Finding the Caribbean Holiday that's Right for You: Part 5 - Flotilla Holidays

ASA Flotilla in San Juan

Flotilla Holidays are for hands-on sailors who prefer to travel in a larger group of other boats and with the security of a lead boat and skipper to help with navigation, weather assessments, route planning, daily anchoring and general boat or sailing questions.  Prices are slightly higher than a bareboat charter, but lower than a luxury crewed charter.

Who Is It For?

Flotilla holidays are ideal for those with a reasonable holiday budget, and who generally have some experience of sailing (although it's not always mandatory). It's perfect for a couple, or family with young children, or a group of friends travelling together, who are looking for some support whilst sailing and a relatively lively time in the evenings socialising with other boats and crews.  Some flotilla operators also offer 'per cabin' or 'per person' bookings which make them a possible option for single travellers. This will generally be on board the Lead boat.

What You Can Expect On Board

This is more of a DIY holiday option with the support of a Flotilla Lead Boat & Skipper. If you prefer, or if you have a low level of sailing experience, you can hire a skipper for your boat for the first couple of days to give you some tips & training for the rest of the week.

You can expect a daily breakfast meeting with your group leader to discuss the day's cruising itinerary, options for a lunch stop and planned overnight location, weather briefing, navigational hazards and such like.  Depending on the age of the boat fleet, you can expect a fairly high level of home comforts on board, with boats ranging in size from 32 to around 45 feet.  Flotillas tend to be exclusively sailing monohulls in order to minimise the congestion at smaller anchorages or marinas.  Depending on the size of the boat, you may have to share toilet facilities, and perhaps a cabin.

There tends to be a fairly lively inter-boat social side in the evenings which can be a boon to parents with young children or teens.

Seafarer Sailing, Antigua

Where You Can Cruise

Your cruising range takes into account the sailing abilities of all the group, and tends to be in the range of 20 to 40 nautical miles per day.  There may be some flexibility in routes from day to day, but the group leader needs to keep to a schedule so as to get everyone home again at the end of their holiday.  Expect to fly into and sail out of one of the larger yachting centres such as BVI's or Martinique, although many of the Caribbean islands have small bareboat charter fleets which may offer a flotilla option.

What's Included*

• Bedding & possibly a "welcome pack" of groceries
• Use of on-board equipment
• Lead boat assistance as needed

What's Not Included*

• Provisioning – food and drink costs
• Fuel (this may be included if the yacht doesn’t make long voyages)
• Berthing costs
• Other costs such as island tours and travel to and from the boat

Estimated Cost Per Head*

Flotilla companies are likely to accept bookings per cabin or per person; typical costs per week are as follows:


Charter = 1,250
Skipper = 300 (150 per day)
Food & Drink = 250
Travelling = 100
Berthing = 100
Fuel = 150
Gratuity (if crew used) = 50

TOTAL = US $2,200

Sunsail Tortola, BVI

Other Points to Note

This type of holiday isn't for everyone as there is limited opportunity for escaping the crowd and doing your own thing.  Itineraries tend to follow an established bareboat/flotilla route, and the needs of a larger group of boats mean that anchorages are rarely quiet!

How to Book

Bookings for Flotilla  sailing holidays are made directly with the operators. They all have a website. When comparing a flotilla company, remember that Moorings/Sunsail/Footloose are all part of one big company with a slightly different appeal/focus depending on which you choose.

Examples of Flotilla Orgainsers offering this type of holiday include:

Sunsail
Seafarer Sailing
Sunscape Yachting

* = Actual costs & inclusions/exclusions depends on your charter contract


Not what you're looking for?  See also:

Luxury Crewed Charter
Freelance Charter - Skippered or Crewed
Bareboat Charter
Sailing School Holiday

Yacht Ibis offers adventure sailing holidays with relaxed tuition for singles, couples or groups & families of up to 5 people.  You can book a single berth or the whole boat and your Captain, Samantha Bartlett can teach the RYA syllabus to Day Skipper Level or ASA to Basic Coastal Cruising standards.