New Year's Eve and New Year on board: We celebrate the turn of the year in the Caribbean and sail north from Martinique through the Lesser Antilles to St. Martin. From lush rainforests and majestic waterfalls to volcanic landscapes, each island reveals its own natural wonders. Along the way we experience the contrast between the southern islets with their dreamlike beaches and the northern islands with their dramatic topography.
We raise our glasses while palm trees rustle in the warm evening breeze behind us and the sea gently laps against the hull. Crystal-clear water, colourful coral reefs, local music and the relaxed way of life that makes this region so special.
The Lesser Antilles extend from the Virgin Islands to off the coast of Venezuela. Our route leads through the Leeward Islands from Martinique to St. Martin. The islands lie in the trade wind belt, tropical to subtropical: air temperature 25–29 °C all year round, water 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, the Caribbean way of life of reggae, rum and good humour is omnipresent.
Our Caribbean sailing adventure begins on Saturday on Martinique with boarding, provisions and safety briefing. Martinique welcomes us with the scent of vanilla, rum and exotic flowers.
Once the lines are cast off, we set course north. The steady trade wind fills the sails. Via Les Saintes and Guadeloupe we reach Dominica, a natural paradise of incomparable beauty — we anchor in crystal-clear water, surrounded by rainforest and hot springs. A highlight is snorkelling at Champagne Reef, where volcanic activity makes bubbles rise from the seabed.
We celebrate New Year's Eve on board, in a bay that we choose together. Further north we reach Antigua with its 365 beaches, then St. Kitts and Nevis with traces of the colonial past. In Gustavia on St. Barthélemy we drop anchor, surrounded by luxury yachts and boutiques.
Finally we reach St. Martin — the divided island with Dutch and French flair forms the finale. We arrive on Friday evening; Saturday is crew change day.
Around 350 nautical miles, beam reach on the classic trade wind route. Sailing experience is welcome, but not a requirement. On-board language is German.
For those who want to collect miles for their next sailing certificate: since we cross open water on this passage, plenty of nautical miles will 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 that discovers new horizons together. We are not a classic charter company that runs the same tour 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 well-equipped, lovingly maintained boat and enjoy the special: with us there is nothing off the shelf. Every trip 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 technology on board, and you can lend a hand yourself if you like. You can turn the holiday trip into a real experience on a long-distance cruising yacht and become part of life at sea.
Our trips 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 adventurous spirit.
Our beautiful GALINI is a very fast, large and comfortable yacht. She spent the winter in the Caribbean and will cross the Atlantic in April/May.
She is a modern Hanse 575 with 4 double cabins and one 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 bathing platform and a tender with outboard motor. An abundance of safety and navigation equipment and much more, in short everything needed to be self-sufficient without having to call at a supply port. A yacht that meets the highest demands for safety, design and comfort.
The sailing characteristics are outstanding too! The Hanse was designed by Vovo Ocean Racers and is the fastest yacht in her class. The joy of sailing is guaranteed!
The north-east trade wind usually blows with 3–6 Bft and is the steady engine of our Caribbean cruises. It makes the warmth feel pleasant. Average air temperature 29 °C, water temperature 27 °C. December and January are in the middle of the dry and most reliable sailing season; short showers occasionally provide some cooling.
Everyone can, if they want, help with the sailing, occasionally take the helm 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 taking care of dinner. Usually, the hobby chefs on board quickly emerge, and those who are not so keen on cooking simply step back and do the washing up. When casting off and berthing, everyone generally lends a hand according to their abilities and after instructions from the skipper. The boat is to be kept clean by the crew members during the trip. The final cleaning, however, is done by the marina staff.
All crew members (except the skipper) pay a jointly agreed amount into the crew kitty. This fund is used to cover all joint expenses incurred during the trip (e.g. diesel, harbour fees, deposit insurance, transit log, visitor's 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 port, etc.). According to old seafaring tradition, the skipper is provided with meals by the crew during the trip.
Berth charter is the best option for anyone who wants to get to know the sailing life. Previous knowledge or your own sailing experience is not necessary. Perhaps you have already gained sailing experience, done sailing training and want to deepen it? – Then the skipper will give you the opportunity to try yourself out and help you gain future confidence. The crew can help shape the course of the trip, and your wishes will be heard, subject to safety and weather. On such a trip you meet like-minded people, can make nice new acquaintances and have an experienced skipper at your side who takes care of all nautical matters. The cabins on the yacht are usually equipped with different but very similar cabins. The berths are allocated by the skipper taking crew wishes into account. Whole cabins can be chartered by individuals, couples or families. You pay per person and 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 give you a great sailing experience while placing less burden on the environment. At the same time, she is on a journey to explore the world. Her home port is Poros, Greece. Usually, however, she is on a big voyage. Our small team of skippers looks forward to a real sailing experience together with you!
