A round trip from Martinique to the Grenadines and back again – with just one airport for arrival and departure. Via St. Lucia with the Pitons and St. Vincent, we sail into the Grenadines: Bequia, Mustique, the Tobago Cays, Union Island and the tiny sand islet of Mopion. Turquoise water over pale sand, reefs for snorkelling and anchorages found nowhere else.
Heading back north with the trade winds to Martinique. The circular route with a single transfer point is one of the most popular formats of our Caribbean season – getting there is simple, and on one voyage you experience two very different faces of the Lesser Antilles: the green volcanic islands of the Windwards and the flat reef islands of the Grenadines.
We decide our stops in harbours and anchorages together. We are a crew that plans the route according to preferences, wind and weather.
The Lesser Antilles stretch from the Virgin Islands to the coast of Venezuela. Our voyage takes us through the Windward Islands from Martinique via St. Lucia and St. Vincent to the Grenadines – and back the same way. The islands lie in the trade-wind belt, tropical to subtropical: air temperature 25–29 °C all year round, water a constant 26–28 °C. The north-east trade wind blows steadily at 4–6 Bft – sailing pleasure is guaranteed. The best and driest travel season is between November and April. The people are friendly and open, and the Caribbean way of life with reggae, rum and good humour is everywhere.
A round trip with just one airport: We start and finish in Le Marin on Martinique – arrival and departure via the same airport, which makes planning simple and often makes flights cheaper. This combination of a circular route and a single transfer point is one of the most popular voyage formats of our Caribbean season.
After boarding, provisioning and the safety briefing in Le Marin, we set course south. Our first stop is St. Lucia: Marigot Bay, a narrow, palm-fringed bay that only opens up once you are almost inside – and the Pitons, the two volcanic cones that rise straight out of the sea as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Continuing south we reach St. Vincent and anchor in Cumberland Bay, where the rainforest comes right down to the water. Then the Grenadines begin: Bequia with Port Elizabeth and the wide Admiralty Bay, Mustique with Basil’s Bar right on the beach – and finally the heart of the voyage, the Tobago Cays. Behind Horseshoe Reef we anchor in the national park, snorkel with sea turtles and have Mayreau just next door.
Via Union Island we head to Mopion, a tiny sandbank with a single sunshade made of palm fronds – there is no more island than that. Then we come about and sail back north with the trade winds to Martinique.
Around 210 nautical miles: southbound mostly beam-reach and broad-reach legs, on the return north close-hauled and beam-reach – a trip on which you sail all points of sail. Sailing experience is welcome but not required. On-board languages are German and English.
For anyone collecting miles towards their next sailing certificate: as we sail down the Windward Islands to the Grenadines and back again on this voyage, plenty of nautical miles go into the logbook. Of course we will issue you an official mileage confirmation at the end of the trip.
Our Galini travels the world – and you can be part of it! 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 running the same trip every week. Instead we sail together, experience real boat life and embrace the adventure that the sea has in store for us.
Step aboard a brilliantly equipped, lovingly maintained boat and enjoy the special: with us there is nothing off the peg. Every voyage is unique – sometimes spontaneous, sometimes planned, always full of surprises. Unplanned experiences are just as much a part of it as relaxed days on deck.
Do you want more than just sailing along? Together we take care of the technical side on board, and you can lend a hand yourself if you like. You can turn it from a holiday cruise into a real experience on an ocean-going yacht and become part of life at sea.
Our voyages combine holiday, adventure, mindfulness and real boat life. Become part of our crew and experience 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 in the Windward Islands and the Grenadines at 4–6 Bft and is the steady engine of this voyage. Water temperature around 27 °C, air temperature 28–29 °C. March is still within the dry and reliable sailing season; short showers usually pass through as quickly as they came. Between the islands there is an open Atlantic swell – on the passages we sail briskly, in the anchorages we lie calmly.
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!
