Flotilla Sailing Vacations from Colgate Sailing Adventures®
In 1972, Steve and Doris Colgate decided it was time to open new
Doris and Steve in Yugoslavia 1989
horizons for Offshore Sailing School alumni and introduced “flotilla cruises” to the United States market. After leading more than 70 flotilla sailing cruises all over the world, the Colgates started a program called Colgate Sailing Adventures® and turned the flotilla cruise helm over to Heather and Nate Atwater. Longtime cruising sailors, the Atwaters have for the past five years led Colgate Sailing Adventures® flotilla sailing holiday cruises in Italy, Greece, Croatia, Thailand, the Seychelles, Tahiti, the Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, and all over the Caribbean. Read diaries from previous flotillas on our Blog here.
Are You Ready for a Flotilla Cruise?
Corfu, Greece 2021
Offshore Sailing School encourages everyone who loves to sail, especially those who have earned US Sailing Bareboat Cruising Certification, to join in these very special cruise-in-company adventures. It is important to realize, the boats you sail on are not cruise ships, with elevators, medical facilities, and skippered boats that take you ashore and back. They are 40′ to 50′ monohulls and catamarans that require a certain level of physical ability. Please be aware of the following:
- These trips are hands-on activities that require complete, unaided mobility getting on and off docks, boats, and dinghies.
- All participants must complete a Sailing Resume before being confirmed on the trip, including answering questions regarding existing medical conditions that may hinder their full participation.
- A Skipper and Mate will be assigned to each boat based on the completed Resumes.
- Both Skipper and Mate must have the US Sailing IPC, International Proficiency Certificate, which is very easy to get if you have US Sailing Bareboat Cruising Certification. Learn more about the IPC here.
- You must be in good health with strength and ability to move about a cruising boat easily underway; able to get into a dinghy from the cruising boat and back onto it without assistance.
- As part of the flotilla sailing holiday, you must be willing to participate with others aboard – trimming sails, steering, helping with anchoring, docking, picking up moorings, and sharing cooking and cleaning up.
Heather and Nate Atwater – Cruise Leaders
Join the Atwaters on an Exotic Bareboat Cruise in Paradise
You couldn’t pick a nicer or more accomplished sailing team than the Atwaters to lead our Colgate Sailing Adventures® Flotilla Cruises. Heather writes a blog during each cruise which is posted here, providing really fun recaps of these great adventures. Plus, WindCheck magazine has run several stories written by Heather: 2020 trip in the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior, 2019 trip in Croatia, and an earlier story from 2018. If you haven’t participated in one of our best sailing vacations, why not now? Register for one of our sailing holidays today!
Mike Mahan
Greece was a wonderful trip in 2021. The location was fantastic. What a great way to see the islands. Great job by Nate and Heather. Always professional and always trying to provide good ratio of sailing time with fun and sightseeing. I love these flotillas. I plan to keep coming back.
Mike Mahan – Miami, FL
Abacos, St. Lucia, Italy, Belize, Greece, Croatia Flotillas
Upcoming Colgate Sailing Adventures® Flotilla Cruises
- Grenada on catamarans – November 4-11, 2023
- Belize on catamarans – February 3-10, 2024*
- Ionian Islands of Greece on monohulls – June 22-29, 2024*
Make Every Sailing Vacation a Smiling Vacation
Michelle and Terry Brown
“The trip was fantastic. Whoever put the boat crews together [Atwaters] did a great job, our boat had a great time.”
Terry and Michele Brown – Salt Lake City, UT
These special flotilla sailboat vacations take you to places you might never go on your own and, best of all, they provide lasting friendships. Colgate Sailing Adventures® flotilla sailing holidays are open to all sailors with sailing certifications or requisite experience. Most are Offshore Sailing School Fast Track to Cruising® or Live Aboard Cruising course graduates. The most experienced aboard are designated “skipper” and “mate”, tasked with taking charge in an emergency. Each flotilla cruise fleet is usually four to six 4-cabin boats with just 15-20 cabins available to sell. They sell out fast! Check out our Flotilla Cruising FAQs to learn more.
*Our international flotilla trips have discounts built in for Offshore Sailing School graduates:
- US Sailing Basic Keelboat certification = $300 per person discount
- US Sailing Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, Bareboat Cruising certifications – $450 per person discount
- US Sailing International Proficiency Certification (IPC) in addition to above = additional $50 savings taken off final payment
Travel Information
For flights to/from most charter base locations where Colgate Sailing Adventures® flotilla cruise vacations start, we strongly recommend you contact The Moorings in-house flight specialists at 866-649-2003. They successfully book flights for thousands of their charter customers.
Call 888-454-7015 or 239-454-1700
This is Bareboat Chartering at Its Best
Colgate Sailing Adventures® flotilla sailboat vacations are the best way to enjoy bareboat chartering – you sail the boat, and Offshore Sailing School takes care of all the details. Just sign up, pack your sailing clothes, and meet at the cruise departure location for these turn-key sailing holidays.
Bring a Friend or Loved One, Make New Friends
With private cabins, spacious main salons, cockpits and decks, these boats are ideal for socializing and enjoying the outdoors. Purchase a single private cabin, or share a cabin with a sailing partner. Individuals and couples are assigned to each boat based on sailing resumes required from everyone on the cruise.
Everyone shares the fun and sailing on one of the best sailing holidays. In the evenings, stories and laughter abound as you relax under a canopy of stars while dining al fresco in the cockpit. Each morning your Cruise Leaders make the rounds to discuss the itinerary and navigation on each boat. On a Colgate Sailing Adventures® flotilla, all the boats follow the same route and rendezvous in an anchorage or harbor designated by the Cruise Leader that day.
For Sailors Who Enjoy the Company of Other Sailors
Colgate Sailing Adventures® flotilla cruise sailboat vacations are for sailors who enjoy the company of other sailors. As stated earlier, each boat must have two bareboat cruising certified sailors aboard (the designated skipper and mate), but all participants should have minimum certification at the Learn to Sail level on boats of at least 26’ in length. Minimum age for participating in our sailing vacations is 18. Fill out the form below and call or contact s today for more information on flotilla sailing vacations.
SAILING RESUME FOR FLOTILLA CRUISES
