This tour is once again very characteristic of all tours designed by Eli Fuller. Like The Eco Tour and The Xtreme Circumnav, The Antigua Classic Yacht has themes of history, ecology and adventure. This one takes you deeper into the historical experience by leaving you with first hand knowledge of what goes into building one of these magnificent vessels. The classic design of the sailing vessel has been maintained by passionate boat builders since the design was born on the Island of Carriacou back in the early 1800s. At that time Scottish boat builders were brought in by plantation owners to build very fast freight carriers to help the plantations on these small islands maintain trade with the larger islands. Believe it or not the same boats are being built using the same tradition and expertise today. Built on the beach with local wood cut from local forests by local descendants who helped build the original boats, these fast work boats can be found in small numbers across the Caribbean fishing, carrying freight, smuggling, doing charters and most particularly racing! We had our Carriacou Sloop, The Ocean Nomad built in the Grenadines on the island of Carriacou being very careful to observe all traditions and designs. We launched her in April of 2008 and very quickly got her ready enough to compete in the famous Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta later that month.
Since then she has been properly finished to a standard that can be offered to day sailing guests. Our tour is very simple and enjoyable for all ages and levels of experience. You join the Ocean Nomad on the West Coast and sail on a straight reach to Cades Reef where we will snorkel in the clear waters there. From Cades it will be a short motor sail up to the beautiful Carlisle Bay where we will have a delicious Adventure Antigua lunch and watch the turtles which are very common there. After lunch you can relax under the shade of the awning or have a gentle swim while the crew prepares the boat for the leisurely afternoon sail back down to the West coast. On this unique cruise you can decide how much you would like to take part in sailing this classic vessel.
We will teach you the basics of sailing as well as give you info about how this historical vessel was built. There are three areas we sail through where you will see turtles and one spot has huge adult green turtles coming up for air in between feeding on the grass below. Private charters and day sailing excursions are available to residents, hotel and cruise ship guests.
Snorkeling gear, food and drinks are provided. If you would like to book either a private charter or a regular day sailing trip please use the “book now” link above or click on this link. Usually if you fill in your details on our Adventure Antigua booking form we will be able to send you all the info that you will need to confirm your booking including pick up times and details as well as payment info.
