The Caribbean
If you want to sail in the warmth during the winter, you must go to the West Indies. Here we find the biggest concentration of charter companies, and the string of islands from Grenada in the south to the Bahamas in the north is certainly the most beautiful playground that exists for lovers of sailing vacations. Here we find hundreds of islands of all sizes, and thousands of anchorages. The most pleasant period for cruising in the West Indies? From November to June it is fine and warm. The summer is wetter, and the months of September and October can be very stormy, with a real risk of hurricanes. The main departure areas in the West Indies are the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas and the area along Central America.
Leaving from Martinique, you have the choice between remaining locally and enjoying one of the most beautiful islands in the West Indies, with a particularly wild and not very busy windward coast, or sailing south towards the Grenadines.
The Grenadines are certainly THE ideal destination in a cat. Here you will find numerous anchorages, all absolutely superb. Moreover a number of films or advertisements have been shot in these delightful islands.
Another emblematic place in the Caribbean is the British Virgin Islands.
Here is a feast for your eyes! The Virgin Islands, with around 40 islands plunged into translucent water, are amazing for everyone. The anchorages are only a few miles apart, mooring buoys are available for the night, and the sea here is always calm. The steady trade winds provide an ideal climate, which makes this stretch of water the ideal playground for families and novice crews. As the flora and fauna are well-protected, the underwater life offers some extraordinary encounters. In a word, a visit to the Virgin Islands is essential for anyone who likes cruising in the tropics.
In the north of the West Indies, we find an incredible archipelago: the Bahamas. Don’t look any further… It’s perhaps here that you will finally discover the image of paradise on earth that you keep hidden deep inside you1 The Bahamas, with 700 islands, clear waters flecked with lush green islands, and endless white sand beaches, welcome you with open arms for a perfect holiday…
And then of course there is Belize, the San Blas, the Guadeloupe archipelago, and one of the most beautiful anchorages in the world, the one at Les Saintes. In fact the area is so vast and beautiful that you could easily spend a lifetime here!
A few destinations
Bahamas
When:
All the year round, but the best is from February (a bit cool) to June. The summer is hot and wet.
How:
If you live in Florida, don’t hesitate to go there for the weekend…
A week’s sailing in the Bahamas is very good.
The dream: two weeks, enough to explore an infinite part of the 700 large and small islands in the Bahamas.
The West Indies (from the BVI to Grenada)
When:
From December to the end of August
How:
Minimum for one week; it is easily worth spending 2 or 3 weeks there. And it is above all the ideal place to spend a sabbatical year.
One step beyond
Baja California
When:
The best period for fishing is from June to October. To be lucky enough to see the whales and their young, you must go there in February.
How:
Swimming among the whales, cruising in a desert – deserves at least a week… No less!
Europe
Europe offers an exceptional cruising area, stretching from Scandinavia (and even Spitsbergen for the most adventurous) to the Mediterranean, via anchorages with a unique atmosphere on the Atlantic coast. If you haven’t sailed on Loch Ness, in the Scillies, the Glenans or in the Golfe du Morbihan, you are missing something. As for the ‘far north’, it offers unique landscapes and an atmosphere you will find nowhere else. Some of our readers have been spending their summers there for more than ten years…
The Mediterranean: it’s here that everything began… Didn’t the first cruising story take place in this beautiful and generous sea? Ulysses took more than ten years to return home, proof of the infinite number of anchorages and stops that this unique sea has to offer. Here we find idyllic cruising conditions from May to October. Fine weather, warm sea and in addition to the stunningly beautiful stopovers, each time we find vestiges which remind us of our past. Greece is very obviously one of the most beautiful places in the world to go cruising. From the Cyclades to the Dodecanese, via the Saronic Gulf, from the Aegean Sea to the Ionian, there is inevitably a ‘magic’ place waiting for you… With 6,000 large and small islands, only 277 of which are inhabited, the playground is just exceptional! We are here in the heart of the Mediterranean, its beauty and its culture. Finally, cruising for ten years, like Ulysses, is not enough to see everything!
But the Mediterranean is not limited to Greece, as multi-facetted as it is. There is also Turkey, Malta, or again the Balearics, the crossroads of the maritime routes known since ancient Greek and Roman times, and a multicultural group of islands if ever there was one. Caught between Spanish, English and French cultures, we also find Sardinian or Moorish influences here. The Balearics are party islands, but not exclusively!
Corsica is quite obviously one of the flagship destinations on the catamaran planet. If you don’t know why it is nicknamed the ‘Ile de Beauté’, it’s because you have never been there… With 1,000 km of coastline, wild mountains, remote valleys and undergrowth whose summer aromas float far out to sea, Corsica is a real delight. You can either charter directly locally, or envisage leaving from the mainland, around a hundred miles away.
A few destinations
Corsica – Sardinia - Sicily
When:
From the end of April until mid-October.
How:
If you live in Europe, a weekend will allow you to unwind completely. But the cruising area and the beauty of the place make it easily worth spending between one and three weeks there.
Greece - Turkey
When:
From the end of April until the end of October.
How:
It is well worth sailing in the most beautiful cruising area in the world since Ulysses, and returning there again and always…
Brittany
When:
All the year round for hardened sailors, otherwise the summer period remains much more favorable for sailing.
How:
A wish to go sailing and you’re quickly ready to go for the weekend. Enough to invigorate you and recharge your batteries. But it’s worth visiting the Golfe du Morbihan for a week in summer…
Scandinavia
When:
In summer, unless you have an ice yacht…
How:
The Stockholm archipelago offers one of the most beautiful playgrounds in the Baltic Sea, and with around 30,000 islands of all sizes (!!!) The best for a weekend, or more…
Asia/Pacific
From Polynesia to Thailand, passing via the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and not forgetting the wonderful, incredible Madagascar, the world is huge and offers us numerous perfect destinations a few hours’ flight away.
With French Polynesia, we touch the sublime. All those who sail have one day dreamt of their hulls floating on the blue waves of the Pacific, heading towards the islands of the southern seas with evocative names: Marquesas, Australes, Society, Gambier and Tuamotu… On the itinerary, a perfect cruise in some exceptional lagoons, fabulous anchorages in water of a unique blue, and magical underwater life! In short, the destination to visit at least once in your life.
Another important destination in the Pacific not to be missed is New Caledonia. Because here, nothing less than the biggest lagoon in the world awaits you. 1600 km long, the coral barrier which surrounds the 'island of eternal spring' offers one of the most beautiful areas in the world for cruising, as well as diving. You just have to get in the water with your mask and snorkel, and you will discover an incredible spectacle; numerous fish of all colors, on a background of coral… Paradise! Moreover, once you have weighed anchor, don’t hesitate to set up your trailing lines. This will provide you with your evening meal – a mahi-mahi or a king mackerel!
Asia – and especially Thailand, but also Sri Lanka or again Malaysia - is a rather special destination. The light, the atmosphere, the welcome by the locals are all really different from what you have experienced elsewhere. So don’t hesitate, especially as you can sail all the year round in excellent conditions – when an area is not optimal, you can generally cruise on the other side… Thailand remains the ultimate, and is a perfect destination for discovering the area for the first time. To see: the Gulf of Thailand and the very famous Phuket, Phang Nga bay and the Phi Phi islands… A delight
In the universe of cruising under sail, the Seychelles have a really special place. This destination offers the beauty of the scenery, incredibly rich underwater life, a welcoming population and islands of all sizes, each more wonderful than the last, and just a few miles apart…
And then there is Madagascar… Situated between Africa and Asia, Madagascar is a unique island-continent. A destination which you never forget; more than a discovery, a revelation… As well as the exuberance of its tropical forests, its desert scenery, and its baobab forests, Madagascar is also bathed by the Indian Ocean! And here, look out for your eyes!
A few destinations
Seychelles
When:
All the year round… Life’s good, isn’t it?
How:
From one week to discover the islands around Mahe, to three weeks for a trip to the Amirantes, you will in any case return won over by the beauty of the Seychelles. The ultimate cruise!
Australia – Great Barrier Reef
When:
From April to October
How:
Discovering the Great Barrier Reef fully deserves from one to three weeks. Enough to cruise round the 74 islands of all sizes in the Whitsundays.
New Caledonia
When:
New Caledonia is called ‘the island of eternal spring’; you can sail there all the year round, but the best time is from September to November…
How:
A 1,600 km long coral reef; enough to let you imagine the possible cruises. Taking into account the distance to reach the area, three weeks is the ideal.
French Polynesia
When:
All the year round, with a predilection for the period March to October.
How:
At the time of Cook or Bougainville, they had to wait years to be lucky enough to sail here. Nowadays, the ideal is to plan on two weeks to experience the ultimate adventure, in the tracks of the Bounty mutineers...
Thailand
When:
From November to May
How:
From one week, to cruise in the vicinity of Phuket, to three weeks to discover the Andaman Sea.
Madagascar
When:
During the dry season, from April to October
How:
For certain professionals who have visited all the most beautiful destinations in the world, this is the last accessible Eden. A minimum of 15 days are needed to enjoy it to the full.
