Sail Guadeloupe.

Guadeloupe is really two islands joined by a mangrove channel — volcanic Basse-Terre to the west, flat Grande-Terre to the east, together shaped like a butterfly. That geography gives one week two different kinds of sailing: squally green hills and black-sand coves on one side, reef-flat turquoise on the other. Add the Îles des Saintes and Marie-Galante within reach and you get proper island-hopping without long open-water legs. It suits sailors who want variety in a short charter, not just a single long beat and back.

The base is La Marina Bas du Fort, just outside Pointe-à-Pitre — the largest marina in the French West Indies, with chandlery, fuel and a supermarket on the pontoon. From here the classic loop runs south to the Îles des Saintes (Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas), east to Marie-Galante, and round the sheltered lagoon of Grand Cul-de-sac Marin on Guadeloupe's north coast. The west coast of Basse-Terre — Deshaies, Pigeon Island, Anse à la Barque — is a worthwhile detour if you don't mind beating back against the trades.

The dry season, Carême, runs December to May and brings the steadiest north-east trade winds, typically 15-20 knots — the easiest and most popular sailing window. June through November is wetter and warmer, with named storms possible August to October; we don't recommend booking a bareboat week during peak hurricane season. Squalls can build fast off Basse-Terre's mountains at any time of year, so watch the sky over the peak and reef early if it darkens.

Bareboat is the default here for anyone holding a valid skipper's licence — French waters require one to charter without crew aboard. A skippered or fully crewed option suits guests without certification, or anyone who'd rather hand off navigation, mooring pickups and provisioning logistics and just be on holiday. Both charter types run from this base throughout the year, so timing your trip is about the season you want, not availability of a particular style.

Bareboat weeks typically run from around EUR 2,500 for a smaller monohull in low season up to EUR 5,000 or more for a larger yacht over Christmas or Easter. Crewed weeks — a skipper, sometimes a cook — cost more and vary widely by boat and season: price on request. Fuel, final cleaning and provisioning are usually on top of the base charter fee, so budget separately for those.

Day 1 — Pick up at La Marina Bas du Fort, provision, and make a short shakedown sail to Îlet du Gosier. Day 2 — Sail south to the Îles des Saintes; anchor off Terre-de-Haut. Day 3 — Fort Napoléon in the morning, Pain de Sucre snorkel in the afternoon. Day 4 — Cross to Marie-Galante; anchor near Saint-Louis or Anse Canot. Day 5 — Distillery visit, then sail back toward Basse-Terre's west coast. Day 6 — Pigeon Island snorkelling, overnight at Deshaies or Bouillante. Day 7 — North around to Grand Cul-de-sac Marin for flat-water sailing, then back to Bas du Fort.

Pôle Caraïbes airport at Pointe-à-Pitre takes direct flights from Paris and connections via other French Caribbean islands; it's about a 15-minute taxi to La Marina Bas du Fort. Bareboat check-in usually happens the afternoon before departure, with a skipper briefing covering boat systems and the week's weather before you cast off. Provisioning can be pre-ordered through the marina supermarket, or done yourselves once aboard — either works.