We sailed for 7 days and 7 nights with two other couples in
the Caribbean on a 38’ catamaran and this is what we learned! We went to St.
Martin, St. Barts, and Anguilla.
- If you like good head support when you sleep, bring a pillow. What we were provided might as well have been several tissues stuffed in a pillowcase.
- If you are not part of the crew, bring a book. Sailing is super fun, but 7 days of the same seas left plenty of time for reading.
- Do not overpack… there isn’t much room on a boat. Instead bring 2 swimming suits, 3 beach coverups, and 4 outfits. The more that these can crossover, the better. I brought two pairs of flip flops, but could have just used 1. I also brought 2 beach towels, and although I brought them back, I was prepared to leave them in St. Martin. Don’t forget two pairs of pajamas that you don’t mind your friends seeing you wear! Several sports bras were a must for me. :)
- As a couple, we brought 2 bottles of SPF 30 lotion and 4 spray cans of SPF 30 for reapplication. Include an SPF lip balm, sunglasses, and hat, and you should be good to go. I get burned medium easily and I didn’t get but a slight sunburn on my back one day when some of the SPF must have rubbed off.
- They accepted American dollars almost everywhere we went. We brought $500 cash and spent an additional $250 on our debit card in groceries and this was plenty. Bring small bills for tipping.
- Consider how you are going to preserve your sailing memories. We bought and brought a GoPro camera for pictures and underwater video and I also collected sand from each place.
- Bring your own snorkel gear! The $50 spent is well worth it for an impromptu jump in the sea. I would test it out first in a pool before you leave, my original mask leaked so I had to get another one.
- My husband was first mate and he was prepared with UV long sleeve shirts and gloves for the ropes. He definitely needed those gloves. He also rented a fishing pole from the marina for a week to fiddle with when he wasn't working.
- The ladies made one trip to the grocery store, while the men got acquainted with the boat. We rented a car for $60 and spent $750 on groceries from the store (total), which included everything from the provisions list below.
- Definitely check out the boat first to see what is provided… we had a percolator to make coffee (instructions here), no microwave, charcoal grill (did not use), and propane oven/range. Bring a large tervis tumbler with lid if you tend to like larger drinks that stay cold. The cups that were provided were just so-so.
Our Provisions List – for 6 people for one week. (We ate
about 3 meals on shore)
- 150 bottles of water
- 3 cases of beer (try the local Carib if you get a chance, very Corona-ish)
- 6 bottles of liquor, include a local rum – like Guavaberry!
- 6 bottles of mixers (2 liters of ginger ale, orange juice, sprite, etc.)
- Coffee, creamer, and sugar/sweetener
- Small dish-soap, trash bags, ziplock containers or storage bags, sponge, spray bottle of cleaner, toilet paper, and paper towels
- Snacks: Chips, dips, cookies, trail mix
- Breakfast: fruit, oatmeal, yogurt, cereal, milk
- Lunch: cold cuts, bread, sliced cheese, peanut butter & jelly
- Dinners: we took turns cooking and all girls did the cleaning (since the men did the sailing)
- Meal 1: Spaghetti noodles, Italian sausages, jar of red sauce, frozen garlic bread, shredded mozzarella cheese
- Meal 2: Frozen burger patties, buns, ketchup, mustard, onion, tomato
- Meal 3: Chicken tenderloins, bowtie pasta, alfredo sauce, broccoli
- Meal 4: Ground beef, seasoning, taco shells, sour cream, shredded cheese, black beans, salsa
- ICE! – We bought 2-3 bags of ice daily. The boat had a cooler, but it would melt per day and we would use ice in our drinks.
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