Not for Cruise Ship Enthusiasts

If you really love the idea of sharing your floating island with a thousand other people; if your idea of heaven is having 30 different restaurants to choose from each night; if island hopping bliss is another boardwalk of tourist shops, or if an active, healthy holiday to you means strolling along the deck while your meal goes down, then you’d better not bother reading any further!

Our epic sailing holiday from Grenada to St Martin is a full throttle, all action surf through a dozen countries and even more islands in as many days, and we won’t be stopping at any cruise liner haunts.

There's No Room For Large Groups

We only take a maximum of 5 guests on board (although Ibis can sleep 8 comfortably).  This means that you won’t be able to share your adventure with hundreds of other passengers; there will be no mass coach tours to manufactured attractions; you won’t be able to waste your time hunting for a place to be alone, nor will you make any new friends standing in the queue for the buffet.  There’s no swimming pool on board so you won’t be able to swim in a chlorinated pool half filled with wee.

Instead, you’ll spend time with a small group of people who share a common interest, who have a similar sense of adventure as you, and who are just as keen to avoid the mainstream tourist trail.  You’ll be more likely to make friends with the island locals than people from your own culture, and there are endless places to find wide open space and beautiful views all to yourself.  When you fancy a swim, you’ll have to dive into the bluest waters and share your experience with a zillion fish and occasionally turtles.

There's No Choice of Restaurants On Board

We only have a small galley on board, so you won’t be able to choose from a plethora of westernised restaurants each mealtime.  Instead, you’ll help prepare the freshest local ingredients in a fusion of healthy cooking styles, from Thai to Italian & Moroccan; throw exclusive barbeques on deserted beaches and eat ashore in local restaurants from time to time.  You might even catch your own fish for dinner, and learn how to clean it too!

No Lounging About & No Sleeping All Night

We will be island hopping, but you won’t be able to laze about on a sun-lounger whilst we travel.  You will be expected to pull some ropes, help with the sails, do some steering, and participate in the navigation.  When we’re night sailing, you may be left alone to steer Ibis through the blackness under a carpet of stars and using the moon to light you; you might very well have a dolphin swimming alongside you while you steer, but if you’re on watch, you won’t be able to go to your bunk when you feel like it.

However, when we arrive somewhere, you will have time to catch a few rays on deck, float around on the lilo, explore pristine reefs with a mask & snorkel, or just chill out with a Gin & Tonic watching the incredible Caribbean sunsets.

No Organised Tours

When we arrive, there won’t be a tour bus waiting to whisk you off; you’ll decide which parts of the island you want to explore and we’ll find a way of making it happen….with local help usually!

No Tacky Souvenirs

You won’t go home with a suitcase load of tat from the tourist shops, but you will take back hundreds of amazing pictures and a whole heap of extra special memories that really will last a lifetime.

So if you have the stamina, ambition and energy to spend 12 days aboard, sailing 350 miles in perfect trade winds on a proper world cruising boat.…you know what to do!

Click here for the lowdown on this amazing sailing holiday through the real Caribbean, and then contact Sam on Yacht Ibis to book your place.  Last spaces remaining so don’t miss the boat!

Yacht Ibis operates adventure sailing trips throughout the Windward & Leeward Islands between November and June.
Some of the photos above were taken on this same trip coming South last June; go to our Ships Log for more.