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BAREBOAT YACHT CHARTER: Explore one of these glorious holiday destinations in your own sailing yacht.
FLOTILLA SAILING HOLIDAYS: Sail your own yacht with the added support of a lead boat crew.
LEARN TO SAIL HOLIDAYS: Start from scratch or brush up your skills.
MOTORYACHT CHARTER: Do you prefer power to sail?
CREWED YACHTS: Relax, let the crew do the work.
SAIL AND STAY HOLIDAYS: Why not add a few days ashore in a hotel?
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BAREBOAT YACHT CHARTER: Sail your yacht in any one of our glorious holiday destinations and explore at your own pace.
MOTORYACHT CHARTER: Do you prefer power to sail?
CREWED YACHTS: Relax, let the crew do the work.
SAIL AND STAY HOLIDAYS: Why not add a few days ashore in a hotel?
- PLAN YOUR TRIP
AIRPORT PARKING & HOTELS: Save up to 60% when you book airport parking & hotels in advance.
BOOKING CONDITIONS: Check our Booking Conditions.
CAR RENTAL: Rent a car instead of an airport transfer or if you add a week ashore.
CRUISING GUIDES: Start planning before you travel with a cruising guide or chart to your sailing destination.
PASSPORTS & VISAS: Check the passport & visa requirements of your sailing destination.
SAILING LOGS: Read our reports on sailing holidays we've been on.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: Don't travel without adequate insurance. We offer single trip or Annual multi-trip travel insurance.
TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN: Read our handy hints on taking small children on a sailing holiday.
USEFUL LINKS: Check these websites for more information on your sailing destination.
WHAT'S ONBOARD: Standard inventory for all charter yachts.
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REQUEST A BROCHURE: Order our latest brochure.
WHO WE ARE: Meet the Nautilus team.
WHY BOOK WITH US: How do you benefit?
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Are you thinking of buying a new yacht and putting her with a charter fleet? Speak to us about the best deal for you. Nautilus Yachting has been arranging sailing holidays throughout the Mediterranean & Caribbean since 1992 so we are ideally qualified to advise you on yacht charter management. Find out more
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Sailing Holidays in Belize
Home to the second longest barrier reef in the world, Belize is still truly an unspoilt getaway.
Belize is located on the Caribbean coast of Central America, South of Mexico and offers superb calm water sailing, diving and snorkelling, Mayan ruins and more. With over 175 cayes to explore, Belize is still truly an unspoilt sailing destination.
There are many deserted cayes throughout the sailing area providing complete tranquility or, if you prefer, visit one of the populated islands and experience a great meal ashore and replenish supplies. The possibilities on your yacht charters in Belize are endless. Dive into the pristine waters, sample fish and lobster caught fresh by local fishermen, and experience the protection of Belize’s famous barrier reef. This is Caribbean sailing at its best!
Why not combine your sailing with a week ashore to explore the Maya ruins, tropical rain forests, jungle trekking, river rafting, cave exploring.
Sailing in Belize
Charter a catamaran from San Pedro on Ambergris Caye or elect to do a one way charter from San Pedro to Placencia for your Caribbean sailing holiday. From San Pedro sail south along the reef which offers protection from ocean swells. Navigating is easy but keep an eye out for shallow water and coral.
Some nights cook onboard, some nights eat delicious seafood dinners in the restaurants along the way. Search for shy manatees among mangrove channels at Drowned Caye, snorkel off St George's Caye or take a dive trip at South Water & Carrie Bow Cayes. Relax, life is pretty laid back here.
DAY 1 : Embark at San Pedro. Chart briefing is done in the relaxed comfort of an easy run down to Caye Caulker (10nm), a laid back fishing village with many choices for less expensive dining and a last chance to provision.
DAY 2 : Head south through Porto Stuck for a 5-hour sail to pristine Goff's Caye (30nm). Situated right on the reef and boasting good snorkeling and a beautiful beach, this tiny caye is made picture perfect by its 15 coconut trees.
DAY 3 : Navigate along the reef to South Water Caye, keeping a careful eye out for coral patches. Some are worth a quick stop for a closer look with mask and snorkel. An idyllic island right on the reef, South Water Caye (40nm) is host to three resorts: Blue Marlin Lodge, IZE (International Zoological Expeditions) and Pelican Beach Resort.
DAY 4 : Relax the day away down at South Water and Carrie Bow Cayes, where the diving is spectacular. Local dive shops offer a variety of day trips, including Glover's Reef, diving with whale sharks, manatees and reef ecology lectures. The three resorts on South Water make dining ashore easy.
DAY 5 : Take another route back up Victoria Channel. Spend the night in Bluefield Range Lagoon (36nm) where you can pre-arrange a delicious seafood dinner by Finn at a laid-back funky little camp called Ricardo's.
DAY 6 : On your way north stop and search for the shy manatees amongst the mangrove channels of Drowned cayes. Overnight at historical St. George's Caye, (16nm). The east side provides a great anchorage behind the sand flats. Call ahead for another dinner out at a uniquely designed resort called St George's Lodge. After 25 years owner Fred Goode can tell a Belizean tale or two.
DAY 7 : An early start and another easy broad reach brings you back through Porto Stuck, then tighten up to make San Pedro (23nm) on a single tack.
Sailing conditions
Temperatures in Belize are around 30°C all year with short tropical rain showers, especially July to October. Trade winds at 20-25 knots during the peak winter months, north-easterly and lighter in the summer. Experience level 2 - take care with shallow coral.
Yacht charter in Belize
Start your yacht charter at San Pedro on Ambergris Caye or elect to do a one way charter from San Pedro to Placencia. Charters start and finish any day (minimum 5 nights), giving you total flexibility over your holiday dates.
Click on the yacht names below to view yacht layout & specification
Catamarans
Yacht charter rates are shown WITHOUT flights giving you the flexibility to book your own flights.
If you want a flight-inclusive holiday Nautilus Yachting is a fully bonded ATOL tour operator and can book flights from the UK to fit your sailing holiday. Choose from a wide choice of airlines - we are not tied to any particular airline. All flight-inclusive holidays are fully bonded for your financial protection under our ATOL 3016. Airport transfers can also be pre-arranged.
FLIGHTS TO SAN PEDRO, BELIZE:
Flights to Belize require an overnight stop in USA with morning connecting flight to Belize City and short onward flight to San Pedro. Transfer time to marina 5 minutes walk.
With a stopover in Belize City, you can add on a few days for a tour of Mayan ruins and jungle trekking in Belize before or after your charter.
Whether you are an experienced sailor or setting foot on a yacht for the first time, we can offer you a holiday afloat to suit you. We have given all the sailing areas a level with 'Experience Level 1' suitable for less experienced crews and 'Experience Level 3' for the experts.
This takes into account the wind strength, tidal range and currents, distances between stops and ease of mooring. Of course even experts may choose to sail in Level 1 areas as they still offer stunning scenery and great sailing.
Experience Level 1: BVI, Bahamas, Florida Keys
Generally light winds Force 2-4, line of sight navigation, shorter sailing distances under 20nm. You will be Day Skipper standard having sailed at least 1 week or 100nm as skipper
Experience Level 2: Antigua, St Martin, St Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Belize
Stronger winds up to Force 3-5 with some longer passages up to 30nm. You will be Day Skipper standard having sailed at least 2 weeks or 200nm as skipper
Experience Level 3: Cuba. One way itineraries, eg Antigua to St Martin, St Lucia to Grenadines
Stronger winds up to Force 4-7 which can lead to bigger seas on long passages between the islands. You will be Coastal Skipper standard with experience to a higher level having sailed at least 4 weeks or 400nm as skipper.
To charter a yacht bareboat or on flotilla you should be Day Skipper standard and be assisted by at least one competent crew.
At present you need an RYA Day Skipper qualification or RYA International Certificate of Competence (ICC) for charters in Croatia, Montenegro, Mallorca, Tenerife and Malta.
The RYA ICC will be ever more required by overseas port authorities but if you have skipper experience it is easily obtained in a day from RYA sailing schools in the UK such as Hamilton Sailing or Brixham Sea School
Yacht charter rates are shown WITHOUT flights giving you the flexibility to book your own flights.
If you want a flight-inclusive holiday Nautilus Yachting is a fully bonded ATOL tour operator and can book flights from the UK to fit your sailing holiday. Choose from a wide choice of airlines - we are not tied to any particular airline. All flight-inclusive holidays are fully bonded for your financial protection under our ATOL 3016. Airport transfers can also be pre-arranged.
FLIGHTS TO SAN PEDRO, BELIZE:
Flights to Belize require an overnight stop in USA with morning connecting flight to Belize City and short onward flight to San Pedro. Transfer time to marina 5 minutes walk.
With a stopover in Belize City, you can add on a few days for a tour of Mayan ruins and jungle trekking in Belize before or after your charter.
In Belize, islands they are called “cayes” - pronounced “keys”. The cayes range in size and type from sprawling mangrove-covered masses to small areas of sand and coral, from privately owned cayes with individual resorts to larger islands with towns like Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. Most of the cayes lie within the shelter of the Barrier Reef which protects them from the rolling breakers coming from the Caribbean Sea giving calmer waters within the confines of the inner lagoon between the reef and mainland.
South Water Caye was named by local fishermen for the fresh water to be found in shallow wells on the island and prior to the 1970’s it was home to a few local fishermen. Surrounded by the Belize’s largest marine reserve - South Water Caye Marine Reserve, visitors now have three island resorts to choose from. White sand beaches, swaying coconut palms and dozens of spectacular snorkel, fishing and dive sites a stone’s throw away are a testament to this popularity of this private island.
Caye Caulker’s swaying palms, white sandy beaches, easygoing people, sandy roads for golf carts, and the rhythmic pace of the waves embody the island motto - “go slow”. Five miles long and a half mile wide, the former fishing village of Caye Caulker was rebuilt in 1961 when Hurricane Hattie expanded a previously narrow channel through the island.
"We have just enjoyed a stunning holiday around the islands south of Split. The weather was stunning with no wind at night and great winds during the day! Dalmatia were excellent and friendly; the yacht was spotless and fully functional."
Trogir 2011 - J.C.
