All Activities On Board Luxury Catamaran Cruising Boat

During your stay aboard any of the superbly equipped vessels in either our Luxury Crewed British Virgin Island and Luxury Crewed Spanish Balearic fleet of catamarans, your day can be filled with as many leisure activities as you like.

Anchored close to shore in a bay of your choice, participating in a multitude of water sports and other leisure activities is a pleasure due to easy access of the water from the dive platform at the stern of our catamarans. Water sports and equipment are included in our luxury crewed packages while your charter coordinator will gladly assist you in securing equipment available on the island to round off your BareBoat vacation.

Each of the vessels has their own professional full-time crew aboard, comprised of a Skipper and a Chef. They not only take care of the vessel but also tend to your every need. You can plan all-inclusive vacation arrangement allows you to select your preferences by way of a preference sheet well in advance of your arrival. This way your crew is able to prepare not only scrumptious meals to suit your taste, but also plan your days aboard to fit in as many activities as you would like. Whether you wish to enjoy the privacy of your own vessel as a honeymoon couple, a family or group of friends we are able to accommodate your wish. We have deliberately equipped each of our vessels to the same standards making our fleet ideally suited to accommodate larger parties such as management training or incentive groups, when vessels can sail together (or even a friendly race?) to explore the islands or raft up in a bay.

Working as an expert in voyage charter would certainly like to spend some time to advice and provide tips on choosing affordable charter company, technically best suited crewed catamaran boats.

Learning to sail the USA way

The syllabus can be readily divided into two parts. The Keelboat Sailing Certification Program is made up of seven stages while Small Boat Sailing Program contains a further two stages.

The Basic Small Boat Sailing Standard requires no previous experience or qualifications. It is the first course in the Small Boat Sailing Program. Students must demonstrate a theoretical knowledge of the names and functions of various parts of a boat together with common sailing terms, the sail and its ancillary components, the International Rules for Collision Prevention both at sea and on inland waters and hey should demonstrate a basic knowledge of safety procedures. On the practical side they must show they can tread water for 5 minutes and swim 100 metres, rig, launch and retrieve the boat, set and trim the sails, sail both upwind and downwind, tack and gybe, correctly apply the rules of the road, recover a man overboard, recover from a capsize, accept and pass a towline, tie four specified Knots within a given time. Upon completion he or she will be able to sail a centerboard or multihull sailboat in light to moderate winds and sea conditions in familiar waters.

The first course in the Keelboat Sailing Certification Program is known as Basic Keelboat. No experience or qualifications are necessary. To complete the course students will be required to demonstrate that they can put a name to and describe the workings of various parts of a boat including the hull, keel, deck bow and stern. The components of both the running and standing rigging. The different sails including the names of part of a sail - foot, leech, luff, head, tack and clew. The various spars, mast and boom. They will be familiar with sailing terminology used to describe various manoeuvres such as gybing and coming about. Students will understand the points of sail be it close hauled, reaching or running. They will understand the basics of collision avoidance including rules of the road. They will demonstrate they are familiar with regulations covering registration and identification, proper waste disposal, who to notify in the event of an accident and what safety equipment is requires by law to be carried on a vessel and how it is used. They will be able to demonstrate a knowledge of buoyage Participants will know how to anchor a boat and describe the choice of anchors and their attributes and failings. On the practical side they must demonstrate sail handling skills, they will display competence at the helm including mooring, sailing both upwind and downwind together with a successful tack and gybe. They will complete a successful man overboard recovery. They will show they know how to tie 6 different knots and understand their various uses. Upon completion of the course students should be able to sail a boat of some 20 feet in length in moderate winds in familiar waters.

The second stage is called Basic Coastal Cruising and students must hold the Basic Keelboat Sailing Certificate prior to undertaking this course. The course looks at safety on board including equipment and procedures. An understanding of fire prevention and fighting is required. Students will be required to demonstrate a knowledge of first aid and the treatment of hypothermia. Basic meteorology is considered and students must demonstrate an understanding of shipping forecasts. An understanding of the relationship between the skipper and crew and the respective duties of each is required. Students must be able to undertake basic chartwork including depths; types of bottom, hazards, bouys, beacons and lights. The practical side of this course looks at boat handling under power and sail, man overboard recovery, the various points of sail, reefing and heaving to, docking and mooring and some knot work. When completed the sailor should be able to cruise safely in regional waters on a sailboat of up to 30 feet in length, in moderate winds and sea conditions.

Trailerable Multihull Standard, this course is the second in the Small Boat Sailing Program. It may be taught as part of or following the Basic Coastal Cruising course. Completion of the Basic Keelboat is a prerequisite prior to taking this course. On the theory side students must be able to identify and name the various parts of a multihull that are not found on a monohull including the different wing decks, hulls, cross arms, three point rig, bridle line, safety nets, seagull and dolphin strikers. They will be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of multihulls including, performance, comfort safety and the danger of capsize. On the practical side the sailor will demonstrate: how to cast of and leave the quay with at least two different wind directions relative to the bow and then return and berth alongside, pick up a mooring buoy, manoeuvre in a restricted space, reverse, recover a man overboard, the different points of sail, tacking and gybing, sail a compass course within 10 degrees. They will anchor in the following ways, bow anchor and bridle and single bow with a stern line to the shore. When completed sailors are able to cruise safely in local and regional waters as both skipper and crew on an auxiliary multihull sailboat of up to 30 feet in length, in moderate wind and sea conditions.

Bareboat Chartering is the next stage. Participants are expected to hold the Basic Coastal Cruising Certificate before doing this course. The theory side covers the preparation of both crew and boat for a one week cruise including the preparation of a passage plan. Meteorology is considered including a look at fog and onshore and offshore winds. Seamanship is looked at and students should know what action is required if the engine fails, they should know how to anchor the boat bow or stern to. On the practical side the student will be able to undertake daily and weekly maintenance tasks, manoeuvre the boat under power in a restricted space, pick up a mooring buoy, use the VHF radio. The following navigational skills are required, plotting a course and establishing the compass heading and calculating an estimated time of arrival. Establishing a fix using visual bearing. Use a chart to pilot the boat into an unfamiliar harbour. Students must obtain and interpret a shipping forecast. When completed the individual can act as skipper of a boat up to 50 feet in length sailing by day in coastal waters.

The next stage is known as Coastal Navigation. This is a theory only course and no prior experience or knowledge is required. Students will be required to demonstrate knowledge of various State and Federal regulations pertaining to sailing. They must understand how the use navigational instruments including both steering and hand bearing compasses, binoculars, depth sounder, log, parallel rule and dividers. Participants must display an understanding of tide tables and their use when dealing with secondary ports. They should be able to convert bearings and compass courses between, compass, magnetic and true, plot a dead reckoning position, understand the effect of current and leeway when estimating a position and plot a position by two or more bearings, a running fix and a bearing and distance. Finally they will need to demonstrate a knowledge of buoyage and lights.

The Cruising Catamaran course deals exclusively with multihull sailing and concentrates on the differences a sailor finds as opposed to monohull sailing. Participants should have completed the Bareboat Chartering stage. On the theory side students must be able to identify and name the various parts of a multihull that are not found on a monohull including the different wing decks, hulls, cross arms, three point rig, bridle line, safety nets, seagull and dolphin strikers. They will be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of multihulls including, performance, comfort safety and the danger of capsize. On the practical side the sailor will demonstrate: how to cast of and leave the quay with at least two different wind directions relative to the bow and then return and berth alongside, pick up a mooring buoy, manoeuvre in a restricted space, reverse, recover a man overboard, the different points of sail, tacking and gybing, sail a compass course within 10 degrees. They will anchor in the following ways, two anchors of the bow or stern, bow anchor and bridle, single bow with a stern line to the shore and bow to fixed mooring. Upon completion the person can skipper a multihull sailboat of up to 50 foot in length by day in coastal waters.

Advanced Coastal Cruising follows and participants should have completed both the Bareboat Chartering and Coastal Navigation stages. Students will be required to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the theory of sailing, an understanding of meteorology including the various cloud formations and the weather that can be expected with each. They will understand the needs of heavy weather sailing, the necessary sail changes and the use of the correct safety equipment and procedures. They will be able to describe: how set a second anchor to reduce swinging, how to recover a fouled anchor, how to use a trip line and an anchor buoy and when and how to set an anchor watch. They will describe how to tow or be towed. They will have a knowledge of distress signals. Students will correctly describe the actions required in the following emergency situations: a dismasting, running aground on a lee shore and engine failure. Students will be able to carry out maintenance and repairs on the engine. On the water students must: sail on all points of the wind and tack and gybe in a wind of at least 15 knots, sail a compass course to within 10 degrees, carry out a man overboard recovery in darkness. They will demonstrate their ability to set, sail with including a gybe, douse and pack a spinnaker. And finally they will stand a navigation watch of 20 miles both at day and night. When completed a person can skipper a sailing vessel of up to 50 feet in length both during day and night in coastal waters regardless of weather and sea conditions.

The next stage is called Celestial Navigation. The course is theory based and requires no experience or prior qualifications. The student must be able to demonstrate the Celestial Navigation required to navigate a sailboat on an offshore passage. The successful student will have demonstrated their ability to: Convert longitude into time and standard time and zone time to GMT. They will be able to calculate: the zone time given longitude, the chronometer error given a previous error and the daily rate, the time of meridian passage of the sun and calculate the boat’s latitude from the observed meridian altitude of the sun, the times of sunrise, sunset and twilight, plot celestial lines of position on a Mercator projection or on a universal plotting sheet and the true bearing of a low altitude celestial body in order to determine the error and deviation of the compass. The student will be able to apply the corrections for index error, dip of the horizon, and total correction to convert sextant altitudes of the sun, stars, planets, and moon to true altitudes, determine the latitude at twilight by means of the Pole Star and the approximate azimuths and altitudes of the navigational stars and planets at twilight. In addition they will be capable of solving the navigational triangle using a navigation table and advance the LOP obtained from a sun sight to another LOP obtained from the sun at a later time and find the boat’s position using a running fix (sun-run-sun).

This celestial theory can be put into practice during the Offshore Passage Making course. Entrants should be certified to the Advanced Coastal Cruising level. The student will plan a passage across either the Pacific or North Atlantic using Great Circle Plotting Charts and Climatic Charts. They must show an understanding of the essential factors to be considered when selecting a vessel for an offshore ocean passage of at least 1000 miles including hull construction and shape, keel, rig, and rudder type, fuel and water capacity. They must provide a list of tools and spares required for such a voyage. They must victual the boat for four people on passage for seven days. They must list the items to be carried in the first aid kit and describe basic treatments for injuries and illnesses that may occur together with identifying a source of mare advanced medical information while on passage. They will prepare a watch keeping system and define the duties of crew members both on and off watch. They will design a maintenance plan to cover: Bilges, electronic equipment, fuel system, hatches, galley equipment, rigging, safety equipment sea cocks, steering and the water system. They will describe the procedures to be undertaken in the following emergency situations: abandon ship, dismasting, fire onboard, lightning strike, man overboard. A comprehensive knowledge of the International Regulation for Preventing Collision at Sea must be demonstrated. When the course is completed is the sailor cans skipper a sailing vessel on offshore passages in any weather.

Ken Jones runs a Sailing Site.
More information about ASA Sailing Courses can be found here
To find an ASA Sailing Course in your area visit the Marine Directory.

Cruising With Children – Cruise Tips & Answers To All Your Questions

Are there onboard activities for children on cruises? Absolutely! A very high percentage of those cruising are families. Here are cruise tips and cruise reviews on the cruise lines for your comparison.

Families with young children are welcomed and encouraged to cruise. In fact, certain cruise lines cater to young people, offering cartoon characters the whole family knows and loves! Many have special supervised programs and special menus, t-shirt and face painting, scavenger hunts, video game contests, film festivals, dance lessons, shore excursions and much more.

Children quickly adapt to shipboard life, and you will feel comfortable knowing where your children are and what they are doing. So come cruising with your family. You’ll find it to be a rewarding experience for everyone.

Cruising is a wonderful family experience where you can come together and still have separate activities during the day and night.

Families love cruising. Children’s programs, kid-friendly menus and tours of the ship will keep your children happy, while affording you some time alone.

On Cruise lines with full youth programs, parents can plan their vacation knowing they will be able to relax and enjoy themselves while their children are being well taken care of, making new friends, and having fun.

Carnival Cruise Lines: The Fun Ships feature play areas with spin- and sand-art machines, video walls for movies and cartoons, and at least three swimming pools and a water slide. Dining options include children’s menus and 24-hour pizza and ice cream. Babysitting services are available.

Celebrity Cruises: In a Family Cruising Program, kids are separated into four age groups for summer fun. Among the activities is Celebrity Science Journeys, a hands-on, age-appropriate program that encourages children to learn about science and nature.

Costa Cruises: Costa Kids Club offers scavenger hunts, Italian language lessons, “coketail” parties and karaoke. Costa Teens Club has activities for ages 15-17. Caribbean cruises offer “Parents Night Out,” where children are supervised during evening activities.

Crystal Cruises: On the Crystal Harmony’s 12-day Alaska cruises, children under the age of 12 sail free when sharing the stateroom with two adults. The Junior Activities program for summer cruises offers a playroom, teen video arcade, games and activities. The line’s Cotillion program teaches kids such social skills as dancing and etiquette.

Cunard Line: The Queen Mary 2 has children’s facilities for three age groups. Children’s Tea is served in the Kings Court. There is a children-only Minnows Splash Pool, Children’s Disco, ball pool and Xboxes in the Zone and Play Zone.

Disney Cruise Line: Children’s programs in five age groups include a kids-only pool, teen club and activities on Disney’s private island. Adults whose kids are involved in these programs can enjoy an adults-only pool, night time entertainment district, secluded beach with massage cabanas and a specialty Italian restaurant.

Holland America Line: The premium line is expanding Club HAL facilities on its entire fleet to match those on Vista ships; the project is set to be completed by 2006. Half Moon Cay, the line’s private island, offers such new features as a waterpark area for kids and adults.

Norwegian Cruise Line: The “Kid’s Crew” program has expanded hours and a year-round program for children ages 2-5. Kids 2-17 enjoy a four-tiered lineup of supervised parties, scavenger hunts, wacky cooking classes, tee-shirt painting and onshore activities.

Princess Cruises: California Science Center and National Wildlife Federation programming are part of the extensive kids’ program on Princess. Placemats feature children’s menu choices as well as interactive games and facts about the ship or destinations.

Radisson Seven Seas Cruises: A Club Mariner (ages 6-17) program is offered on many voyages including summer cruises on Seven Seas Voyager in the Baltic, Seven Seas Mariner in Alaska and Seven Seas Navigator in Bermuda.

Royal Caribbean International: The Mariner of the Seas offers more children’s options, among them the Challenger’s Arcade, scavenger hunts, sports tournaments and art and science workshops. Teenagers can hang out at The Fuel nightclub, The Living Room or The Back Deck private teen deck.

Following are some basic questions you should ask your travel agent and/or find out from the cruise line when selecting a cruise for a family with children:
1. Basics
a. What are the age restrictions for the cruise line?
b. Do my children’s ages qualify them for a discount?
c. Are the special activities and child care/teen center available at the time we wish to cruise?
d. Will my children find the ports of call interesting? If not, is there enough to keep them happy on the ship?
e. Are discounts available for a 3rd and/or 4th person in our cabin?
f. If there a special place or playroom dedicated for children? For teens?

2. Cabins
a. Are cribs and/or day beds or cots available to put in our room? If so, is there a rental fee?
b. Are adjoining cabins available?
c. How big are the cabins?
d. Are guardrails available for bunk beds?

3. Dining
a. Does the menu offer food my children will eat?
b. If not, are pizza and burgers and hot dogs and such available?
Is early seating available or does the ship have “open” seating so that web can eat at a time close to when the children normally dine?

4. Activities
a. What activities are planned for children?
b. Is there a children’s-only pool available on the ship?
c. Will there be special movies or live entertainment that children will enjoy?
d. Are there any shore excursions scheduled that are geared toward children?
e. Is there a babysitting service available? What Hours and how much?

5. Child Care Center or Teen Center
a. What are the requirements for placing a child in the center such as age, vaccinations, or potty training?
b. How are the children’s areas supervised? Is the teen center supervised?
c. What are the hours, costs, and restrictions on the centers?
d. What security methods are used when a child is picked up from the center?
e. What is the ratio of children to adult staff in the children’s center?

Answer these questions and you will be able to choose the Cruise Line that is right for you and your family.

Happy Cruising!

Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

About the Author
Mary Hanna has traveled the world by Air and Ship while writing eBooks, Software Reviews and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: www.CruiseGold.com www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com and www.CruisingTips.com or contact her at mhanna@cruisepublishing.com