Man that was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It blew 20-25 every day except monday (30-35) I was very impressed with myself for sailing a radial in that since I onlyn weigh 140lbs.Anyone even considering a vacatiuon got to Sunsail on antigua. It is a great facility and any sailor would love it. They will let you go sailing in anything, have lots of great boats and dont mind if you break them, they lost 2 sails (trash) and a mast (sheared at the joint) during one day and didn't mind! I am telling you, I don't care how good you are the locals are some of the best heavy air sailors I have evermet. They will teach you something. Finally, there is great wondsurfing instruction there and the employees are downright amazing. Oh yeah, and for parentsthey havea babysitting program for no charge.
Just got back from Antigua
- Thread starter Ballywho
- Start date
Cindy Taylor
Member
With all that wind, how protected were the waters where you sailed? From looking at the web site for the sailing center it looks like the ocean is close by and that the protected area is sorta on the small size. I like sailing in breeze with my radial sail but I have not done so with large waves. I've always been in a protected area.
BTW, have you been to Bitter End Yacht Club? That's another all inclusive resort for sailors. It is in the British Virgin Islands in the protected North Sound.
BTW, have you been to Bitter End Yacht Club? That's another all inclusive resort for sailors. It is in the British Virgin Islands in the protected North Sound.
144679
New Member
i spent nealy 3 weeks in the BVI's Bitter End Yacht club is great, the baths, further south on virgin gorda are amazing, norman island is great as well, if any ones ever been to the "william Thornton" in the harbour they will know why 
the island of anegada, 13 miles north of bitter end has 500 known ship recks around it. theres some great sorkling especially around the north of the island
i could talk about BVI all day, what an amazing place,
the island of anegada, 13 miles north of bitter end has 500 known ship recks around it. theres some great sorkling especially around the north of the island
i could talk about BVI all day, what an amazing place,
man that sucks, my ols reply got deleted!!!!
Ok here we go again,
the protected area was pretty big 1km out and 2kms across.
Yeah I've been to the bitterend but sunsail was much better and MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper.
The bitter end wouldn't let me out in the kinds of winds these guys did. Also they didn't have any REALLY FAST boats like sunsail. Sunsail had hobies(Iknow i know)29er'sand all kinds of fast boats. Also all of the boats at bitter end were in badshape compared to sunsail and b e boats were modified to go slower notr faster.
Finally all of trhe instructors were absolutley awesome people. And they remionded me of me. On the windiest day one if them, ed I think, took a radial rig and put it on a funboat (a training boat about as fast as a chunk of styrofoam) and I finally saw the boats potential.
If any of the people there read this, thanks again J, louise, spliff, tanner, ed, everybody!!!!
Ok here we go again,
the protected area was pretty big 1km out and 2kms across.
Yeah I've been to the bitterend but sunsail was much better and MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper.
The bitter end wouldn't let me out in the kinds of winds these guys did. Also they didn't have any REALLY FAST boats like sunsail. Sunsail had hobies(Iknow i know)29er'sand all kinds of fast boats. Also all of the boats at bitter end were in badshape compared to sunsail and b e boats were modified to go slower notr faster.
Finally all of trhe instructors were absolutley awesome people. And they remionded me of me. On the windiest day one if them, ed I think, took a radial rig and put it on a funboat (a training boat about as fast as a chunk of styrofoam) and I finally saw the boats potential
.If any of the people there read this, thanks again J, louise, spliff, tanner, ed, everybody!!!!
Cindy Taylor said:With all that wind, how protected were the waters where you sailed? From looking at the web site for the sailing center it looks like the ocean is close by and that the protected area is sorta on the small size. I like sailing in breeze with my radial sail but I have not done so with large waves. I've always been in a protected area.
Sunsail/Antigua is a great and safe place for sailing all kinds of boats (beginners to fancy skiffs) and windsurfers, even though you are truly out on the Atlantic. Typically, there will be two to four rescue boats on the water and they will be on the lookout to help. Even when you right your Laser (or whatever) yourself, they will stop by to check on you. However, when I was there in late January/early February this year, the winds were a bit untypical, 5-15 mph although we had a glorious race day (on Thursday) with white caps and a LOT of excitement
PS: Sunsail has their US office in Annapolis but most of the guests come from Great Britain.
They let almost anyone out if they said they could handel it. I was a little overconfident on my first day and took out a full rig in15-20 and I couldn't handel it so I camein got a radial and went back out. And yes most of the guests are brits.
Wavedancer, who was working there when you went? Colin and J would let us out in anything. Louise would look at you skeptically but let you.
Wavedancer, who was working there when you went? Colin and J would let us out in anything. Louise would look at you skeptically but let you.
Cindy Taylor
Member
I'll have to put this resort on my "must go to" list. Thanks for the report!
As far as Bitter End goes, they did get new lasers last year but they do use resort sails. These sails do not have battens and feel almost like a radial sail to me. Some people actually bring their own full sail since it fits on the spars. One time my husband and I convinced the staff that we were good dingy sailors and could handle the Vangaurd 15 in about 20 - 25 mph winds. Well, after the second capsize it was taken from us. It was the first time we had attempted a boat like that. We have gotten much better since then
.
As far as Bitter End goes, they did get new lasers last year but they do use resort sails. These sails do not have battens and feel almost like a radial sail to me. Some people actually bring their own full sail since it fits on the spars. One time my husband and I convinced the staff that we were good dingy sailors and could handle the Vangaurd 15 in about 20 - 25 mph winds. Well, after the second capsize it was taken from us. It was the first time we had attempted a boat like that. We have gotten much better since then
.Lasersail2
New Member
I would highly, highly recommend the sunsail resort, especially as a junior sailor. I had the oppurtunity to vacation there when I was 14 (18 now) and It was an awesome week. As a junior sailor from northern Ohio it was great to be sailing in shorts in the middle of march and to get a chance to try a variety of different boats. The staff was especially helpful, one of the instructors even took me out on one of the Spice skiffs when it was nice and windy. I'm pretty sure we hit over 20 knots double-trapezing which was pretty sweet from a 14 year old point of view. Also, the British guests were so much fun to be around. I crewed for an English guy on one of the race days and hung out with the other British kids all week, great experience. Would highly reccomend this resort.