Antigua and Barbuda, pearls of the Caribbean

Your goal today is to round the southeast tip of Antigua and then head north. Destination: Green Island. A little bit of tacking against the trade winds to reach Rickett Harbour. Before nightfall, drop the hook off West Bay - multihulls are well protected inside the lagoon.

Set a course for Barbuda! Let's go for a nice reach of over 30 miles with full main and whole genoa unfurled, if the trade winds aren’t not too strong. A wide berth is required to clear coral heads you’ll find scattered in the turquoise water... and then you’re at the dream anchorage, along an infinite beach of white sand. As fine as pancake flour: welcome to Cocoa Bay!

Barbuda warrants a stop for a day. Uncle Roddy, who runs a small restaurant at Spanish Well Point, has lobsters that are worth the trip alone. Back on board, you have just enough time before nightfall to reach West Tuson Beach, a thin pink strip of sand-dune that separates the sea from Barbuda’s huge lagoon.

At the northwestern tip of Antigua begins a journey between the coast and the coral reefs. The few islands to the southeast of this maze are superb. Our preference by far is Great Bird Island and its two beaches, as calm as they are full of fish (many schools of tuna).

Discover Deep Bay, at the foot of Fort Barrington... This deep (as the name suggests) turquoise inlet lined with coconut and palm trees offers a guaranteed picture-postcard effect. Follow the west coast, making a southerly course. In the wide bay at Five Islands Harbour, a perfect and wild shelter just to the east. And few more miles further on, there’s Jolly Harbour. A “civilized” stopover with bars, restaurants and shops.

In front of your trampoline, a good three hours of meandering between land and coral before your last dip at Pigeon Beach, where you’ll find superyacht crews polishing their brasswork. And then back to English Harbour, less than 30 minutes under motor.