Sailing Destinations

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Sailing in all the best places

Sailing holidays

Classic Sailing has always believed that adventure afloat is enhanced by exploration ashore. The voyages and sailing holidays we promote are chosen as much for their location, as the type of vessel. The best sailing holiday grounds are worth travelling a little further to and travelling by boat allows you to getaway from the crowds. Beautiful vessels add to stunning locations and you can leave feeling your presence has been a bonus rather than a problem. When we go ashore on sailing holidays, we go to remote beaches and coves and we aim to leave them cleaner than when we arrived. All that's left is our footprints in the sand shortly to be washed away by the next high tide.

Gap Year Sailing for Adults Click Here >>

"I'm still on a high from when I left you yesterday morning. It was all too wonderful. The sailing, the eats, the jokes, thanks a million. " Brian Gasgione

Holidays in Harmony with Nature

Classic Sailing Ltd has a pro-active environmental policy, and we strive to ensure all our vessels enhance the sailing grounds we grace, by arriving quietly under sail, and leaving nothing behind but our wake. Sailing with the wind and tides puts you back in touch with our wild surroundings and stimulates the senses. Escape the modern world and move at a more natural pace—walk barefoot along the shore: row silently through the phosphorescence; marvel at gannets diving and basking sharks basking; breathe clean air, eat well, and discover muscles you didn’t know you had !

In terms of a green ethos our best ambassadors are probably:

Eve of St Mawes voyages - raising awareness of marine wildlife in Cornwall since 1997

Bark Europa - exploring Antarctica under sail with low carbon footprint  and upmost respect for nature and wilderness  Click Here >>

Local Knowledge

New destinations are always exciting but to have things pointed out to you by people with local knowledge really brings them alive. Our vessels do roam far and wide but each have special locations they have become expert in.

Our skippers usually know where to barter for fresh crab off fishing boats, and can tell you about the wildlife you see, local history and landscapes. Ashore they can guide you to the best place to watch the sunset, spy on seals or help you to choose between splendid solitude or a pub with local character!  

Where we sail

If there is any pattern to our wide selection of sailing grounds – it is the destinations with the best unspoilt coastal scenery, wildlife opportunities and sailing winds. We are more excited by mountain backdrops and natural anchorages, self sufficient local communities, historic ports and islands than tourist hotspots.

The list is not exhaustive and it varies from year to year, but here are some of our popular haunts:

Celtic Fringes of Europe:-  Cornwall, West Coast ofScotland, Wales and Ireland. Brittany, Northern Spain and Portugal. The Atlantic edge of Europe has some of the most biologically rich seas in the world - which is good news for spotting dolphins, whales, basking sharks and seabirds without going far. A seafaring culture prevails in the historic ports, and the local communities respect fellow sailors

Antarctica & Arctic Sailing Expeditions:- Tall ships and traditional boats keep you warm pulling on ropes. Working as ships crew you spend more time outdoors and see more wildlife. Sail past Cape Horn and cross the Drakes passage on a tall ship. Explore Antarctica and follow in the wake of Shackleton to South Georgia. Closer to Europe and deep within the Acrtic Circle is the Svalbard Archipelago / Spitzbergen. Look for polar bears and walrus and learn about global warming.

Island and Archipelagos:- Isles of Scilly, Outer Hebrides, St Kilda, Channel Islands, Biscay coastal islands like Belle Isle, South Atlantic outposts like Tristan Da Cuhna, St Helena; Trade wind route stops like Canaries, Madeira, Azores or Cape Verde. Mediterranean islands like Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia

Worldwide: Latin America, Patagonia, New Zealand, South Africa, Scandinavia and The Baltic, Mediterranean historic ports, Caribbean islands like Barbados, St Lucia, Grenadines, Grenada, Bequia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Antigua Dominica, Bermuda and East Coast of America, Canada & the Great Lakes.

PDF of Current Classic Sailing Schedule with all vessels, destinations, dates & prices 2010-2011 

If you can’t find one of these destinations on our current sailing schedules then give us a ring and we can tell what is in the pipeline. It also helps us to know where our customers want to go next.

Not sure what is suitable for you?

Call a Skipper 01872 58 00 22 or send a question? >>