Nine nights, two trade-wind crossings and five race days: we sail over from St. Martin to Antigua and are there for the 58th Antigua Sailing Week – one of the Caribbean's most famous regattas. We are right in the thick of it in Falmouth Harbour, right next to the historic Nelson's Dockyard, and after the last race day we set course back to St. Martin.
GALINI is a fast cruising yacht, not a race boat. We take part in a cruising class with a regular guest crew – it's about the experience, the fleet and the shoreside programme, not the trophy. Prior knowledge is welcome, but not a requirement.
We decide our stops in harbours and anchorages together. We are a crew that plans the route according to preferences, wind and weather.
The Leeward Islands in the north of the Lesser Antilles lie in the middle of the trade-wind belt. Between St. Martin and Antigua lie around 95 nautical miles of open water — one of the classic Caribbean trade-wind passages that can easily be sailed in one overnight leg. The islands are tropical: air temperature 25–30 °C all year round, water 26–27 °C. The north-east trade wind blows steadily at 4–5 Bft.
Antigua is the sailing centre of the eastern Caribbean. English Harbour and neighbouring Falmouth Harbour form one of the region's best-protected natural harbours. The British naval dockyard there dates back to 1725, is the only continuously operating dockyard from Georgian times and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016. Every year at the end of April the Antigua Sailing Week brings together yachts from all over the world — from charter and cruising yachts to classics and superyachts.
Our voyage begins in St. Martin. After boarding, provisioning and the safety briefing, we take the first few days to get to know the sailing area and the crew: we sail ourselves in, practise manoeuvres and anchor in the bays around St. Martin, St. Barthélemy and Anguilla — depending on where wind and inclination take us.
Then comes the passage to Antigua: around 95 nautical miles of open water, with the north-east trade wind on the beam. We sail it mostly overnight, with watches and a starry sky — for many on board the first real night sail, and for everyone the most impressive part of the trip.
From 21 to 25 April 2027 the Antigua Sailing Week is on, its 58th edition. We enter GALINI for the regatta and sail along for five race days. We remain honest: GALINI is a 17.15-metre Hanse 575 — a fast but fully equipped cruising yacht with generator, washing machine and watermaker on board, not a stripped-out race boat. We start in a cruising class, with the crew that is on board. The final class assignment results from the entry. Anyone who has never sailed a race is exactly right: in the end, the start line, the gusts under land and the applause in the harbour count for more than the result.
Between the races we lie in Falmouth Harbour, a few minutes' walk from Nelson's Dockyard. The Antigua Sailing Week is as famous for its shoreside programme as for the sailing: prize-givings, live music and, in the evenings, a harbour full of sailors from all over the world.
After the last race day on Sunday we cast off and sail on a broad reach back to St. Martin, where the voyage ends on Monday.
We expect around 300 nautical miles — two crossings of approximately 95 nautical miles each, plus the race courses off Antigua. That is an estimate: how many miles the regatta ultimately brings depends on the courses set. Sailing experience is welcome, but not a requirement. The onboard languages are German and English.
For anyone collecting miles towards their next sailing certificate: as we sail the open stretch between St. Martin and Antigua twice on this voyage, and there are five race days on top, a good number of nautical miles go into the logbook. Of course, we will issue you an official miles confirmation at the end of the trip.
Our Galini is travelling the world – and you can be there! With us you are not an anonymous guest on a standard route, but part of a real crew discovering new horizons together. We are not a classic charter company that runs the same tour every week. Instead, we sail together, experience true boat life and embrace the adventure that the sea has in store for us.
Step aboard a superbly equipped, lovingly maintained boat and enjoy something special: with us nothing is off the peg. Every voyage is unique – sometimes spontaneous, sometimes planned, always full of surprises. Unplanned experiences are as much a part of it as relaxed days on deck.
Would you like more than just sailing along? We look after the onboard technology together, and you can lend a hand yourself if you wish. You can take it further from a holiday trip to a real experience on a long-distance cruising yacht and become part of life at sea.
Our voyages combine holiday, adventure, mindfulness and real boat life. Become part of our crew and enjoy a special time on Galini – authentic, communal and full of spirit of adventure.
Our beautiful GALINI is a very fast, large and comfortable yacht. She spent the winter in the Caribbean and crosses the Atlantic in April/May.
She is a modern Hanse 575 with 4 double cabins and a skipper's cabin. Each cabin has its own bathroom with electric toilet. Wi-Fi via Starlink (optional), multi media, generator 220 V / 7 kW, (230 V in all cabins) washing machine, air fryer and coffee machine. She has large solar panels, radar, AIS, a watermaker, hydraulic swim platform and a tender with outboard motor. An abundance of safety and navigation equipment and much more – in short, everything needed to travel self-sufficiently without having to call at a supply port. A yacht that meets the highest standards of safety, design and comfort.
The sailing characteristics are also outstanding! The Hanse was designed by Volvo Ocean Racers and is the fastest yacht in her class. The joy of sailing is guaranteed!
The north-east trade wind blows mostly at 3–6 Bft and is the steady engine of our Caribbean voyages. April is still in the dry, reliable sailing season and well before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season on 1 June. Average air temperature 29 °C, water temperature 27 °C. On the race courses off Antigua the trade wind provides lively, good sailing conditions; short squalls occasionally bring a little cooling.
Anyone can, if they want, help with sailing, take the helm now and then, or simply enjoy the beautiful nature and the day. In addition, everyone is jointly responsible for the crew's well-being. This means that everyone takes their turn preparing breakfast or looking after dinner. Usually the hobby cooks on board quickly emerge, and those who are not so into cooking simply stand back and do the washing up. When berthing and casting off, everyone generally lends a hand according to their abilities and after instruction from the skipper. The boat must be kept clean by the crew members during the voyage. The final cleaning, however, is carried out by the marina staff.
All crew members (except the skipper) pay an amount agreed together into the kitty. During the voyage, this kitty covers all joint costs incurred (e.g. diesel, harbour fees, deposit insurance, transit log, tourist tax, national and nature park fees, service pack for the provided bed linen, final cleaning, gas, marina fee for the first and last night in harbour, etc.). In keeping with old seafaring tradition, the crew also covers the skipper's food during the voyage.
Berth charter is the best opportunity for anyone who wants to get to know sailing life. Prior knowledge or your own sailing experience is not necessary. Perhaps you have already gained sailing experience and completed sailing training and want to deepen it? – Then the skipper will give you the opportunity to try things out for yourself and help you gain future confidence. The crew can help shape the course of the voyage and their wishes will be heard, subject to safety and weather. On such a trip you meet like-minded people, can make new pleasant acquaintances, and have an experienced skipper at your side who takes care of all nautical matters. The cabins on the yacht are mostly different, but very similarly equipped. The berths are allocated by the skipper taking crew wishes into account. Whole cabins can be chartered by individuals, couples or families. Payment is per person and you don't have to worry about anything else.
We want to make sailing more sustainable and environmentally friendly. On GALINI we test various products that provide a great sailing experience while putting less strain on the environment. At the same time, she is on a journey to explore the world. Her base is on Poros, Greece. Most of the time, however, she is on a long voyage. Our small team of skippers looks forward to sharing a real sailing experience with you!
