The starting point for most cruises thanks to the Fort-de-France International Airport, Martinique is an island that stretches from north to south and offers two completely different types of landscapes. In the south you will find everything you expect from the Caribbean: turquoise water full of multicolored fish, fine sand, and palm trees with green foliage. Here sailing will be pleasant and peaceful as all the coves are sheltered from the ocean's most vigorous waves. The southern route will enable you to quickly reach Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with an intermediate stop on the island of Saint Lucia.

The northern part of the island, on the other hand, is wilder. Dominated by the volcano La Pelée, from which the black color of the beaches derives, it hides rainforests, mangroves and banana plantations. Going ashore, you will find numerous hiking trails and botanical gardens that are among the best maintained and richest in the French Antilles, such as Balata. It is no coincidence that Martinique is called "the island of flowers"!

St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) make up the southernmost archipelago in the Caribbean and have more than 600 islands, of which only nine are inhabited-a sailor's paradise! Saint Vincent, the main island, is volcanic in origin, and its landscape is characterized by craggy mountains interspersed with valleys and gullies. The coastline of the island's east coast is rugged and rocky, while that of the west coast slopes down to black sand beaches.

Sailing south you will arrive at Bequia, smaller and idyllic, to admire Princess Margaret Beach with its golden sand and a coastline framed by almond and cedar trees. Still farther south you can stop at the roadsteads of Mayreau or Union Island within easy reach of each other. Not to be missed is the Tobago Cays Marine Park: five islets protected by coral reef and surrounded by sea that ranges from green to azure to deep blue. This is the ideal place for long snorkeling sessions among fish, sea turtles, small sharks and rays, but also for kite or windsurfers thanks to the trade winds. 

Guadeloupe is an incredible playground for outdoor enthusiasts. Using your catamaran as a base, you can enjoy so many activities and alternate between sailing, diving, snorkeling or hiking. During a week's vacation, you will have no difficulty finding a heavenly spot for a stop at the roadstead, then go ashore and stroll around discovering the incredible atmosphere of the Creole villages. You will discover an island with lush nature, famous for its tropical forests and its sulfur volcano, La Grande Soufrière. 

Sailing along the west coast of the island, you will discover the Cousteau Reserve: a true paradise for diving enthusiasts and one of the most beautiful places in the Caribbean where all you need to do is don a mask and snorkel to admire a very wide range of marine flora and fauna.

A short distance to the south of the island you can reach Les Saintes, an archipelago of small islands where life flows slowly among the colorful houses of the locals and turquoise-water bays sheltered from the winds.

Marie-Galante, a small, round-shaped island not far away, is also far off the beaten path of tourism, so you will find plenty of authenticity and folklore there-the ideal place for sailors looking for completely deserted beaches. This is called "l'île aux cent moulins" because mills once dominated the landscape, used to crush sugar cane and produce the excellent local syrup.

The island of Saint Martin is located in the north, a short distance from Puerto Rico. Like the other islands in the Caribbean, it has had a long history of foreign domination, which today is reflected in the division of its territory into two parts: the northern part, belonging to France, and the southern part to the Netherlands.

It is an island of volcanic origin, with lush nature and blinding white sandy beaches. All around are many small islets, perfect for island hopping by sailboat: the island of Pinel, the nature reserve of Tintamarre, and the famous island of Saint-Barthélemy, a true paradise oasis and vacation resort of many VIPs. 

On land, too, there will be no shortage of activities to do: hiking in the tropical forest to discover the old sugar mills, relaxing on semi-deserted beaches, shopping in duty-free stores or nightlife in the island's many restaurants and clubs. Don't miss: a tour of the island's largest artisanal market in Grand-Case and a traditional dinner at a Lolo, a typical restaurant on the beach where you can eat exclusively grilled fish.