Going on a warm vacation during the winter months provides a delightful escape from the chilly weather and a chance to bask in the sun’s warm embrace. From exotic Caribbean islands like BVI, USVI and the Bahamas to tropical paradises in Seychelles or Thailand, warm vacations in winter provide the perfect opportunity to soak up the sun, unwind, and create treasured memories in stunning destinations that feel like a blissful escape from the winter chill.
How do i choose an exotic winter sailing trip?
WeAreYachting.com has more than 1500 yachts available to charter in different exotic destinations. Thru our concierge service you can plan your vacation based on reliable information about the weather, flights there, if it is nice to spend a few days after the sailing trip on land, what yacht you should charter. If you do not have a sailing license or you are not confident enough to sail a new yacht in a new area, we can add to your bookin a professional skipper with local experience.
What is different in exotic places compared to the med?
- weather conditions: choose the time of year with least rain conditions and least strong winds, or even worse, hurricanes.
- currents and tide: in the med the tide is pretty small (20-30 cm) so not really important. But once you go to an exotic destination, usually they are more exposed to open sea so the currents can be stronger and the tide can be pretty important. If in the BVI the tide is pretty small (average 30 cm), in Seychelles tide can vary by 1.5m, so it is really important to check the tide table and to anchor in a good holding taking tide into consideration.
- corals: all exotic destinations have a lot of coral and sailing thru narrow coral channels can be very difficult. Always have someone on the boat double check the position in regards to the coral, do not trust only the gps map as position might be a little different. Better safe than sorry 🙂 In the Bahamas you have to go around many reefs, but that’s the fun of it, as after navigating around them, you can do snorkeling in the gorgeous area.
- night sailing: in most exotic places night navigation is forbidden. Nagivation lights and marks are missing, reefs and other underwater rocks are not marked, so basically you are not able to see them at all. Visibility thru the water for corals is almost 0 so chances to run aground on a reef are pretty high. Be careful and plan your days properly as night falls a lot earlier in those exotic places.
When is the best time to go?
The BVI’s and USVI’s and many of the other Caribbean destinations have mild weather starting mid November till May. There will be a little more rain till mid January, but it is tropical warm rain and it is only for max 30 mins per day. The rest of time there is the tropical season that can bring lots of rain and strong storms and even hurricanes.
In Seychelles there is no strong tropical season, so basically it is open all year long. But of course there are months when there is more rain and stronger wind. From May to October is Southwest monsoon which brings stronger winds and more rain. And from November to April is the Northwest monsoon with milder conditions.
French Polynesia is similar to Seychelles, offering good conditions all around the year. From November to April you will get warmer and more humid days, with a little cooler and dry for the rest of the year. Thailand too, it’s ok any time of the year, with the driest time being from December to April.
We recommend you to charter a catamaran.
Unless you are a keen sailor on mono hauls with significant experience, we recommend you to charter a catamaran in this exotic winter sailing vacation. It will provide you a lot more comfort and it will really feel like a vacation you deserved. You will spend a lot of time outside, there are lots of sunbathing spots for the “lizards” in your family, and the most important thing is the draft (drought) of the catamaran (1-1.5m) which can be a lot smaller than a sail boat and help you navigate easier thru the reefs :).
In any of the paradises you will spend your vacation, make sure you will wear a lot of sun cream, as the sun is a lot more powerful in those areas. And because of so many coral reefs, the security deposit insurance sounds always like a good option.
Search for a yacht in any of those destinations BVI’s, USV’s, Grenadine, St Lucia, Seychelles, Thailand, Malaysia, French Polynesia, Bahamas and let us help you decide which one will be more convenient for your needs, build the itinerary and arrange all paper work for you.
