From St. Martin we sail southwards through the Lesser Antilles to Martinique. The voyage leads past bustling island capitals, hidden anchorages and some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean – from the divided twin island of St. Martin via the glamorous dream islands of St. Barthélemy and the volcanic landscapes of St. Kitts and Nevis to the natural paradise of Dominica and finally to the flower island of Martinique.
Crystal-clear water, warm trade winds and the relaxed Caribbean way of life accompany us throughout the entire journey – a sailing trip straight out of a picture book.
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 off the coast of Venezuela. Our voyage leads through the Leeward Islands from St. Martin to Martinique. The islands lie in the trade wind belt, tropical to subtropical: air temperature 25–29 °C all year round, water a constant 24–25 °C. The north-east trade wind blows steadily at 4–5 Bft — sailing pleasure is guaranteed. The best and driest travel time is between November and April. The people are friendly and open-minded, and the Caribbean way of life of reggae, rum and good humour is everywhere.
Our Caribbean sailing adventure begins on St. Martin – the divided twin island with Dutch and French parts. After embarkation, provisioning and safety briefing, we cast off and set course south.
The first stop alone is something special: In Gustavia on St. Barthélemy we anchor among glamorous yachts and boutiques and soak up French flair. Then it's on to St. Kitts and Nevis, where volcanic mountains and traces of colonial times await us.
Via Antigua with its legendary 365 beaches – one for every day of the year – we reach Guadeloupe, the Butterfly Island with dense rainforest and thundering waterfalls. In the offshore Les Saintes we anchor in one of the most beautiful bays in the Caribbean.
A highlight of the voyage is Dominica: we snorkel over the volcanic bubbles of Champagne Reef and relax in the island's hot springs. The finale of our journey is Martinique, the flower island with the volcano Mont Pelée – here vanilla, rum and Caribbean joie de vivre beckon before the voyage ends in Le Marin.
Around 350 nautical miles, predominantly beam reach and broad reach courses on the classic trade wind route south. Sailing experience is welcome, but not a prerequisite. The on-board language is German and English.
For anyone collecting miles for their next sailing certificate: as we sail the Lesser Antilles from north to south on this voyage, a good number of nautical miles go into the logbook. Of course, we will issue you an official miles certificate 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 that runs the same tour every week. Instead, we sail together, experience real boatlife and embrace the adventure the sea holds 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 joining in? We take care of the on-board technology together, and you can lend a hand yourself if you like. You can turn a holiday trip into a real experience on a long-distance cruising yacht and become part of life at sea.
Our voyages combine holiday, experience, mindfulness and real boat life. Become part of our crew and experience a special time on Galini – authentic, communal and full of adventurous spirit.
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 at mostly 3–6 Bft and is the constant engine of our Caribbean voyages. It makes the warmth feel pleasant. Average air temperature 29 °C, water temperature 27 °C. January falls right in the middle of the dry and most reliable sailing season; short showers occasionally provide 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!
