America's Cup Ragatta

[kattchatt]

Has anyone done this and was it worth it? Any informtion would be helpful. Thanks'

 

Kathy

[crewsweeper]

Here's an early thread on it.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1144155&highlight=america+cup

 

I'm doing it in 2 weeks. Can't wait. Will have pictures. But I'm an "old salt" and sailed racing yachts "back in the day" as they say. This isn't a leisurely sight-seeing sailing excursion.

[bsbcgirl]

I'm sure that my family and I are in the minority when I say that we did not care for this excursion. It is very hot (we did it in April) on the boat and most of the actual activity is very hard physical work. My husband, who is in great shape, even got a little heat stroke. My teenage daughter made me laugh when she looked at me and said, "we had to pay to do this?" The actual race also was not as exciting as we anticipated it to be. Again, just an opinion from our experience.

[gtaylor]

Here's an early thread on it.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1144155&highlight=america+cup

 

I'm doing it in 2 weeks. Can't wait. Will have pictures. But I'm an "old salt" and sailed racing yachts "back in the day" as they say. This isn't a leisurely sight-seeing sailing excursion.

 

We enjoyed it a lot,

.

 

gary

[johneeo]

Has anyone done this and was it worth it? Any informtion would be helpful. Thanks'

 

Kathy

 

One of the greatest things I have ever done.

 

I loved it. I highly recommend it.

[turquoisesea]

One of the greatest things I have ever done.

 

I loved it. I highly recommend it.

 

We loved it, too. Honestly, almost all of the reviews I have read have been positive. I am no longer young, so I took the job of "bar keeper!" :D:D Perfect!

We did this last July and I don't recall the heat being a problem. Yes, it was hot, but with the breeze on the boat we were all comfortable. After the "race" our skipper took us for a great sail out in the bay and it was fabulous!

[sparky-elpaso]

Here are Stars & Stripes and Canada II during a race later in the day - taken from the deck of our ship as we left the harbor:

 

 

Our crew on Stars & Stripes - the winners!

 

 

We had a great time - you can choose an active job or a non-active one. My DH was time-keeper and I was bar wench. I was amazed at the strategy involved in a race like that - making sure the other boat didn't "steal our wind", that they didn't get in a position where they had the right of way, etc.

[crewsweeper]

Here are Stars & Stripes and Canada II during a race later in the day - taken from the deck of our ship as we left the harbor:

 

 

Our crew on Stars & Stripes - the winners!

 

 

We had a great time - you can choose an active job or a non-active one. My DH was time-keeper and I was bar wench. I was amazed at the strategy involved in a race like that - making sure the other boat didn't "steal our wind", that they didn't get in a position where they had the right of way, etc.

 

Looking at all the cans, I'd say you did a great job as a bar wench!:D

Also looks like some beef on the grinder positions, always helpful! Glad you had a good time! BIL and I enjoyed our run in May, but we old salts with sailing and racing experience. This excursion, however, isn't for everybody. It's neither a leisurely tour of the bay nor a full fledged AC course. But if you have any interest in AC sailing or history, it's a worthwhile endeavor.

[Akiba]

My wife I did the race on the America's cup a few yrs ago.It was the best excursion we have done on 11 cruise's.

It rained through the latter part heavily and we have a wonderful time behaving like kids (59,58 now).

We both have sailing experiences as young adults and we even used to race 18' Sol Cat catamarans in Calif. and still found the excursion wonderful.

We decided to do the hard work if being grinders by choice and plan to do it again this Feb on our next cruise there .:)

[khank]

We did this with our DD's a few years ago. We all LOVED it! One of our best excursions yet!

[psyfi]

We did On deck racing in St. Thomas and it was a lot of fun. There were only 4 of us on our boat. DH and I have sailed before (much smaller boats), the other couple had not. We manned one winch and they manned the other. We won :) and we had a blast, those big boats come around fast and heel nearly sideways! I would totally do it again.

[JNB]

DH and I did this years ago and he asked about doing it again when we return in January. We are boaters, but not sailors. I was chosen as Captain. Don't remember my "job" onboard but do know it was not overly difficult (I was 39, DH was 50), but we were in good physical condition and still, 6 years later, choose more active pursuits on vacation such as walking to town rather than taking a shuttle.

 

If you have any doubts I would opt for a sail on a catamaran that will have shade and allow you to have an enjoyable trip rather than being hot and miserable. So that you know my perspective, being able to enjoy rather than "work" is why we now choose snorkeling over scuba. Although we are still very active and I work out regularly, including on cruises, we just don't enjoy the hassle of the scuba equipment any longer; prefering the ease and enjoyment of snorkeling.

[Marysunshine]

First my husband and I did it and just LOVED it. Two years later we recommended it to our adult children and they did it. They were thrilled with it. They had so much fun. Definitely a great thing to do.