…or for that matter, sailing in dozens of other places. We can recommend most of them as terrific coming-of-age experiences for young adults. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find any other activity that instills as much self-confidence, pride in accomplishment, and personal agency as team sailing. Plus, standing on the deck of a yacht at full sail is an adrenaline rush no teen will ever forget.
Still, there are some differences that geography and floating collateral can make.
Summer daytime temperatures in the Caribbean Islands (their low season) tend to be hot (highs around 90°F/32°C) and the humidity high. It’s also hurricane season. In the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay the weather in the summer months is unpredictable—it can be hot or cool, sunny or overcast. Typically though, it’s comfortable, often beautiful, weather for sailing. Unfortunately, weather is the one variable nobody can control.
Caribbean islands are famous for their ubiquitous Insta-worthy white beaches, palm trees, and posh resorts, but many of the most compelling attractions are to be found underwater. Accordingly, most of the Caribbean program(me)s feature SCUBA diving as a popular activity. In Brittany and the Channel Isles, most of the attractions are above water, on the boats and ashore. While the Breton coast also boasts some idyllic islands just offshore—some with fabulous beaches, all with crystal-blue water—our neighborhood has the additional bonus of quaint medieval towns, ancient megaliths, dazzling cultural festivals, amazing cuisine, dramatic coastlines, and abundant—even unexpected—wildlife. Because the summer months are “high season” in our sailing area, there are countless enrichment opportunities to choose from. So many things, in fact, that we let our crews help decide what they’d like to see and do. As a result, every QBE expedition is as much cultural feast as it is sailing course. Alas, with so much going on around us, we don’t offer SCUBA lessons (though our crew members do occasionally go snorkeling.)
And then there are the boats. Most of the Caribbean sailing offerings use fairly modern charter sloops outfitted with electric wenches to raise and lower sails. They are roomy, nicely appointed, assembly-line boats. Each typically sleeps 10–12 campers.
QBE’s signature pilot cutters were authentically constructed in a small atelier by an artisan boatwright, based on a 19th-century design. Our student crew members have to raise and lower sails with elbow grease and are expected to learn all the nuts and bolts of traditional sailing. Each of our boats sleeps six (seven in a pinch), so our crews are smaller, allowing more opportunity for hands-on learning and fast, robust team-building.
At the end of the day, it’s a matter of taste and priorities. Do you like modern or classic? Vibrant reefs or charming old-word discoveries? More of a Jimmy Buffett “Margaritaville” vibe or a challenging European outdoor adventure? Or… maybe one, then the other?
Whichever you choose, “fair winds and following seas!”