Like most of my vacations I put a lot of time an effort beforehand researching the how and why of whatever we are planning to do. I knew we wanted to sail and I knew we wanted a small boat and the Caribbean. I did my research and Island Windjammers consistently seemed to get great reviews. We were not disappointed. I will start by saying everything from purchasing passage to disembarking went smoothly (saying goodbye to fellow shipmates and the crew, however, was not easy..) Once you have bought your ticket to sail, Island Windjammers gives you access to a message board to chat with other would-be sailors so gearing up to go is extra fun. You can find very helpful posts, get answers to questions and chat with your soon to be shipmates! We buddied up with a couple of other travelers on our boat to share cab rides to and from the ship this way.

The Sagitta is a 120 ft motorsailer. For our sail we had 20 passengers and 11 crew. There isn't a set itinerary, per say, but the days were very organized. Yes, you may do as much or as little as you like. The general course of events were--breakfast at 8, story time to follow (this is when you learn about your days options/activities) first dinghy usually left for shore around 9:30 (back and forth to the ship hourly) lunch at noon, snacks and "Sagitta-ritas" (delicious) at 5 and dinner at 7. All meals were delicious. George and Philbert prepared amazing food in that small galley. Standouts to me were the beef Burgundy, the trio of salads we had one day for lunch, the cheese burgers, all the breakfasts and all the varieties of juices offered. Our cabin was perfect. Clean with an amazing amount of storage (definitely try to pack light, I'm a notorious over packer.)We had our own bathroom, also perfect and surprisingly spacious.

There were plenty of things to do (or not do!) The crew made sure paddle boards were out and available as well as floats and my favorite--the noodle. We swam off the side of the ship using these and also took them to a couple of beaches. Snorkle equipment was also available. I believe we snorkeled in at least 3 different locations. There was also a rope swing off of the ship which received plenty of use. There were optional excursions offered as well. Almost everyone on our ship took the all day tour of Dominica. In the evening I believe several passengers played dominos and dice games. I was not up this early but I do know one morning dolphins were spotted traveling along with the ship by the Captain and a couple passengers. Read more