Take a break from your normal life!
Experience a 10-day (2 1/2 week commitment) non-stop open ocean sailing adventure from St Martin to Rhode Island in a safe, solid, blue water 56′ Oyster Yacht – MAY 2022
Time for an Adventure?
A little over 10 years ago, I would dream of the day when I could sail out into the open ocean and forget my ‘normal’ life. Something about the sea and the sailing life called to me.
Eight years ago, I decided to say ‘no-more’ to the rat race. My wife and I sold our house, car, and all of our possessions. We purchased our sailboat, set sail, and haven’t looked back since. It was the best decision we ever made.
We’ve now covered over 40,000 nautical miles, have sailed the Mediterranian, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, enjoyed the Caribbean, and now we’re heading up to the States.
And we have a spot for you if you want to join us!
Here’s what my wife recently wrote about the reasons for doing a long sailing passage. See if they sound appealing to you…
1. Feeling Freedom
This is top of the list for many aspiring sailors. It’s the strong desire to feel free.
Once land is out of sight, and your surroundings are only differentiated by different shades of wide blue expanse, there is a definite sensation of infinite openness. As far as the eye can see there are no obstructions or distractions.
It’s you, the boat, the crew, and a journey propelled and supported by nature. There is no traffic, no news, no job, no controversy – only the soft sea wind on your face, the smell of salty fresh air, slicing sounds of waves lapping against the hull, and a wonderous feeling of infinite expanse.
Going on a long sailing passage doesn’t give you just a glimpse of freedom. It allows you to fully immerse yourself and bask in freedom.
2. Connection to Nature
Both swells and waves are fractal – A fractal is a pattern that the laws of nature repeat at different scales. I became fascinated years ago with fractals when I read an article about the artist, Pollock. His art is abstract, and people couldn’t figure out why it was so admired. Come to find out Pollock somehow tapped into painting fractals. As humans, we love looking at fractals. They make us feel relaxed and soothed!
I feel that being on a boat is being connected to nature in a unique and special way through fractals. I could have read it somewhere or perhaps I’m totally making this up, but not only do you spend time looking out at a fractal pattern for days (waves and swells), but you’re actually riding the fractal patterns! Visually and physically, you’re aligning with nature. How often does anyone do anything like that nowadays? Imagine the benefits of that?
Of course, there are sunsets, sunrises, moonlight, stars, planets, seabirds, dolphins, whales, fish, wind, weather, and sea too!
3. Experience
What will a long sailing passage provide in relation to experience? There are things like learning how to passage plan, understanding weather routing, trimming sails, handling squalls, seeing first-hand what a big open ocean is like, but these are just the small things.
The big experiences that you’ll walk away with include what it’s truly like to be self-sufficient, detached from the modern world, and respectfully vulnerable to Mother Nature. Most sailboat owners buy a boat with the dream of sailing it around the world. Only a very tiny percentage ever take their boat further than 100 miles. They dream of the day when they’ll untie the lines, sail into the sunset, and the day never comes. If they only had more experience perhaps?!
4. A Break from your Reality
Living in a house on land or on a boat in an anchorage, or a marina, or even doing daytime cruising is one reality. Doing a long passage is a very different reality. For seven to 30 days, you become a different person, with altered goals, to achieve the result of getting somewhere. There is no Internet, no TV, no news, no connection with the outside world, no going out, no running to the store, no changing your plans on what you’ll do for the day.
Instead, the long passage reality is one of observation, acceptance, patience, teamwork, nature’s forces and delights, survival, fundamentals of eating, sleeping, washing, and quiet peaceful freedom. There is nowhere to go other than where you’re headed. There is nothing to do other than make sure you’re safe and on course.
The benefits of living another reality are many – when you return to normal life you might find it more accommodating than originally thought. Taking a break from your reality gives you more clarity and perspective. A different reality will expand you and help you grow as a person – you’ll gain confidence, tenacity, patience, resilience, and many more qualities.
The lessons learned and the person you become by doing a long sailing passage are priceless. How do you think you would change? Who would you become? How would your life change from then on?
5. Gaining Wisdom (rather than knowledge)
Watching sailing videos, reading about cruiser adventures, and even this article will only give you knowledge about sailing and the incredible fulfillment it can provide. The impact on you is vicarious – you’re living life through someone else. You’re dreaming about what it might be like but not actually feeling it for yourself.
The benefit of gaining wisdom about sailing long passages is that you no longer will call yourself a dreamer or someone that doesn’t go for it. You’ll be able to call yourself a sailor.
“Knowledge, you may get from books but wisdom is trapped within you, release it.” Ismat Ahmed Shaikh
6. Awe at the Night Sky
The first time you look up during a clear night sail, especially if the moon is absent, you’ll feel an immense rush of wonderment and awe. Some people report feeling small and insignificant but a part of something big. Others say they feel deep respect, humility, and a never-felt-before connection with all that is. Witnessing the night sky from the middle of an ocean is breathtaking, heart-expanding, and one of the many magical miracles sailors get to experience. No movie, planetarium, virtual reality headset, or land-based sky-gazing can compare to the open ocean panorama of the night sky.
7. Comradery
How often do you get together with a group of people and spend most of your waking hours with them sharing, supporting, and getting to know them better? When on a long sailing passage your crew members become your family – oftentimes, it’s the family you wished you always had.
“The joy is in the getting there. The beginning years of starting your business, the camaraderie when you’re in the pit together, are the best years of your life. So rather than being so focused on when you get big and powerful, if you can just get the juice out of that…don’t miss it.” Barbara Corcoran.
Sailing a long passage is juicy. It’s going back to not being an expert, not knowing it all, and having to rely on yourself and your crew members to get something done.
8. Resilience
At times, long passage sailing is uncomfortable, exhausting, boring, and unpredictable. In modern life we can escape these feelings but what happens when we can’t escape them? What happens when we must endure and even examine them? After a long passage sailors gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be resilient. Interestingly, we don’t want to willingly invite uncomfortable circumstances but when they’re a part of the journey we can embrace them and grow from them.
9. Enjoying Small Pleasures
Distractions are vastly diminished when sailing in the open ocean. And although the voyage ends up becoming routinely filled with various tasks, it’s difficult to find a level of stimulation we’re accustomed to. That’s, of course, if the weather is good and everything is going fine.
The benefit of the early boredom experienced during the first part of the passage, however, is that things we take for granted become more visible. The best Snickers bar I ever had was when I snuck into our cabin halfway across the Atlantic Ocean and savored every bite.
Every meal we had for dinner was exquisite. Having a conversation with a crew member about nothing was blissful. Seeing a swallow land on our boat for a rest was captivating. Identifying planets was unrushed and savored. The things we normally don’t really pay much attention to become center stage and a level of appreciation grows inside for the smaller pleasures. Ironically, the boredom that leads to appreciating smaller things goes on to stay with you after the passage. It expands your general gratitude for life and I feel it makes you a happier person.
10. You get Somewhere Far Away
What about the more practical side of things? Completing a long sailing passage will enable you to break the 100-mile norm and actually see what it’s like to sail a long distance!
11. Confidence
After sailing day after day in one of the world’s most hostile environments, your confidence in knowing how to sail will increase dramatically. More importantly, your ability to feel comfortable with yourself on a passage will provide you with an inner glow. Once you have a long passage under your belt the sky, or shall I say ‘sea’, is your limit. And when I write ‘sea’ I mean all of them!
12. Teamwork
Completing a long sailing passage takes quite a bit of preparation and the efforts of many people. The crew must prepare by making the boat safe and ready, provision, make meals, discuss passage plan options, report weather forecasts, communicate roles and tasks, determine watch schedules, work together to change sails, have ‘all hands-on deck,’ for squalls or potential issues, cook, clean, share conversation and support each other.
The sense of teamwork you gain from a long passage is special – there’s no need for competition and no one can do something better or worse than another. It’s an equal playing field where everyone works together to keep each other safe, healthy, and in good spirits.
13. Humility
Becoming a sailor causes one to be humble. You learn how little control you have over anything yet at the same time are confounded at the way the Universe, sailing community, and your own resources enable you to adapt. Sailors go with the flow because they are humble.
They accept the situation, work with it, and carry on. A long sailing passage expedites the lessons on humility. Once out in the open ocean, you realize how small you are and how big the ocean is – and you realize just how fortunate you are to be there.
How’s that sound?
Instead of sitting in your chair at home watching a YouTube sailing video, join me and the rest of the crew on what will be a truly memorable voyage.
You’ll learn how to prepare a cruising boat and yourself for a long ocean passage from start to finish.
That means that you’ll assist with examining the safety equipment, prepping the boat for night sailing, setting up satellite communications, and provisioning.
Also…cooking meals to eat on passage, creating and analyzing the passage plan/weather, and helping to determine watch patterns.
During the passage you’ll helm, navigate, trim and change sails, work with a professional weather router, get accustomed to night sailing, learn how to effectively deal with squalls, experience cooking and sleeping, partake in routine chores, watch the sun go down and then come back up again.
Don’t dream about the sailing life – the deep blue sky and turquoise sea, sweet-salty air, and the feeling of utter freedom – take action and make it happen.
To get a break from normal life, and embark on a truly remarkable experience, join me on a 10-day non-stop voyage from the Caribbean to the USA.
About Our Pricing
Our normal weeklong Britican Experience for a single cost $5,500. Considering that this is a special voyage and you will be staying on the boat for 2 1/2 weeks, the pro-rata price would be $13,750/per person. We’re doing this special voyage at a 54% reduction of our list price but time is running out. Book now to secure your spot for what might just be an adventure of a lifetime.
The Price & Details
St Martin to Rhode Island $3,750 due now $3,750 due prior to departure
The total estimated time for the experience is 2 ½ weeks (of which 8 to 11 days will be the sailing passage) and includes prepping the boat, the voyage, and after passage decommission. All food, beverage, and accommodation are included in the price. Airfare, airport transfers, food/beverages off the boat, and external excursions are not included.You’ll need to arrive in St Martin around the 28th/29th of April with the intention of leaving around the 4th of May. Although we will make all efforts to leave when intended, it’s the weather and the safety of the boat and crew that come first. We will leave at the first available weather window and the voyage will take eight to 11 days.Terms & Conditions apply. To apply for a spot on the passage, please enter your name, phone number, time zone, and best time to call. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. The application form is below.
$3,750 due now $3,750 due prior to departure
Testimonial & Meet One of your Crew Members Booked on the Rhode Island Passage
Jon and his wife joined us on Britican in 2019. At that point in time, their mission was to do a 48-hour passage to determine how things would go. Jon is now booked on with us for the 10-day non-stop St Martin to Rhode Island trip in May.
If you join us, you’ll be sailing with me (Simon), Jon (read his testimonial below), Len (qualified Captain and catamaran owner), Ryan (another previous Britican Experience guest and monohull owner), and the rest of the crew.
“First, I can say the experience is an excellent experience and you couldn’t meet nicer people. Simon and Kim customized the week specifically for our needs. We have experience with crewing our own trips thru charters but are restricted to daytime sailing.
Our longest trip prior to the Britican Experience was a one-way trip from St. Lucia to Grenada that was spread over 7 days. Our goal was to gain more offshore experience and understand how cruisers lived. Pulling the trigger on a purchase of a boat is not something you want to do without ample knowledge of the total experience.
Living in Kansas does not generally provide you with accessibility to the lifestyle, the Britican Experience was a great match for our needs.
Passage making – My goals for the passage was to learn and understand:
- watch schedules
- what do you do while on watch,
- can you sleep between watches
- if you get seasick can you function afterward
- will you acclimate to the motion after a few days
- and just observe someone with experience dealing with whatever happens
I had hoped for a challenging squall, moderate seas, and some brisk winds. I can say we met our goals except for the squall, however, I did not specifically request a squall.
I’m sure if I had Simon and Kim could have arranged that as well as they accommodated everything we requested and went the extra mile to make the experience perfect.
The watch schedule was 3 hours on and 3 hours off, that worked well for me and I had no issues sleeping while not on watch, in fact I slept better than at home. While on watch we monitored location, heading, sails, wind, AIS, and took a hard look for traffic every 10 minutes. Once we found some traffic it gained all attention until determined it would not be a factor.
I did get seasick at night while attempting to read a Lat/Lon on an unfamiliar chart plotter to make a logbook entry, the 12 hours prior I was fine and 3 hours later I was back to 100%. The next night I spent much time looking at the chart plotter and the iPad for navigation and had zero issues with seasickness, so I feel pretty good with that.
The winds for the trip were a constant 25 to 30 knots on the beam for the first day and night with seas to match. The boat responded with confidence and had no issues with the conditions. We ran the first reef in the main the entire trip and would reef the genoa as appropriate.
Britican has powerful electric furling for the genoa, that was pretty sweet in the conditions and made reefing the genoa under load a nonevent. I felt completely comfortable in the wind and sea state and would have no issue on a longer trip.
We arrived in Foulmouth harbor at night and I enjoyed using range lights and lighted buoys to make our path into harbor.
Getting to see the nav aids for real at night and making sure I understood all of what the chart had to offer was a great learning experience for me. Some of it was a bit confusing several miles out but all lined up as we got closer to the entrance.”
Jon & Jennifer Carr 2019
Apply Now – Only ONE Space Available
Any questions? Please email me on Simon@SailingBritican.com or call my WhatsApp (UK) +44 787 940 1425.
“I want to thank you both for allowing me to stay and be a part of the Britican Experience family. I had a fabulous time being with you, you three taught me so much. You really are like family to me now. Your hospitality and kindness was wonderful and I was very sad to leave you.”
Leslie Brown
Britican Experience Guest, Oct 2019
“Want to thank you folks once again for a fabulous Britican Experience. I feel I learned more from my Britican Experience than I did from the ASA sailing courses I took in the same one week’s time. It’s all about hands-on. You folks answered all my questions and presented the realities of cruising very nicely. Quality Boat + Quality Instruction =’s a Quality experience, the Britican Experience! None compare. Looking forward to my next Britican Experience.”
Jim Hughes
Britican Experience, October 2019
“Thank you for inviting me onto your boat and into your home and sharing part of your lives with me. You made me feel extremely welcome. Also, thank you for everything that you shared with me, everything that you taught me, and everything you did for me. The week with all of you was the best vacation I have ever had. I learned a lot about sailing, boats, other countries, and myself…”
David Jassmond
Britican Experience, March 2019
“Experience is an understatement. We need to invent a new word! I had an incredible journey, infused with learning opportunities, meeting wonderful people, and being immersed in a wonderful TEAM of sailors. THANKS Britican for a life-enhancing adventure.”
Merril Pierce
Britican Experience, Oct 2019