One of the initial worries that new sailing cruisers have is tackling their first overnight sailing trip. Our recommendation is to either sign up for a few night sailing experiences or, if you already have a boat, hire a professional skipper that can join you on a long voyage or two. Sailing at night can be exhilarating but it can also be stressful and scary if you’ve never done it before.
It’s comforting to know if things are going as they should or not. You just don’t know what you don’t know!
Over the past few years, we’ve had a few of our Britican Experience guests request long passages including overnight sailing. Jon and Jennifer, for example, did sailing charters for years. They were confident about sailing a boat but didn’t know if they could handle a long, overnight sailing trip. We arranged to take them from Grenada to Antigua, a 48-hour non-stop voyage.
One of the things they wanted to know is if they got seasick, could they recover and be able to sail the boat in the meantime.
Of course, they also wanted to grasp the whole concept of what it’s like to sail in the dark too. By joining us for the overnight sailing voyage they were able to gain greater confidence and better set their expectations. To read more about Jon and Jennifer’s experience check out A Long Passage.
More recently, we’ve had a lovely guest join us that was interested in a long passage with an overnight sailing trip. Considering that our guest, Bob, has his own boat and is experienced in sailing we felt comfortable asking him to join us for our sail south for hurricane season. Bob’s intention is to eventually sail further afield with his own boat. Prior to doing so, he wanted to get experience with us so that when he heads out for his first overnight sailing trip, on his own boat, he’s prepared.
Below is the video footage I took showcasing our Britican Experience with Bob. It demonstrates how we prepared for the voyage, what paperwork/hoops we had to go through to leave a country and enter another, the islands we passed, sailing conditions – good and bad, squalls, sailing at night, passage planning, and what we got up to during the sailing passage.
Overnight Sailing Trip Two Day Sailing Passage Video
Overall, the passage was perfect. It wasn’t perfect in the sense that it was easy sailing. It was ideal because it wasn’t easy sailing. Bob got a very realistic example of what passages are like. They’re usually good and bad, comfortable and not comfortable. Doing night watches, trying to sleep on what feels like a bucking bronco, and even going to the bathroom can be challenging.
But then there are the deep yellow sunsets, navy blue expanse for 360 degrees, the smell of fresh sea air, flying fish in every direction, clear nights for stargazing, and the awesome feeling of getting somewhere under the free power of nature.
Interested in joining us on Britican? Our calendar fills up fast. Get more information here: Liveaboard Sailing Experience
Any thoughts or questions about our overnight sailing trip video?
Please leave them below.
Other Articles/Videos You Might Like?
- Passage Planning – 7 Steps Checklist
- How to Provision and Prepare your Boat for Passage – Video
- 12 Non-Essentials for Long Passage Sailing
- Sailing to Bermuda Video – The 5 Day Passage