk tanker ?

Adam and Debbie have since visited Coronation Island and Signy Island in the South Orkneys. Paulet Island, Dundee Island and Devils Island on the east of the Antarctica Peninsula, and on the Western side of Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland - Astralabe Island, Decep[tion Island, Half Moon Island and Aictcho or Barrientos Islands.

Debbie has landed on Bjorn Islands in Scorsby Sund, Greenland in 2013.

'Atlas of Remote Islands' by Judith Schalansky

This beautiful and subversive little book of maps was a present from Kirsty and has kick started our remote islands competition. On the cover it lays down the gauntlet “Fifty Islands I have never visited and never will.” Well, YOU CAN and WE HAVE...or at least about 5 of them !

Tell us about your Island Quests

If you manage to visit a remote island you think we should visit, please e mail us and we'll add you to our Classic Sailing Remote Islands Wager Page.

If you find one that looks impossible to reach by conventional travel let us know your island quest and we'll add it to our wish list. Who knows, one of our skippers might just dream up a future voyage that could pass by your island quest.

The full list of possible islands on our itineraries

Schooner Oosterschelde in Cape Verde: Sao Vincente, Santo Antao, Sal, Boa Vista, Maio, Santiago, Fogo, Brava, Sao Nicolau.

Europa - Ocean Voyages & Antarctica: East and West Falklands, South Georgia, Prion Island, Paulet Island, Astrolabe, Elephant Island, South Shetland Islands, Livingston island, Joinville island, trinity, Deception, Greenwich Island, St Helena, Tristan Da Cuhna, Ascension. The Azores - see below.

Bessie Ellen, Eda Frandsen, Lizzie May, Leader AJ in Scotland, Orkneys & Shetland :-Ailsa Craig, Sanda Is, Arran, Great Cumbrae, Bute, Inchmarnock, Cara, Gigha, Texa Islay, Jura, Colonsay, Scarba, Lunga, Eilean Dubh, Treshnish Isles, Luing, Garbh Eileach, Shuna, Kerrera, Lismore, Mull, Inch Kenneth, Ulva, Carna, Gometra, Little Colonsay, Iona, Tiree, Coll, Oronsay, Staffa, Muck, Eigg, Rum, Canna, Skye, Soay, Isay, Rona, Raasay, Crowlin Isles, Longay, Pabay, Scalpay,.....and then there are the Outer Hebrides chain - Berneray, Mingulay, Pabbay, Sandray, Vatersay, Muldoanich, Barra, Fuiay, Flodday, Hellisay, Gighay, Fuday, Eriskay, South Uist, Benbecula, Ronay, Floddaymore, North Uist, Berneray, Harris, Lewis, Shiant Isles, Taransay, Great Bernera, Vacsay, Vuia Mor and way out into the Atlantic - St Kilda consists of Hirta, Soay and Boreray and the tiny Flannan Islands.

Agnes, Eve, Leader, AJ, Bessie Ellen in the Scillies -Tresco, Bryher, St Agnes, Gugh, St Martins, Ganilly, Sampson, St Mary's, Ushant, Skomer

Canaries, Azores & Madiera on Grayhound or Bessie Ellen - La Gomera, El Heiro, La Palma, Tenerife, Madeira, Santos,

Caribbean on Grayhound - Grenada, The Grenadines, Martinique, St Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, St Maarten, Antigua, Barbuda and lots more.

Round the World on Europa, Lord Nelson, and Oosterschelde: - Isla Grande (Brazil), Mauritius, La Reunion, Sri Lanka, Albrolhos Isles, Chatham Isles, Tasmania, New Zealand, Falklands, Tristan Da Cuhna, St Helena, Ascension

photo by Debbie Purser: Wandering Albatross nest on Prion Island off South Georgia