Itinerary for the week
Please understand everything is based on weather conditions
  • After the whole group arrives in Marsh Harbour we will have an orientation on the boat. We will run you through various parts of the boat and the “workings” of life aboard “Ciganka” for the week. We’d like to set sail after orientation, if weather and time permits. This will be a 1 ½ to 2 hour sail to our first beautiful anchorage. The rest of the week will be filled with the experience of the living and sailing aboard an incredible sailing ship in one of the most spectacular set of islands in the world, the Abacos!
  • Hey, let’s snorkel Sandy Cay reef! Jacque Cousteau said this reef was the best shallow reef in the world! (It is our favorite too.) It is impossible to even begin to describe all that you will see and experience snorkeling on the reefs.
  • Bakers Bay offers a quiet anchorage with beautiful beaches on all sides, great snorkeling, and an island hike that will give you some fun surprises!
  • We can walk the picturesque island settlement of Hope Town with its candy-stripped lighthouse that was built in 1863. It still uses a small kerosene-fueled mantel and huge rotating glass fresnel lens to send a beam of light which can be seen 20 miles away.
  • You will enjoy pleasant and protected sailing skirting along the island’s edge seeing tropical birdlife, unique islands homes, and the clearest turquoise water. Soak it all in!
  • We will anchor off a different island every night to enjoy the life of a sailor aboard “Ciganka”.

We are looking forward to having you on board “Ciganka” with us for this great adventure. It will be an experience of a lifetime!
 
What your High Adventure Week is all about!
During your week aboard “Ciganka” you will learn all aspects of running the ship. This is a working charter where you, a crew member, will work together with your shipmates as a team to provide a smooth running week. It will be a week of many amazing learning experiences and a lot of fun! Our hope is that you walk away from this week with more self confidence, a broader view of life, and a greater sense of pride in the teamwork of your crew!

 

You will learn:

  • how to raise all the sails and get the boat underway
  • all points of sailing
  • how to trim the sails for best performance
  • how to steer the ship and hold a course
  • how to come to anchor under sail
  • how to lower the sails and put the ship “to bed”
  • parts of the boat, the sails, and nautical terms
  • how to snorkel
  • see various ocean reef fish and mammals by snorkeling with them
  • see the beautiful coral reefs and all that grows on them
  • how to use various knots on the ship

You will be responsible for:

  • Galley duty cooking and clean up
  • Keep the boat “ship shape” at all times
  • Cleaning the head (toilet) every day
  • Pitching in on all aspects of running the ship
  • Your various tasks getting the ship under full sail

You will sleep on deck every night in your sleeping bag enjoying the starlit sky and falling stars. If it rains, we do have enough bunk space for everyone to sleep down below inside the ship.

 

You will also have to do a basic swim test at the beginning of the week.
 
Charter Information
  • Your groups will fly into Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco, Bahamas on Saturday, the beginning date of your charter, and will fly out the following Friday morning. Ciganka will be ready for your "crew" to board at 2:00 PM on Saturday. Your departure time should be by 12 noon on the following Friday.
  • We have a minimum booking of 15 people and a maximum of 20 people
Book a Charter with Only A Few Friends
We are getting a lot of requests for youth charters that only have a few people in their group or a large group that can only get a few people to commit to the trip. We have a minimum booking of 15 people and they can't come up with that many people within their organization. Sometimes it is just a father and son, or mother and daughter, or brothers, or a few friends that want to sail with us again. So we are keeping all these requests and will put together a charter with several of these smaller groups. These work out really well with wonderful new friendships and connections made.

If you find yourself in this situation here's what you do. Click on "Secure your Charter" and fill out the informational form. In the comment box let us know how many people are in your group and that you are looking to partner with another group/groups to fill a charter. Then we'll keep in touch with you as we put together a charter week for you. It is that simple!
Charter Cost
  • $100 per day per person = $600 for the week charter per person. This is a 6 day charter arriving on Saturday and departing on Friday. Longer charters are available also.
  • This price includes all the food, beverages, and snorkel gear, taxi to and from the airport, water, ice, and fuel for the week.
  • Food & Beverages - We pride ourselves in having great food! We have a steak night, BBQ chicken, hamburgers, and a pizza party. We have a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit, pancakes, French toast, sausage and eggs, snacks, and delicious homemade desserts such as chocolate cake, brownies, and dump cake. The crew is doing the cooking along with the guidance of "Admiral" Linda. We keep the meals simple and delicious! The beverages for the week are drinks like Lemonade, Gatorade, ice-tea, and orange juice. There are NO alcoholic beverages allowed.
  • Snorkel gear - It is provided for you. But you may want to invest and bring your own set of snorkel gear to maximize personal fit, feel, and comfort.
  • What is NOT included in the charter price: Your round trip airline ticket to the Bahamas, all customs and duties ($15 per person departure tax), and one evening meal ashore at one of the island restaurants of the crew’s choice. This night out is always fun!
  • Upon your arrival in Marsh Harbour get a taxi at the airport. Call "Captain Thomas" on the taxi's VHF radio on Channel 01. We will instruct the taxi where to meet us.
Air Conditioning
The air conditioning will be available only for use when rainy weather forces us all to be down below in the boat together. We'll be able to make the boat comfortable in this situation. We are sure you realize that this week is an outside/outdoor adventure for the crew.
 
Abaco, Bahamas
The area that your High Adventure Sailing will take place in is Abaco, Bahamas. The Abacos are a cluster of islands located due east of West Palm Beach, Florida, and are known enthusiastically as "The Family Islands."

 
Previous Charter Contacts
We are very proud of the charters we run. And have had a lot of fun with many groups and crews. If you would like to contact some of the leaders from previous charters, here are some that said they would be happy to hear from you.

You can also look at all the charters by clicking on "Recent Charters" at the bottom of the Home Page. Click on "More".
 
We also wanted to pass information on about a wonderful youth program that is based in the Dominican Republic. It is called "The Village" Mountain Mission Project. It has been developed, organized, and is ran by William Benson who retired as an Executive with The Boy Scouts of America. He has a long list of accomplishments. One of them being that he ran Sea Base Florida/Bahamas for years and was instrumental in developing new programs and improving existing programs. The website is www.villagemountainmission.org.