Article written by Mark Stevens. Photos by Sharon Matthews-Stevens.
Ask any sailor about their favorite place to sail and you’re sure to get one of three answers: The Caribbean; the Caribbean; the Caribbean.
That’s because the waters of the Caribbean are recognized as one of the world’s best places to sail.
Explore the Tobago Cays in St. Vincent and The Grenadines for a destination far from the madding crowd; photo courtesy of St. Vincent Tourism Authority
Think glittering sapphire seas, postcard-worthy anchorages. Think the chance to experience sea life up close and personal, from snorkeling with sea turtles to dolphins splashing alongside your boat.
Last but not least, think perfect winds that make for exhilarating passages, destinations where sailing is a defining characteristic of local culture, places where some of the best of Caribbean celebrations are directly tied to their nautical heritage, from St. Vincent and Grenadines Sailing Week and Bequia Easter Regatta to Sint Maarten’s Heineken Regatta and the Caribbean Multihull Challenge, from Grenada’s iconic Sailing Week to Antigua’s Classic Yacht Regatta.
Looking to sail into the sunset? Look no further than the Caribbean.
THE BLESSÉD ISLANDS
Sailing is such an integral part of the allure of St. Vincent and The Grenadines, even the locals passionately ply these waters.
The Carib name for the chief island in a delightful choir of thirty-two members – St. Vincent – says it all. St. Vincent was once called “Hairouna”, the “Blesséd Island.”
That name’s also an apt adjective to describe the entire Grenadines chain. Lush mountains glide off your starboard beam. Perfect waters ruffled by omnipresent winds are spread across the Southern Caribbean, making for sometimes challenging, always rewarding, passages.
Stop for a while at Bequia’s Admiralty Bay, a harbor decorated by the boats of sailors who never want to leave, a place boasting an amber beach nuzzled by glorious waters in a sheltered bay hard by a boardwalk boasting a wealth of restaurants and friendly watering holes.
Sail to the other Grenadine islands and anchor off almost uninhabited beaches, experiencing that laid-back vibe that makes the Caribbean so appealing. Have a lobster barbecue on the beach, visit Canouan, an island boasting a state-of-the-art marina, an island that seems to host more turtles than people, hobnob with celebrities at Mustique.
Here in SVG the nautical culture is alive and well – from traditional wooden boat races to fleets of yachts savoring the joy of speed and competition. Just back from this island chain where we participated in SVG Sailing Week’s Bougainvilla Cup and the iconic Bequia Easter Regatta, I was struck by the sheer beauty of this chain, I was convinced by how appropriate was that original name.
Sail here and experience the Blesséd Islands.
THE ISLAND WITH THE SPLIT PERSONALITY
Discover an offshore getaway called Tintamarre, when you cruise St. Martin and Sint Maarten.
The twin-nation island of Sint Maarten and St. Martin is recognized by the Moorings, the world’s biggest sailboat charter company, as one of the Caribbean’s most popular sailing destinations.
Cruise the waters lapping the shores of this island and discover an offshore getaway you might share with no one. Drop the hook at Grand Case on the French side and go ashore for dinner – five-star restaurants and hopping nightlife spots populate this entire beach town. Sail into Great Bay on the Dutch side and go ashore to stroll the boardwalk, sampling the delights of even more restaurants along with some fascinating examples of Dutch colonial architecture. Visit famed Orient Beach and anchor just off alabaster sands where the water is crystal clear, where you barely feel the raging surf outside the nearby reef.
Practice your French in Marigot, climb to the towering fort to stretch those sea legs. Then find one more anchorage made just for you – or set sail for further waypoints, for this island with the split personality is close enough to several neighboring islands that you can visit without undue stress on the crew.
Winds are always fair and sailing is a major character in the charms of this island – from the iconic Heineken Regatta to an anchorage where “bareboating” can become a literal – and downright risqué – addition to your adventure.
Your adventure on the island with the split personality.
A WEALTH OF POSSIBILITIES
If you like some history with your sailing, tie up to a dock on Green Turtle Cay in The Bahamas’ Abaco chain.
When you consider a sailing trip in the Bahamas you’ll be overwhelmed by the wealth of possibilities, though that should hardly be surprising. Literally hundreds of islands here – from Nassau, with its vibrant nightlife, rich history and culture to completely uninhabited islands where your nearest neighbor might be half a nautical mile away.
Explore the sailing delights of the Exumas, southeast of Nassau, or the Abacos in the more northerly reaches of this irresistible archipelago. Want to escape the madding crowd? Then sail the Exumas. Secret islands with nary a soul, islands populated only by iguanas, islands where you could swim with nurse sharks or even pigs. That solitude, along with the incomparable cerulean hues of the seas themselves, due to relatively shallow depths and sand bottoms, makes the Exumas a must-do destination for sailors.
Or maybe explore, instead, an island chain called the Abacos. Boasting some gorgeous and, yes, even more almost uninhabited beaches, this collection of islands is also a must-do if you like some history with your sailing. Anchor in the lee of a candy-cane-painted lighthouse at Hopetown and go ashore. You’ll feel like you’ve been transported through time. Same for Green Turtle Cay to the north. Many of the Abacos islands were settled by United Empire Loyalists who left the United States after the Revolutionary War because they were loyal to England.
The net result: whole villages that could hold their own on Cape Cod, but for the fact that they are all pastel-painted. Think a sort of whimsical New England. But you don’t have to be a history lover to cherish these waters. Pink sand beaches are common here, one island boasts one of the most popular beach bars in the Bahamas. Spend a night anchored at Great Guana Cay and join the Sunday crowd for a beachside pig roast. Then sleep it off in a soporific anchor rocked by gentle waves.
Sail The Bahamas and experience a wealth of possibilities.
SAIL INTO THE SUNSET
Start each day with an exhilarating sail and finish it with an unforgettable sunset view from your sailboat cockpit.
For many people, sailing is the only way to truly experience the allures of the Caribbean. That might mean skippering your own boat if you have sufficient skills, that might mean booking a craft with a skipper and a crew, that might mean booking a single cabin where you’re sure to make new friends.
No matter how you choose to experience the Caribbean’s nautical delights one thing is certain.
If you want to begin each day caressed by the sea itself, if you want to explore a new destination every day or simply spend a few days at anchor in your favorite place on the planet then add a Caribbean sailing adventure to your tropical bucket list.
And sail into the sunset.
Article written by Mark Stevens. Photography by Sharon Matthews-StevensFor twenty-five years the writing/photography team of Mark Stevens and Sharon Matthews-Stevens has provided editorial and photographic Caribbean content to a multitude of publications.
They’ve worked with newspapers from The Washington Post to The Globe and Mail, magazines from Travellife to Caribbean Business and Travel, and online publications from ATasteforTravel.ca to VacayNetwork.com. They have hiked the rainforests of St. Vincent in search of the Vinci parrot, sailed the waters off countless islands and traversed Jamaica in search of the world’s best jerk.
In addition to numerous other writing and photography awards, they have been recognized for their writing and photography fifteen times by the Caribbean Tourism Organization during their Media Awards events. Mark and Sharon are true Caribbean specialists.
