I had an absolutely fabulous trip around the Cape Verde islands in February. The boat is such a beautiful living space that just being on and in it for 10 days would be a wonderful experience. Add to that the friendliness and non stop good humour and patience of the crew, the extraordinary cooking of Fernadi and the company of the other guests and you’ve got all the ingredients of a delightful holiday. I chose this trip partly because it involved a lot of day trips on land. I’m not a sailor so thought I might be a bit restless being on a boat for long periods of time. I enjoyed the outings on the islands very much but one day opted to stay on the boat instead. That was one of the best afternoons of the trip for me…..getting Lasse to show me how to make eye splices to mend the bowsprit net. Lovely to be involved in the maintenance of the boat, even in a small way. The sailing was a wonderful experience. I was really taken with how welcoming and patient the crew were. They must be carefully selected for their tolerance levels as we asked them the same things over and over and they showed no sign of impatience! As guests we were lucky as the trip was not fully booked so all of us who booked individually had a cabin to ourselves. If you were sharing you would need to be quite neat and tidy and thoughtful of your cabin companion. Definitely worth heeding the advice not to take too much. There’s plenty of room in a double cabin for one person’s clobber but creating space for 2 would have been a bit more of a challenge. The beds are extremely comfy and I say that as someone who often has problems sleeping in new beds. I am already thinking about where to go next. I don’t feel like I’ve become a convert to sailing as such but am hooked on the Oosterschelde! Just the thought of the boat and the fabulous crew brings a smile to my face. Thank you all for an extraordinary experience.
Rona
Great adventure very much hands on and an experience not to be forgotten as a complete novice and landlubber i have to say ill always remember it fondly and particularly the excellent food.
Steve
Sailing on the Oosterschelde was a terrific experience. The crew were fantastic at including all of us in the sailing of the ship, teaching the basics of ocean sailing and navigation, and understanding the complexities of a large sailing vessel. I’m an experienced sailor, and have rarely encountered better companionship under sail or a better managed vessel.
Robert
Oosterschelde How did you enjoy the sailing? – A lot What did you think of the accommodation? – Good Was the food? – Very Good Where the crew helpful? Very Helpful
Great trip on a wonderful ship. Crew were very friendly, helpful and professional. The passengers were also very friendly and a real mix of interesting people. I had a great first time on a big sailing ship.
Steve
A wonderful ocean-sailing voyage out to Tenerife on the first leg of the Darwin 200 expedition. Highly, highly recommend the Oosterschelde and her crew. We had an excellent time, loads of fun and learned so much! Thank you!
Learn hands-on sailing aboard traditional vessels. No experience needed. Ready to Go from Useless to Useful? Become a confident crew member in 5-6 days.
