Sailingvirgins Reviews

Awesome week doing the Up Island Adventure

Just had an amazing adventure with Sailing Virgins I don t even remember how i found them but the vibe of the company from the webpage insta youtube was pretty spot on for the entire week A relaxed beautiful learn-while-having-a-good-time and generally laid back experience is what I saw and it is exactly what I got The boat always had good music on There was also some exercise meditation and breathing exercises in the morning if that s your thing I personally found that enjoyable and a nice way to start the day and really relax on vacation I really got a good sense of the boat and while James was fast to correct my errors he let me learn from my mistakes and walked me through the areas where i was a little behind I did a week with the 101 103 classes and I really feel like I wouldn t be intimidated to help crew a boat in the future From the get go James our instructor was amazing He was communicative and helpful in the booking process and called to talk to me on the phone and was clear about the expectations and needs to get me prepared for the trip I d never sailed before and he made sure I got the necessary information to succeed on this trip One of the things i loved about the trip is the ability for the group to make a decision and James to go along with it If we didn t like what we were doing we could do something else and it wasn t a big deal Nothing seemed to be so strictly planned that we couldn t decide what we wanted to do as a group There were definitely some rough plans regarding where we were going to teach skills and make progress towards our final destination but still enough room to be like hey lets go check out this island over there or let s go freedive this wreck in the morning As someone who largely doesn t take structured trips this was great The food on board was good and portions were generous I was never hungry and James did a great job cooking His wraps make for a legendary lunch Although i m not veggie we did eat veggie on the boat the entire time We had our fill of fish on land when we stopped by a few places for the night I m already looking forward to doing another adventure with sailing virgins and looking to convince my wife to join me In summary if you made it this far just go book They re legendary and you won t regret it

World Class Sailing Virgins in Martinique

This trip was incredible The experience with James and Sailing Virgins was better than I expected Don t live vicariously through me make your own experience I found Sailing Virgins online looking for a combination of active vacation sailing instruction and immersion in world culture I m a mixed gas diver skydiver skier and hiker James and Sailing Virgins exceeded my expectations for an active vacation and delivered a world class experience in Martinique They were incredibly responsive and worked with me to understand my skill level and schedule me for the right course I recommend using the Sailing Virgins website as a resource to prepare for the trip and get up to speed on packing lists travel travel insurance and sailing instruction I booked my own travel to Martinique based on arrival recommendations from Sailing Virgins and met with James in Le Marin Martinique Libertas is a great boat Onboard and underway we found a healthy balance between meals onboard and dinner ashore We sailed up the west coast of Martinique stopping in some amazing coastal towns with some hidden gems for dinner French Creole restaurants with quality that you would expect to find in Paris London or Manhattan but very quaint and low key James and Sailing Virgins are extremely professional sailors as well as patient instructors that integrate you in a crew experience I ve lived in the Pacific area for about eight years and traveled around the world I will tell anyone to include my best friends they should learn to sail with Sailing Virgins and take the opportunity to experience their own adventure

Tahiti Course

My wife and I just spent a week in Tahiti doing the Sailing Virgins ASA Catamaran Course with instructors James and Kirill Fantastic experience and exactly what we were looking for I have taken ASA coursework from a couple of different schools but the Sailing Virgins experience stands out for a number of reasons First enthusiasm for the sport and adventure of sailing was high The instructors were expert sailors in their own rights but they also took the time to enjoy the moment the scenery and the local culture We saw firsthand what was possible in sailing James and Kirill draw on years of experience with these adventures and I gained as a skipper because of it Second the adventure element of a Sailing Virgins course can not be understated This is not a package tour with experiences carefully prepared It was more like we went in search of adventure and it fell into our laps Let me give some examples - We carefully worked our way into coral reef passages and had a swim with sharks and rays We docked alongside a local guy s overwater bungalow to stop for coconuts We brought the 52 foot cat in to drop off our crowd at a fancy French restaurant one night for dinner in Bora Bora We got up early to make passages between islands We freed an anchor that was caught on an old mooring ball in 10 meters of dark water We caught mooring balls under sail We biked around the island of Maupiti and ate a full 3 course fish meal in a local woman s home We flew drones snorkeled around coral reefs and free dove under the boat Third instruction was excellent and in the moment James and Kirill modeled good seamanship problem solving and practice They pushed us to do route planning to navigate without the electronics and to perfect our knots Everyone on board took turns at the helm at the lines and at down in the engine rooms I felt confident behind the wheel and learned the unique skills associated with running the sails and two engines of a large catamaran We looked at this trip as a vacation but also an opportunity to see a different part of the world and consider our options for future cruising It was all those things We slept well we ate well we saw AMAZING scenery and met some awesome people I ll be honest - I am a careful sailor with a few charters under my belt James and Kirill gave me the confidence to go and do this again on my own

A week we will never forget

We spent a week aboard SV Libertas with James Was an unforgettable week Can t recommend highly enough

Sailing Virgins is totally fabulous

We are so grateful we booked with Sailing Virgins for our sailing school certification adventure A special round of gratitude goes out to Katharina Irene and James for rallying together and pivoting to a new plan when all the charter boats in BV were seized so we could keep these dates I have always wanted to go to the French West Indies and Dutch Caribbean and it happened So Fabulous More special thanks our captain and primary educator was Kirill There are not enough positive adjectives to express the true nature of Kirill so all I can say is book your adventure and see for yourself But I can say Kirill was amazing and made everyone feel welcome and included Skipper Adam was great as well adding his own special approach to the learning process and the organizational flow on the boat The actual sailing was exhilarating and empowering and the location was just over the top in deliciousness Did I mention breathtaking The temperature and color of the water the marine life the exotic birds everywhere hiking goats dinners onshore- the list could just go on and on Everyone and everything was great The other students were awesome and it created an instant community onboard Al fresco dinners group lessons and practical exercises and camaraderie all added to the positive environment We moored or anchored in several locations with Saba being the unexpected standout We can only comprehend all of this as possible because of Sailing Virgins We think the SV style that fosters an atmosphere of instant community of like-minded people combined with highly qualified but not douchy captain and crew is the special sauce that brings it all together We were huge SV fans on YouTube and now we are HUGE fans of the SV in-person courses We will be back for more Thank you Sailing Virgins we are grateful And we got our advanced certifications too Nancy G

Everything I expected and more

I ve just completed the beginner course with Sailing Virgins and James the founder of the company and maaaan I m so so happy I did a James is a true legend He s a great laid-back teacher very humble and extremely nice Most of all he s not only there for the curriculum which he knows better than the back of his hand he s also there for all sorts of fun James will totally make sure you know everything you want to know and more AND have a blast learning it b All of the course structure is very tailored to people actually taking it As is the route - that s the adventure part - go where you want to go do what you feel like doing - no hard boundaries as in traditional sailing schools That was totally my vibe as this is a fresh breath in the world of old and boring teaching models I had absolutely no previous experience in sailing but loved every minute of it thanks to the instructor and laid-back approach c All the other SV employees I have come in contact with are great There is a tutorial or a blog post or a phone call to answer any and all of your questions and there s always someone to resolve your problem Sailing Virgins is a client oriented company in the best sense of these words d I of course totally recommend Sailing Virgins Can t go wrong with these guys e See a - James IS a legend I don t want to take away from other guys that I haven t met but most of my amazing experience is due to his personality and approach

Sailing Virgins is outstanding

While I was on travel in the Caribbean the spontaneous opportunity came up to join this sailing school Two friends of mine and I booked a trip for half a week We had no experience at all and just jumped into to the fascinating world of sailing On the boat we stayed with the instructor and 3 other students In total we were a group of 7 people which was an excellent size of Group Everyone was on a different level of sailing knowledge but this made the team even better Because of that the more experienced students could get more challenging tasks and also helped me and my friends to strengthen the basics we were about to learn I felt that the instructor teaches everyone individually at the best even though we were all so different We all got along very well from the first moment and enjoyed the time together Besides that we got to know so many people at the different island we visited and had a lot of fun The Caribbean is a perfect spot for sailing but also other locations will be wonderful James the owner of Sailing Virgins organizes the sailing courses and trips fantastic He is a really courteous person and it will be a pleasure for you to meet him I can highly recommend to book a trip with Sailing Virgins You will feel so blessed while sailing with this excellent sailing school

Sailing Virgins is not just a sailing school - it is a sailing adventure

Spending three weeks onboard Libby and not just learning how to sail and develop confidence in boat handling but taking in the breathtaking scenery amazing people from all over the world and local experience of the islands made this trip unforgettable Jack and James are incredible instructors who are letting you be part of their passion for sailing and create a hands on learning experience From the first moment on Jack shows his confidence in you and after a while trusts you with full control We were able to get the boat ready lift the anchor or sail off a mooring buoy set the sails and get on the way to the next destination We explored new places each day and the thrive for adventure made us discover true gems in the Western Indies I started my adventure snorkeling underwater sculptures and each day provided me with a new memory like seeing the happiness of the local people on our shore visits walking along the most beautiful beaches swimming with turtles and eating incredible Caribbean food I got to know the art of enjoying the journey in combination with learning how to sail I am more than grateful to be part of the Sailing Virgins family