Caribbean Christmas Sailing; Barbados to Martinique

YOUR SAILING AREA

Barbados to Martinique

The tropical island paradise of Barbados is well known for its brilliant turquoise waters, framing powdery white, sandy shores with colourful timber house lining the streets. The UNESCO world heritage capital of Bridgetown built in the 17th century is a fine example of British colonial architecture. It’s well-worth spending some time to explore here before joining tall ship Florette for your Caribbean sailing adventure.

Florette will be moored or anchored in the harbour of Bridgetown on the island of Barbados, ready to welcome guests aboard. As with all our sailing holidays, Florette will make the most of the Caribbean trade winds sailing and island hopping from Barbados through the Windward Islands of St Vincent and the Grenadines before finishing on the island of Martinique. The list of islands below is to give an idea of what awaits your Caribbean sailing holiday but the wind will always dictate the route and there are just too many islands to make one list!

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St Vincent and the Grenadines 

The Windward Islands in the Caribbean are made up of St Vincent and the Grenadines, a chain of tiny idyllic islands providing a plethora of picturesque anchorages. St Vincent itself is an intriguing island covered in dense jungle, rolling hills and lined with black volcanic sandy beaches. Discover the set used for the Pirates of the Caribbean movie and explore waterfalls just a short walk from the beach. Spend some time here snorkelling, swimming and kayaking the coastline full of natural rock formations and archways.

Bequia

The island of Bequia (pronounced beck-way) directly translates into “island of the clouds”. One of the prettiest islands in the Grenadines, you’ll certainly see why it’s top of the anchorage list. Seemingly untouched by mass tourism, the island retains its authentic Caribbean charm with friendly locals and a truly relaxed way of life.

St Lucia

The volcanic spires that make the island of St Lucia are a spectacular landmark in the Windward Islands and provide a breath-taking anchorage in Piton Bay. The villages that dot the coastline are predominantly traditional Caribbean fishing towns, lined with volcanic beaches and some great snorkelling and diving opportunities. The interior of the island is home to dense rainforest with varying levels of hiking trails if you fancy walking to gain a dramatic vantage point of the bay!

Martinique

The island of Martinique is a delightful cultural blend of french and West Indian influence and a great place to finish your Caribbean sailing holiday. Christopher Columbus landed on the island in 1502, after a 21-day trade wind passage he christened the island as Martinica. The north of the island is mountainous with an abundance of dense rainforest, home to the active volcano Mont Pelée offering the adventure numerous hiking trails. The beaches in the north are a silvery grey thanks to the fallout of historic volcanic ash while those in the south remain that quintessentially soft white Caribbean sand the islands are known for. The south features steep hills with quaint meandering streets lined with colourful houses. The gardens of La Savane are well worth a visit and the main town of Fort-de-France has many sweet cafes and boutique shops to explore.

All voyages for Florette

Florette

Guest berths: 28 Rig: Brigantine

Florette is the last active, originally built brigantine in the Mediterranean and one of the last wooden windjammers that are still actively sailing. After nearly 50 years operating as a cargo ship and a world war, she was discovered by the Haynes family at the end of the 70s, lovingly restored to a charter vessel and returned to her original condition. She still remains in the same family, sailing and exploring the Mediterranean to this day.

Over the past 45 years, Family Haynes has been faithfully restoring and maintaining her charm with her traditional rigging and still set all her sails by hand.  As she was built to carry over 200t of marble deep sea, her construction is twice as strong as compared to a normal ship of her size. She is constructed with double oaked frames and up to 13 meters long, 14 cm thick ironwood planks (azobe). Her topsides are built in the finest mahogany. She was originally launched in winter of 1921 in Italy as a pure wooden sailing ship with no engine to serve as a cargo ship. She still runs cargo trips across the Atlantic today.

She has been equipped with the latest safety standards in accordance with EU guidelines for historic charter and sailing school ships and approved for deep-sea navigation.

Florette maintains a full ocean classification for historical sail training and charter vessel. She actively sails 6-7 months in the Mediterranean and spent last winter crossing the Atlantic and sailing in the Caribbean.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• HALF BOARD – All breakfast (includes tea and coffee), six meals (combination of lunch or dinner)
• Use of all facilities on board including snorkelling gear, paddle boards, kayaks, board games
• All bedding (pillow, duvet, bedding)
• All tender trips during the voyage, to and fro the boat
• Full crew, plus tuition

What’s not included

BOARD CASH (in EUROS OR USD) 

• (€20 per person, per trip for water maker (unlimited water)
• €14 per person, per day for waste charge)
  
• 6-7 meals ashore (at guests expense)
• Tea/Coffee/Alcohol (cash honesty bar)
• Wash or swim towels
• Use of sleeping bags for sleeping on deck (only if you want!)
• Any local taxes including departure and landing tax – estimated to be between €100-200 per person . If there are places guests want to go that have a landing tax, the cost will be split between those that want to go and added to your honesty tab.
• Domestic flights
• Insurance
• Crew and tour leader tips

EXTRAS?

Florette and her crew can organise extra activities for guests including things like wine tasting, BBQ evenings and pizza making nights. None of these are mandatory and will depend on the feeling of the group but once agreed, will be planned, costed and split between the guests. Florette runs a very fair ship and is transparent with any extra costs. All guests are responsible for recording their own usage/extras in their honesty tab which is payable in EUROS/USD at the end of the trip. 

Please note

We do require 12 guests to run this voyage, which we know is achievable for this boat given the leas time and good following she has. However, the boat reserve the right to cancel the trip up to 60 days before departure if this minimum number is not reached. For the payment, we ask for a 25% deposit now and no full balance payment until the 60 day date once the voyage has been confirmed. If the trip does not go ahead, your deposit will be refunded in, but we can not be liable for the cost of your flights. 

Travel insurance notes

As this is an active adventure holiday, we advise that everyone has the appropriate personal accident travel insurance whilst onboard in addition to standard travel insurance which would cover you in the time between making your booking and departing for your adventure. These policies can sometimes be combined so please check with your travel insurance provider.

Please read more information on our Insurance guidelines page.

This voyage will be more than 12miles offshore.

FAQ

• Are all meals included?

  Not all meals are included. Breakfast is provided everyday and 6 meals are included in the price, which will be lunch or dinner depending on the itinerary. Lunch can be eaten ashore or extra meals may be offered but there will be an extra charge.

• Are there any added extra's?

  Soft drinks & alcohol may be purchased onboard.

• Are drinks included?

  Tea/Coffee is included at breakfast. All other drinks/alcohol can be purchased onboard with an honesty bar.

• Can you cater for dietary needs?

  Yes, please ask at the time of booking.

• Are there any water toys?

  Yes, Florette carries Kayaks and SUP's for guests use - a buoyancy jacket must be worn.

• What language is spoken onboard?

  German/English

• What are the sleeping arrangements?

  5x family cabins (double+single), 2x double cabins, 4x twin bunk cabins, 4x hammock bunks

• How many toilet/showers does she have?

  4 toilets with 3 showers & 1 deck shower

• Is there WIFI?

  No, but you should easily be able to reach 3G/4G from the shore.

• Can I charge my phone/Camera?

  Yes, please bring european adaptors

• Are there life jackets provided?

  Yes

• Are Waterproofs provided?

  No

• Do I need sailing experience?

  No, absolutely not! Just a lust for adventure.

• Will I be sea sick?

  Everyone reacts differently but we recommend if you are at all worried to take some medication 24 hours before departure.

• Is bedding included?

  All bedding is but towels are not. If you would like to sleep under the stars on deck, you will need to bring your own sleeping bag.

Travel Planning

From: Bridgetown, Barbados

To: Pointe du Bout, Martinique

To see where the ports are, along with your likely sailing area, please view the sail area & highlights.

Getting There

By Air

There are 3 options for transport from Barbados (BGI) Airport to Bridgetown. You can catch the no. 27 bus operated by Transport Board which takes about 30 minutes and will cost only about £2. A taxi is about 15 minutes and will cost around £26 and there is also the option of airport shuttle operated by Five Star Fast Track which also takes about 15 minutes and is about £13.

Flights go direct to Barbados Airport from;

• Birmingham (BHX) w, TUI
• Manchester (MAN) w, TUI, Virgin Atlantic
• London Gatwick (LGW) w, TUI
• London Heathrow (LHR) w, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic