Catamaran charter Jolly Harbour

Catamaran charter Jolly Harbour

On a Jolly Harbour catamaran charter with Borrow a Boat you can explore Antigua and the Windward Islands within an easy sail. Whatever you want from an Antigua yacht charter, from its beautiful beaches and excellent food to its fun resorts, a catamaran charter Jolly Harbour is going to be an unforgettable experience.

Jolly Harbour is a west coast resort town with shops, retaurants and villas. On your Antigua yacht charter from Jolly Harbour you will likely join your charter yacht at Jolly Harbour Marina which has 150 berths for yachts and private yachts up to 50m LOA.

Just to the south of Jolly Harbour is one of the best beaches on Antigua, Darkwood Beach. Darkwood Beach is a sandbar that protects a lagoon, and at over 300 metres long provides ample space to relax without being too crowded.

Close to Darkwood Beach yet a little further south down the Antiguan west coast is another natural jewel - Cades Reef. Widely held to be among the best reefs in Antigua, Cades Reef is a coral reef where you can go snorkelling among colorful tropical fish. There are a number of crewed catamaran charters from Jolly Harbour Marina offering day trips for people to enjoy the reef.

Jolly Harbour Catamaran Sailing Area

English Harbour and Nelsons Dockyard

On the south coast of the Eastern Caribbean island, and one of the biggest sailing capitals on the Caribbean Sea, English Harbour and neighbouring Falmouth Harbour are home to Antigua Sailing Week. If you can make it in late April, Antigua Sailing Week, hosted by Antigua Yacht Club, is one of the best yacht racing events held on the Caribbean.

English Harbour Antigua has more to offer than just boats! Nelsons Dockyard is famed for its boutiques and restaurants, as well as the stunning views if you climb the heights behind English Harbour. Nelsons Dockyard's namesake Horatio Nelson wasn't too fond of the planters he was sent to protect, but even so the locals have taken him to heart thanks to his later fame as the hero of Trafalgar.

Whether into the history, natural beauty or modern day entertainments to be had, this is all well worth a stop on your Caribbean yacht charter.

East Coast

Heading north up the east coast from Falmouth Harbour you will soon enjoy the towns and islands of this part of the world. Just west of Freetown is Green Island, an uninhabited islet that is very popular for its beaches and lush forest.

Further north you will find Great Bird Island. While it has beaches that many come to enjoy, Great Bird Island has a population of Antigua Racer snakes that are only found on this small island. At different times of the year you may also see Tropic Birds and even Man 'o' War birds that nest here too.

North Coast and St John's

The capital, St John's has a lot to offer, from museums to shopping and restaurants. If the colonial history of the island appeals you can see the old British forts and at least two devoted to slavery on the island - well worth a visit to understand the truth of the history here.

Heading out of St John's back towards Jolly Harbour on your Caribbean yacht charter you should take a pause at Deep Bay. Home to one of the better beaches on Antigua, it is also overlooked by Fort Barrington. Climbing the hillside to Fort Barrington offers great views from the fort built to protect British interests in the 18th Century.

You can't talk about Antigua without mentioning its beaches! Dickenson Bay near St John's is among the most popular beaches in the entire Caribbean, though it can be a victim of its own success thanks to the crowds. Near Jolly Harbor on the west coast is Hermitage Bay - almost as beautiful as Dickenson Bay but far quieter!

On your luxury yacht charter you may want to relax at one of the finer resorts here too. Among these are Nonsuch Bay, Rendezvous Bay near English Harbour and Carlisle Bay. Both are a chance to relax with your significant other or family to soak up the Caribbean in all its relaxed beauty.

Caribbean Islands Nearby

On your Antigua crewed yacht charter or bareboat charter you may wish to explore other islands on the Caribbean Sea. Barbuda is part of the same country as Antigua and you can hit places like Low Bay - a quieter and beautiful version of Hermitage Bay as you go.

Heading up the Leeward Island section of the Caribbean you can sail on to St Martin, St Barth and even to the British Virgin Island chain - the Virgin Islands are at least as much fun for sailing types as Antigua!

Heading down the Windward islands you can reach St Lucia, the French Antilles and St Vincent on your Antigua yacht charter too. St Vincent has recently been enouraging sailing tourism after its volcanic eruption destroyed much of the tourism economy.

Book your Jolly Harbour boat rental with Borrow a Boat today!

Crewed Catamaran Charters from Jolly Harbour

You don't need to worry about being an experienced sailor or even sailing the boat out of Jolly Harbour with Borrow a Boat! A Jolly Harbour crewed charter (private charter) on a motor yacht or sailing catamaran luxury yacht can mean you do as much or as little physically sailing the yacht as you like on your yacht charter holiday.

A skippered yacht charter will mean that the catamaran company’s skipper will be aboard with their own cabin to attend to all your needs. A crewed yacht charter will involve one or two crew on the boat trip who will cook, sail and make suggestions as to your best destinations on your sailing itinerary. With their local knowledge, even if you’re an experienced sailor you can enjoy a perfect yacht charter holiday.

One of the advantages of a crewed yacht charter sailing holiday on crewed yachts is that you can go longer distances from the yacht charter base. A longer run to another Leeward island such as the British Virgin Island of Tortola is possible on an English Harbour crewed catamaran charter.

As to you? You can just enjoy the breezes and views on your luxury catamaran, or if you fancy learning a bit about sailing, help the skipper or crew to get the boat from A-B.

An Antigua crewed yacht charter will cost a little more (typically €150 a day for a skipper and €100 per crew member) and it’s the done thing to thank them with a tip at the end of the week.

Bareboat Catamaran Charter From Jolly Harbour

A bareboat catamaran charter holiday will mean that you can take the charter yacht out on your own. Generally for vessels up to 20 metres LOA on a sailing license such as an RYA Day Skipper or ASA 104 Bareboat certificate, you will have total responsibility for the yacht.

You will need to think about your sailing itinerary, victualling, possible secondary ports should a marina be full, as well as issues like weather and mooring fees.

On a bareboat charter you will be asked to pay for insurance in the form of a security deposit to the charter companies on departure or through buying charter insurance before you leave the yacht charter base on your sailing trip.

Types of Catamarans Available For Rent Or Charter In Jolly Harbour:

When searching a geographical area on Borrow A Boat you can filter by the below charter yacht types. There is also the option to further filter your searches by price, the number of guests, cabins or bathrooms, what year the catamaran was launched, the boat length and the boat manufacturer.

Sailing Catamaran: Luxury catamarans are stable and spacious type of sailing yacht charter, with quick sailing performance, and and have been gaining in popularity in recent years. Better for larger groups, these sailing yachts have lots of room for water toys such as a paddleboard or even jet ski, and are big enough for a little privacy. A catamaran luxury yacht charter is easy and comfortable for novices not used to heeling and are loved by families due to their extra space when compared to a monohull sailing yacht. Typically far more luxurious than a monohull sailboat boat charter, the larger catamarans have en suite toilets and showers in the cabin as well as ample entertaining space in the saloon and on deck.

Motor Catamaran: These power catamaran motor yachts are relatively new but have also been gaining in popularity as the two hulls keep the boat more stable when compared to a monohull. The wider beam of these motor yacht also mean more deck space and as they don’t have sails or a mast, they have a lot more space on deck than a sailingcatamaran rental or monohull. For a luxury catamaran charter, consider taking a crewed catamaran charter sailingvacation with an experienced skipper.

Jolly Harbour Catamaran Sailing Itineraries

On your Jolly Harbour crewed catamaran charter or bareboat charter you can explore Antigua and even as far as the British Virgin Islands. Here we suggest a 7 day sailing trip and a 14 day yacht charter holiday on your charter yacht:

7 Days - Round Antigua: Leaving Jolly Harbour Marina you pass the Cades Reef coral reef - do drop anchor here for an afternoon’s snorkelling. Your next destination is a choice of Falmouth Harbour or English Harbour - explore Nelsons Dockyard and the fort high on the hillside between. North now, perhaps mooring off Freetown and or Green Island, before sailing onward to Great Bird Island for an afternoon, and staying at Long Island for the evening. St John’s will be your next evening ashore and perhaps after a short sail, Deep Bay to enjoy the beach and nearby Fort Barrington. Back to the charter base at Jolly Harbour.

14 Days - British Virgin Islands: This perhaps better done as part of an Antigua crewed yacht charter. Sailing to islands such as nearby Montserrat, St Kitt’s, St Barth’s and St Martin you will eventually end up at the British Virgin Island of Virgin Gorda. From here, enjoy a few days among these Leeward Islands and then island hop back down to Antigua on your Caribbean yacht charter.

Do You Need A Sailing License To Charter A Catamaran In Jolly Harbour?

If you are on a skippered catamaran charter you do not need a license to sail out of Jolly Harbour, you can just turn up at the marina and go.

You do need a sailing license if you are on a bareboat catamaran charter and in some countries such as Greece a day skipper or ICC may not be enough for boats over 45 feet in length, you will need to check with the charter agent but here are some examples of typical sailing qualifications that will allow you to charter in most countries:

International Certificate of Competence: This is issued on request by your European sailing authority and you should automatically qualify with certain national sailing qualifications.

RYA Qualifications: If you have the following qualifications you will typically be able to take a bareboat charter out of Jolly Harbour (but it is worth checking as per above), these include Day Skipper (sail or motor endorsement), Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster.

American Sailing Association (ASA): The ASA 104 Bareboat certificate is commonly accepted but also check as per above

US Sailing: The International Proficiency Certificate is widely accepted and The Bareboat Cruising Certificate is also accepted in many cases.