I learned to sail with Barefoot Yacht Charters and their offshore sailing school (BOSS), and would love to share details for anyone considering a similar adventure.

(Full disclosure... read more here: I'm related to the folks who run this place.)

Along with a couple and another solo traveler, I spent six days aboard a 52’ Beneteau yacht named Betty Blue, departing from St. Vincent and sailing through the islands of the Grenadines. Though we were strangers, from diverse backgrounds and with differing levels of experience, we learned and progressed as a group under the expert care of captains Guy and Jimmy.

During our trip we earned our ASA 101, 103, and 104 sailing certifications (me being the exception: as a total newbie I was happy to get the first two). Everyone was keen to learn, share knowledge and encourage one another, which added real depth to the learning experience. We spent our days practicing concepts like tacking and jibing, trimming sails, mooring, docking and crew-overboard maneuvers. At key moments we’d take exams, discuss our results, and celebrate our successes before turning back to our studies.

Besides the effective instructional format, the real magic — and this is where I give major kudos to Barefoot — is in the trip itinerary and the care and expertise of their captains. The schedule left ample time to recharge and enjoy our surroundings, which made learning to sail as enjoyable as it was rewarding.

Once anchored each day we were free to lounge, swim, cook up a meal, or go ashore for drinks and dinner. Our captain, Guy, was an excellent tour guide. He quickly got the vibe of the boat, recommending things accordingly and taking genuine pleasure in showing us natural beauty, people and culture of the islands.

Highlights included the floating bar and charming shops in Bequia; a beach picnic and magical ocean phosphorescence in the Tobago Cays; ridiculously spicy fried chicken in an alleyway on Union Island; a visit to the coolest little bar on earth in Mayreau; and a stop at Mopion Island. (Look it up: you’ll blow up Instagram with your photos.)

Did everything go perfectly well? Hell no. Weather can change on a dime, and boats are full of stuff that can malfunction or otherwise go wrong. Our struggles included everything from broken speakers to a not-insignificant spot of engine trouble on a day with no wind. But coming together as a crew to tackle problems was exhilarating and deeply satisfying. I learned volumes watching the problem-solving skills of our captain and crew at work — and now have great material for regaling the folks back home with my hilarious tales.

All told, it was an unforgettable travel experience. And it came with the added gifts of new friends, new confidence, and a spiffy ASA certificate to remind me of my accomplishment! Thanks to the excellent people Barefoot entrusts with their students, I’d do this again in a heartbeat.

  From the moment we arrived all the staff at Barefoot Yacht Charters made us feel welcomed. The boat was wonderful and the food was healthy and delicious. We loved everything... read more about our trip.

  We have sailed with Barefoot Yacht Charters for many years and our most recent trip did not disappoint. The Grenadine Islands can only be described as gems and sailing... read more with Barefoot is the best way to experience them. The staff are welcoming and knowledgeable - the detailed chart briefing opens up so many opportunities for anchorages either in the “busy” harbors where quaint eateries and small island shops abound or in more secluded spots. As a bonus, we stayed in one of the rooms on property so no hassle getting on the boat the next day - it was right there! A vacation of a lifetime for those with adventurous spirits. Spare a few days for St Vincent hiking a must - a trip to the volcano and Vermont nature trail two of my favorites.

  My wife and I first came to barefoot in October 2021. We were attracted by the reasonable rates and consistent winds. We quickly fell in love with the people and... read more beauty of SVG. Just finished another week and we plan to keep returning until our own catamaran’s construction is completed. We have been fortunate enough to travel the world extensively over the last 5 years and SVG is our favorite destination. During both our trips we had complications with our personal lives back home and Thor the manager bent over backwards to assist us with things outside of his scope of responsibility. His ethics and customer centric way of running the business flows through every employee. That’s why the most common response we heard from Barefoot employees was “no problem”.

  We (2 couples) booked a 7 day private charter with Barefoot, incl. an instructor/captain and a chef. We did our ASA 101 to 104 certificates and sailed for a week... read more in perfect (very windy, 20 to 30 knots) conditions. Brian, the captain/instructor was very patient and a great teacher. He gave us a lot of confidence and clear instructions.
We sailed to several smaller Islands, anchored in beautiful bays, and had an amazing time. The chef, Monica, jumped in last minute as she is usually the manager of their restaurant but the original chef got sick.

The whole team at Barefoot was extremely friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. We loved every second of the trip and want to come back in 2023!!!

  My husband and I are first-time sailors, and we enrolled in the BOSS with Barefoot Charters. We were matched with an instructor and one other student, and spent 7 glorious... read more nights on a live aboard 38' Lagoon sailing the Grenadine Islands together. We spent the days making our way south to Bequia, Chatham Bay, Mopion, and the Tobago Cays. Nights we made anchor in safe harbours next to the lobster beach BBQs and shared sunsetters at the floating bars. How amazing was that!

We highly recommend the adventure, and are looking forward to our new retirement hobby. Thank you Brian and Jimmy, you are both patient and skilled, and shared your local knowledge so we could get the most out of our holiday! We will be back!

  Fantastic charter once again! We used Barefoot for the first time in ‘18 and chartered the Pelican Pete. We decided to try the Lady Di this time since we’d heard... read more she was a little faster. The Lady Di has definitely seen better days when she was younger, but she had everything we needed for our 8 day/7 night cruise through the grenadines. We used the galley for at least one meal a day and it was fine. I didn’t expect the comforts of my home kitchen, so I didn’t have huge expectations. However, the galley was important to me.

The staff at Barefoot are very professional and friendly. They were very helpful and gave fantastic suggestions with our itinerary.

To sum it up, we have made charter reservations for the Lady Di next year!