If the heart and soul of the AQ experience are the students and crew, then the body would have to be the sailing vessel they are living aboard.
Over the course of a voyage the vessel becomes much more than just a mode of transportation, just the classroom or even just a home.
Our students often tell us that the vessel in many ways becomes part of the team, part of themselves. Taking pride in how she looks and how she feels, the vessel becomes equally as important as any one of the living crew during our aquatic summer camps.
No matter the size or design of vessel, it’s important to remember that when our Caribbean sailing adventure summer camps are underway, it’s due to students taking charge and trimming the sails, monitoring the systems and charting courses. By harnessing the power of sailing, we hope that these vessels become an agent of growth for each and every student during our summer sailing camp.
Our summer fleet
Sailing throughout the British Virgin Islands
Beneteau 50.5
Innovative, spacious, bright, and sophisticated only begins to describe the exciting Beneteau 50.5. Designed by Berret-Racoupeau, she features a sleek coachroof, long side windows, a fully-integrated mainsail arch and all the ergonomic ease of detailed design to make the most of each area. Fitted with 4 salon cabins, a forward cabin and a large salon that converts to a huge sleeping area, she also has 4 electric heads and linear portside galley. The Beneteau 50.5 offers an abundance of interior space, more than enough for our Caribbean sailing adventures.
Plenty of opening ports and hatches provide excellent ventilation throughout the yacht. On deck, her spacious cockpit, foredeck and dual helm make this yacht comfortable outside as well. The full electronics package includes a color chart plotter, autopilot, digital wind direction and speed indicators, and a VHF radio. Air conditioner, generator, bow thruster, electric winches, and upgraded electronics result in a yacht that’s not only fun to relax aboard but a joy to sail as well. All in all, the Beneteau 50.5 is thoroughly immersed in modern design, technology, and style, making it a perfect vessel for our sailboat camping experience.
- Designer: Berret-Racoupeau
- Builder: Beneteau
- Length Overall: 51 ft
- Beam: 16.1 ft
- Draught: 6.9 ft
- Displacement: 13.5 tons
- Sail Area: 1184 Sq. ft
- Hull Material: Fiberglass
Salon
Fwd Cabin
Galley
Aft Cabin
Robertson & Caine 4800
The Robertson and Caine 4800 catamaran is used on many of our Caribbean sailing adventures.
This is a true blue-water cruiser featuring a self-stacking mainsail with integral sail cover, roller-furling genoa, and twin 55 hp diesel engines. An electric windlass with handheld remote makes anchoring easy. The raised helm station is at the forward end of the spacious cockpit and above the cockpit’s hardtop roof, providing 360 degrees of visibility. A hardtop bimini shades the helm. The cockpit has walk-through access to the swim platforms, a full electronics package that includes a color chartplotter and autopilot, stereo/CD player speakers, a large table, and lots of seating. A wide door opens to the saloon.
The saloon features a U-shaped settee and a large dining table that converts to a large berth at night. There’s also a flat screen TV/DVD player. The galley has all amenities and plenty of counter space. The galley includes a 2 door front-opening fridge/freezer. The yacht has four double staterooms with dressing areas and en-suite electric heads and separate shower stalls, and forward in each hull are single berths. There is ample storage space throughout. Three separate air-conditioning units keep the cabins cool and comfortable, and numerous opening ports and hatches provide superior ventilation. The yacht is equipped with a powerful generator. This is truly a vessel worthy of our Caribbean sailing adventures.
- Designer: Morrelli and Melvin
- Builder: Robertson and Caine
- Length Overall: 48’5″ ft
- Beam: 25 ft
- Draught: 4’10”
- Displacement: 18.74 tons
- Sail Area: 1555 Sq. ft
- Hull Material: Fiberglass
Salon
Fwd Cabin
Galley
Aft Cabin
Our year round fleet
Sailing around the world
S/Y Argo
Completed in 2006, Argo is an expertly designed 112-ft two-masted staystail schooner with room for 26 students and 7 staff.
Argo was designed and built to circumnavigate the world on our sailing adventures. This means that every sailing camp she embarks upon, a fresh batch of students face the challenge of spending many days or weeks at sea while crossing one of the world’s oceans. For those looking for a genuine blue water experience, then Argo is the perfect vessel.
When we built Argo we did so with safety, dependability and ‘trainability’ in mind. We often refer to her as a “Big, Little Boat” meaning that we designed her systems in such a way that they are easy for students to understand and operate. Since our goal is to have students quickly reach the point where they are running the vessel, trainability is an important factor
Chart House
Salon
Galley
Crew Bunks
S/Y Ocean Star
Also a two-masted schooner, Ocean Star sits at 88ft overall and has a sail plan that differs from Argo in that she carries a gaff on her foresail. Designed and built in the USA, she was first launched in 1991 then was added to the Seamester fleet in 2000. Ocean Star accommodates 16 students and 4 staff for our sailing camp.
Rather than crossing oceans as a focus, the voyages run aboard Ocean Star are better suited for those looking for more of a near coastal sailing experience and, as a result, these youth sailing programs tend to spend more time exploring ashore. They also offer more opportunities for our scuba diving summer camps.
Chart House
Salon
Galley
Crew Bunks
