Belated Caribbean Update

We’ve been in the Caribbean for four months now. I know it’s been a while since I posted anything—sorry! I’m just not that interested in writing a travel blog that talks about all the beautiful beaches we’ve visited in the Caribbean. There are plenty of others who do that far better than I could. So, before we leave the Caribbean and head back across the Atlantic, here’s a brief recap on our time here:

St Lucia

We arrived in St Lucia around December 15th with our ARC crew. We spent a few days there attending ARC events. Byron headed back to Canada, and Rudy’s wife, Catherine, joined the crew in St Lucia. From there, we made the short hop to Martinique.

Martinique

After a few days in Martinique, David returned to the US and I flew back to Canada for Christmas, leaving the boat in the capable hands of Rudy, Catherine, Timour, and Sylve. I came back after New Year’s, and Cheryl joined a few days later. Rudy, Catherine, Timour, and Sylve then departed for new adventures. A big thanks to our boat-sitters!

Cheryl and I stayed in Martinique for about a month. We had the boat hauled out for a bottom clean and paint and took care of some warranty work as well.

We also attended a three-day meet-up with other Nautitech owners, hosted by Nautitech and Neo Marine. It was a fantastic event, and we really enjoyed swapping stories with other owners.

When we weren’t doing boat work, we made the most of everything this wonderful island had to offer before setting sail for Dominica.

Dominica

Located between Martinique and Guadeloupe, Dominica is a small, low-key island. We took a guided tour up the Indian River—this is where the river scene in the original Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. It truly has a jungle feel!

Guadeloupe

Our first stop in Guadeloupe was Les Saintes, a charming small island chain south of the main island. It’s stunning, and I’d recommend any cruiser include it in their itinerary. From there, we sailed to the main island and explored several anchorages along its west coast.

Antigua

It was a short (but windy) sail from Guadeloupe to Antigua—another beautiful island. We anchored in Falmouth Harbour, a very picturesque bay, and visited English Harbour, a wonderfully preserved historic port.

Barbuda

Next was Barbuda, a smaller and less touristy island with its own unique charm. Unlike most other islands, Barbuda is flat. Sadly, it was recently hit by Hurricane Ernesto, which made landfall on August 13, 2024. With wind speeds reaching up to 93 km/h, Ernesto caused significant damage across the island, particularly in the Codrington area where we were anchored. The storm led to widespread power outages and damaged numerous structures, compounding the island’s ongoing recovery from previous hurricanes.

St Barts

Another short hop brought us to St Barts—the land of superyachts and designer shops. Very posh indeed!

Just looking!

Sint Maarten / Saint-Martin

This island is split between Dutch and French sides and is rightly known as “The Friendly Island.” Our original plan was to continue to the British Virgin Islands, but we found ourselves quite attached to this island and decided to stay put and relax.

On the 27th, our new Atlantic crossing crew arrived: Gill and Diorbhail from Scotland and Seamus from Ireland. All three have recently participated in the Clipper Round the World Race and are well-prepared for the more challenging conditions we may face on our passage to Portugal. Cheryl won’t be doing this crossing—she returned to Canada yesterday and will fly to Portugal on June 8th.

Our plan is to depart on May 1st and route St Martin > Barbados > Azores > Portugal.

So, why are we crossing the Atlantic so soon, you might ask? Well, hurricane season is approaching, and we need to get out of the “hurricane zone.” Our options were to head south to Grenada or Trinidad (hot and humid), sail north up the US East Coast (less attractive now thanks to a large orange blob + we would have to endure a cold winter), or return to Europe. Going back to Europe felt right—we still have so much to see there.