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Carlotta's itinerary:
We sailed with Carlotta from the Canary Islands to the Azores and back to Lanzarote. Then to the Cape Verde Islands and over Christmas and New Year's Eve 2021/22, we crossed the Atlantic. On 4 January 2022 we arrived in Martinique.
Then we sailed the Caribbean northwards via Guadeloupe, Antigua, the BVIs to the Dominican Republic. Since June we have been sailing southwards again and have now arrived back in Martinique. If you would like to "live" on a yacht for several weeks or months, you are in the right place with us. Whether couples, teams or individuals, with or without sailing skills, just ask and your dream might become reality!
Yacht
Carlotta is a Bavaria 46 that has already proven herself on the Atlantic (Lanzarote) since 2014. She offers an unusually large amount of space for her class. Easy handling and plenty of comfort - this makes the Carlotta an ideal boat for beginners and advanced sailors. Eight people enjoy the generous space. In addition, the Carlotta is certified by the German Sailing Association as a training boat. Although there would be room for 8 people, I take a maximum of 4-5 people on board for more comfortable sailing.
Skipper Herbert
Equipment
New furling mainsail, furling genoa, storm sail, bow steel rudder, dinghy / inflatable boat, 2,5 and 15 hp outboard, Garmin navigation system, AIS, radar, autopilot, CD / radio / MP3 player, teak deck, bathing platform, bathing ladder, stern shower, central heating, cockpit speakers, gas cooker with oven, 2x 12V fridge - 1x with freezer unit, 2 x 3 Kg camping gas (butane), safety equipment, fully equipped kitchen and much more.
Immerse yourself in the world of sailing
"When the winds of change blow, some seek shelter in port while others set sail! "
CREW & Skipper
Here you will find all information concerning the crew and the skipper.
Selection of crew members
We look forward to crew members who like to be active in sports and have a positive attitude towards life in themselves. It is usually very fun on board, stress and hectic are avoided. Anyone who has a sense of humor, tolerance and willingness to help will certainly feel at home with us.
Sailing experience
In principle, no sailing experience has to be "proven". Everything necessary for a competent crew member can be learned within a few days. Anyone who would like to develop more in the direction of a responsible skipper will find all the situations that are necessary for independent yacht management. Whether anchor or port maneuvers, provisions, service and maintenance, navigation and meteorology and much more.
Eat and drink
A lot of money can be saved if breakfast, lunch or dinner is prepared on board. That is why we prefer a crew that does not shy away from getting involved in grocery shopping, cooking and washing up. Whether vegetarian, fish or meat dishes are conjured up on board is agreed with the crew members. The main thing is fresh food! By the way, the skipper is a trained cook and helps anyone who says, "I can't cook". If the skipper doesn't want to cook either, there is certainly a restaurant nearby.
Overnight stays
If possible we anchor in bays. With our fast dingy we can relieve the board cash of port and marina fees. With 15 HP you can quickly get from the bay to the next fishing village! In bad weather conditions we usually enter a port or a marina.
Nudity
Those who want to bathe or sunbathe naked are welcome to do so. This should also be tolerated by the other crew members.
Board language
is German, but can also be English.
Curfew
A sailing yacht is very noisy. Far too often I have seen the tense atmosphere that arises when crew members cannot sleep because others have talked “quietly” until the morning. So I have made the following recommendation: curfew is at midnight at the latest unless the entire crew is still on their feet.
Smoke
Non-smoking boat!
Alcohol on board
A glass of wine with dinner, a beer in the evening and now and then one more is not the problem. But if you have to leave the anchorage at night for whatever reason and no one is able to handle the situation, it becomes dangerous for everyone.
Conclusion: alcohol as a pleasure, yes, but not to the point of being completely drunk. By the way: What is the most common cause of death while sailing? When everyone is asleep, go overboard drunk at night!
Seasickness
Anyone who drinks a lot of alcohol, refrains from eating and maybe even read a book below deck has a "good chance" of getting seasick even when the sea is not rough. There are many ways to counteract seasickness. Avoid high seas (e.g. leave one day later), drink ginger with fruit juice, consume sufficient vitamin C, but also use medication for very sensitive people.
At the first signs (such as feeling unwell) taking the wheel straight away helps most of the crew members. If you feel sick, lie down in your bunk without delay and after half an hour it is usually over. The fear of seasickness is often unfounded and the longer we are on board, the less often we are surprised by it.
Income during the sailing trip
There are several ideas for Youtubers and Vloger how they can earn an income during the sailing trip. Please send related inquiries to the skipper.
Skipper Herbert
The top priority is the safety of the crew and a calm tone, even in stressful situations.
My countless sailing trips have shown me that the skills of a skipper should go far beyond the safe management of a yacht: If possible, a skipper should also (at least a little) pastor, psychologist, interpreter, team leader, mechanic, paramedic, plumber, electrician, electronics technician, Travel Guide, Food & Beverage Manager and Smutje. Nowadays, being a social media expert, photographer, filmmaker and webmaster is not a disadvantage either.
Communication with the crew should always be polite and competent. The willingness to help (even with little sleep) should not be an empty word, but lived for granted. Even with high stress and stressful situations, friendly and committed behavior should be in the foreground. A certain flexibility in decision-making is also required, which (e.g. in the event of a change in the weather) quickly produces alternative solutions. He should also be someone who enjoys further education and understands (personal) criticism as a learning process. In the event of problems of any kind, the skipper should be able to use his creative potential and be able to solve every challenge quickly with the help of his "improvisational skills".
In short: A skipper who enthusiastically leads his crew to mutual success in every situation and who maintains an overview and calm even under stress. For this reason I am happy about all crew members who support me or help me to improve my skills.
How did I get into sailing?
In 2006 my neighbor invited me to go on a sailing trip to Croatia. I thought it would be a boring week for sure, as I preferred more active sports like white water kayaking, alpine climbing, skiing and mountain biking. After a week of sailing with light winds and calm, I was also able to get to know the crossing of the Kvarner Bay with winds of up to 40 knots. After 6 hours of “active sport” I gained confidence in the yacht material and was proud of the “crew”.
Spurred on by this experience, I got my skipper license in the same year and have since chartered the following sailing yachts for one or several weeks:
Monohull:
Dufour 560 Grand location Bavaria 56, 55, 50, 47, 46, 44, 42, 40, 38
Oceanis 50, 49 DS, 461
Dufour 382 Grand Large
Catamarans:
Privilege 49 p Nautitec Open 46, Lagoon 400, 440, 2x 420, 3x 450 Bali 4.0
Managing a board cashier has been an integral part of sailing trips for decades. The board cash is set up by the fellow sailors at the beginning of a sailing trip and serves to cover the running costs. Usually, the skipper does not pay into this board cash.
The board cash is used to pay all those costs that affect the entire crew: food (without alcohol), mooring costs in marinas, ports or buoys, diesel consumption, cooking gas, technical service, N.P. Fees, costs for gasoline for the outboard motor, for any equipment that may have broken or disappeared during the sailing trip.
You can expect around € 10 to € 15 per day. Personal expenses and restaurant visits are not covered by the board cash, as this can easily lead to discrepancies.
Cash desk
If you have any questions or would like to reserve a place for a sailing Sabbatical, then the non-binding information / registration form belongs to me. I'll take care of you to contact you. We are happy to do it via WhatsApp, Skype or Zoom. Greetings from Tyrol,
Skipper Herbert
Our sailing offer
That's why the course teaches practical tips on how to master these tasks on your own.
The subject of night sailing is also covered in the course. After all, anyone traveling alone must be able to find their way around at night and navigate safely. This is not only about navigation itself, but also about organizing the trip so that you are still fit the next day.
All in all, the single-handed sailing course offers many valuable tips and tricks that will help you to sail safely and successfully on your yacht alone. Not only theoretical knowledge is taught, but also practical exercises are carried out, so that you can directly implement what you have learned.
Skipper Herbert
Photo tour of the Caribbean
We start our Caribbean photo trip with a visit to breathtaking waterfalls in the jungle and explore the locations of the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean". We then sail to secluded sandy beaches and snorkel to reefs to see the colorful underwater world with lots of fish, stingrays and turtles. We visit hot springs, cool mountain tops and always enjoy the delicious Creole cuisine. We have also organized 2 photo days with locals. (Detailed program upon registration). We visit regional chocolate factories, rum distilleries and find numerous motives at Caribbean dance evenings. Let us surprise you...
Special course: Single-handed sailing
The single-handed sailing course is aimed at skippers who also want to be alone on their yacht. Because even if you normally have a crew that supports you in all activities, it can always happen that you are alone on the yacht. In such situations, the skipper must be able to perform all necessary activities by himself.
In the course, various topics are covered that are of great importance for sailing alone. For example, it is about docking and casting off, refueling, maneuvers under sail, anchoring or buoy maneuvers. Many skippers already have difficulties with these activities with a crew, but alone it becomes even more difficult.