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If this experience is a good fit for you, please complete this Interest Form

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Course Overview

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• Every November and May, we host flotillas of like-minded students who are seeking an intensive, immersive liveaboard learn-to-sail experience and an opportunity for sail training via the NauticEd curriculum. 

• If your dream is to be the skipper of your own bareboat charter- in the Virgin Islands or beyond- this course is for you! 

• This course will be held on a well-equipped sailing catamaran, embarking from St. Thomas in the US Virgins and cruising around St. Thomas and St. John. Advanced courses may cross to St. Croix, pending a weather window.  

• The expectation is that students complete their NauticEd coursework (online) before the start of the course date, so that all of us have a shared starting point for the course.

• Students will serve as crew with shared cooking, cleaning, pilotage, and skipper responsibilities.

 

Outcomes

• Students that commit to this course will have the opportunity to embrace an intensive, immersive learn to sail experience and will significantly enhance their sailing resume. 

• Please note that we cannot guarantee that you will meet the minimum requirements for credentialing- NauticEd is extremely transparent about the rubrics that are used for each level.

 

Who is this experience for?

• No prior experience required! 

• Since we have two boats for each course, if we have a logical division of experience, we will divide students between a beginner boat and an intermediate boat

• The pricing structure is for a single student, in a private cabin, but we also have pricing structures for other situations. 

• If your non-student partner would like to join us, they may do so! Please see the pricing section for more info.

 

Why the USVI?

Yes, we know and love cruising the BVI! But here are some thoughts about the USVI:

• Domestic air travel to St. Thomas (no passport needed, for US citizens)

  • No hassle of clearing in and out of customs

• No need for an international data plan- your cellular service will work as it would back home in the mainland US. 

• Just like in the BVI, the USVI have consistent tradewinds (about 15 knots) that ensure that every day is a great sailing day

• We plan the daily curriculum such that afternoons/evenings are reserved for snorkeling, taking the dinghy ashore, hiking, bars and restaurants

 

What vessel will I call home?

• This is a four-cabin, four-head boat, meaning you will have your own private area each night. 

  • We will draw straws for cabins

• Comfort is important! The training vessel comes with a generator and air conditioning, meaning you can sleep in a climate-controlled cabin.

• She is also equipped with a watermaker, meaning we are less concerned about daily water allowance for showers, etc

 

Meet your instructors 

• Learn more about Captain Andy

• Learn more about Captain Wayne 

 

Travel

• The charter will start and end at the charter base in St. Thomas

 

Dates

• We use a Saturday to Saturday format

• When you complete our interest form, you will be asked to rank your choices. We will look at all form submissions and find the dates that were most popular with our students. 

• We have two courses forming for 2026:

  • May 2-9, 2026 (two boats)

  • November 7-14, 2026: (two boats) 

 

Loose format for the week 

• Day 1: arrive at the charter base around 4PM and meet your instructor and fellow students. Don’t worry! Provisions will be delivered to the boat before we arrive. Spend the night getting to know everyone and making a loose plan for the week. Dine ashore tonight. 

• Day 2-7: we depart from base and spend most nights on a mooring. Perhaps at anchor or a transient marina.

• Day 8: this is our checkoff day. By 10AM, we are off the boat and on to our next adventure!

 

Typical Daily Schedule

Here is an example of a loose daily schedule:

• Rise - Breakfast on the boat; run daily start up checklists 

• 9AM - Meet in the salon or cockpit for our daily “classroom” session

• 10AM - Depart from mooring or anchorage to run our daily exercises/drills

• Noon - Break (in shifts) for quick lunch while underway. Resume drills and running our passage plan

• 4PM - Anchored or moored for the night. Students have the rest of the day to swim, snorkel, go ashore, etc

• 6PM - Cook dinner together on board- one or two nights we may opt to dine ashore. 

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Pricing Structure

• We are still finalizing the budget but are anticipating the following prices, per cabin:

  • May 2-9, 2026 (two boats) - $5600 per cabin - First boat sold out!

  • November 7-14, 2026: (two boats) - $6300 per cabin

• The rates above are for a single student in a private cabin.

  • If you would like to add an additional student or non-student ridealong to your cabin, the add-on is $300

• Planning for a cash price and a credit card price

• Please contact me if you already have a group assembled and would like to book the entire boat.

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Inclusions

• Lodging aboard the training vessel

  • Fully equipped galley

  • Linens

  • Beach towels

  • Bath towels (bath, hand, face, and kitchen)

  • Coffee makers

  • Toilet paper, paper towels, and garbage bags

  • Soap in galley

  • Propane BBQ

  • Safety gear

  • Cruising guide

  • Dinghy with outboard

  • Snorkel Fins (masks and snorkel can be purchased in the boutique upon arrival)

  • Daily yacht insurance

• Provisions for all breakfasts, lunches and most dinners

  • We work with a provisioning service that will have everything delivered to the boat, before we embark. 

• Nightly moorings (through NPS or Boaty Ball) 

• Fuel for cat and dinghy 

• Water refill- although the training vessel has a water maker, so we shouldn’t need to top off the tanks at a fuel dock.

• Trash (yes, in the Caribbean you pay per bag)

• Instructor fee: your boat comes with a highly-trained, professional sailing instructor.

• All USCG-required safety equipment on board

• End-of-course meal at Lime Out or Pizza Pi

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Exclusions

• Roundtrip travel to/from the charter base in St. Thomas

• NauticEd curriculum fees

  • Please note we may be able to purchase these for you at a discount and pass those savings along to you.

• Instructor Gratuity 

• Please budget for two dinners ashore

  • It is customary to treat the captain to dinner ashore

• Alcohol (feel free to imbibe when we anchored or moored)

 

What to Bring/Pack

• Comfortable clothing

• Please wear shoes with non-marking soles (deck shoes or tennis shoes). Black-soled shoes are not permitted.

• Hat, sunglasses

• Please bring your set of plotting tools for passage planning

• Sunscreen

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If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know by:

• Email: andytdeen@gmail.com

• Phone: 813-738-3702

If this experience is a good fit for you, please complete this Interest Form