Update: This passage concluded on March 18, 2025.
Join us for an exciting 1000 mile offshore adventure from St. Vincent to Puerto Rico and back. Two legs are available, each offering its own unique blend of beauty and excitement:
- Leg 1 departs SVG after a day of familiarization and travels north along with Windward and Leeward islands, and BVI and USVI before arriving in Puerto Rico, covering a distance of ~500 miles
- Leg 2 departs Puerto Rico and travels directly to St. Vincent in a continuous 500 mile offshore passage.
BOSS is offering ASA 106 and 108, and Sail Canada Advanced and Offshore certifications on all legs. Space is limited, so act now to secure your spot in this extraordinary expedition!
Visit waters contested for centuries by European powers, home to generations of buccaneers, and now enjoyed by the citizens of these islands and by visitors seeking the unique pleasures of Caribbean sun, warm waters, trade winds, and gorgeous scenery.
Skipper / Instructor
This sailing adventure will be led by Rob McLean, who is the Lead Instructor for BOSS. Rob is uniquely qualified as he holds the distinction of being the only person certified as an Offshore Instructor by both ASA and Sail Canada. Since the early 1980s, Rob has accumulated more than 40,000 of cruising miles, including 20,000+ miles offshore, on the Great Lakes, Pacific, Atlantic, the Med, and in the Caribbean, and two Atlantic crossings in 2022 and 2023.
Rob is familiar with this route, having sailed it on his own 62′ schooner, Interlude, in 2019-2021 on a 7,000 mile journey from Canada to St. Vincent (interrupted by Covid), and in 2023 on a 2,000 mile passage from SVG to Halifax via Bermuda.
As an Instructor Evaluator and ASA Master Instructor, Rob leads instructor development clinics for both Sail Canada and ASA.
His full sailing resume is here. His professional background outside of sailing is summarized here.
Certifications
Certifications available legs include:
- ASA 106 / Sail Canada Advanced Cruising (on Leg 1)
- ASA 108 / Sail Canada Offshore Cruising (on both Legs 1 and 2)
- ASA 114 / Sail Canada Catamaran Endorsement (on both Legs 1 and 2)
- ASA 105, 107, 117 exams, or Sail Canada navigation exams if required as prerequisites
For details on relevant standards, see: ASA standards · Sail Canada standards
Maximum capacity on each leg is 6 participants, plus the skipper/instructor.
Pricing
The Base Participation Fee (USD) for each leg or combination of legs is as follows:
Planned Itinerary
Please note that details below are subject to change based on the impact of weather or other events on the schedule
Leg 1
St. Vincent to Puerto Rico
March 5-11, 2025 · Distance: 500 miles along the arc of the Leeward and Windward Islands, and BVI and USVI
View the iconic Windward and Leeward islands, and BVI and USVI, familiar to previous generations of explorers and buccaneers, and now generations of cruising sailors. We chose Puerto Rico as the transition from Leg 1 to Leg 2 because it is one of the easiest islands to fly to. Details about the marina we will use will come shortly (probably Fajardo, which is within an easy trip from the international airport).
- Certifications
- ASA 106 / Sail Canada Advanced Cruising · ASA 108 / Sail Canada Offshore Cruising · ASA 114 / Sail Canada Catamaran Endorsement · ASA 105, 107, 117 exams, or Sail Canada navigation exams if required as prerequisites
- Base fee
- $4,495 USD
Leg 2
Puerto Rico to St. Vincent
March 12-18, 2025 · Distance: 500 miles in a continuous offshore passage
Continue your voyage from Puerto Rico to St. Vincent in a continuous offshore passage, navigating by celestial means (although of course we will have multiple GNSS devices on board), if possible passing by the mysterious Isla Aves, an isolated Venezuelan military outpost.
- Certifications
- ASA 108 / Sail Canada Offshore Cruising · ASA 114 / Sail Canada Catamaran Endorsement · ASA 105, 107, 117 exams, or Sail Canada navigation exams if required as prerequisites
- Base fee
- $4,495 USD · both legs $6,750
