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7 on board a 1990 cat, or quite simply, the pleasure of sailing!

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Our Favorite Destinations

Balearics: We liked these islands because of the climbing, with some spots right over the water. We also enjoyed the long walking tracks.   

Canaries: La Graciosa turned out to be the jewel in the early part of our trip. With hindsight, we could have stayed there a bit longer, but we were too curious about what was coming up next! Idyllic beaches and anchorages, meeting other boats on long journeys, surfing, kitesurfing, paragliding, walking on the volcano and a little village a few kilometers away. To the south, Lobos which is opposite Corralejo, isn’t bad either, although the anchorage is less comfortable and further from the beach.   

Cape Verde: We spent 3 months here, mainly at Sal and Boa Vista, then around some of the northern islands. The islands aren’t generally ideal for coastal navigation. There’s a lot of wind, usually more than 30 knots and gusts of 50 to 60 knots in between or downwind of the islands. There are very few natural places to shelter. Between the waves whipped up by the east wind, and the Atlantic swell from the west, sheltered anchorages are rare, and going ashore in the dinghy can be pretty lively!  Most cruisers will only stop for a short time before crossing the Atlantic for the relative comfort of the West Indies. The reason that we stayed longer in Cape Verde, was because of the exceptional wind and wave conditions. Although desert-like and with no tourist interest, the west coast of the island of Sal has some incredible waves yet it is possible to find a relatively calm anchorage close-by (offshore wind and long period swells). The northern islands are good for walking and general tourism, although leaving a boat unattended in an anchorage is not necessarily ideal.   

West Indies: After a few months in Cape Verde and then a transat, everything here seemed simple, comfortable, calm and relaxing… It really is a sailing paradise. Lots of islands with lovely beaches, warm waters for the kids, wind-sheltered coastlines and windward coasts protected from the wind by coral reefs. There are marinas, supermarkets, media libraries… our favorites were Spanish Point in Barbuda, the Caret, Fajou and Gosier islets in Guadeloupe and the east coast of Martinique.  

Venezuela: We were hesitant because of the formalities and the pirates… In the end it was all very simple, cheap and fabulous. We stayed around the islands offshore to avoid the mainland’s criminality. We had a nice 23 day stopover on Blanquilla Island with visits on foot or in the dinghy to the Americano Bay. There were no entry formalities but the boat was comprehensively searched by the Guarda Costa.  

Los Roques, and then les Avez, were undoubtedly the most beautiful places that we visited on our trip. Magnificent coral reefs, tiny islands everywhere, water of multiple hues, both dark and clear, lovely beaches, mangroves full of birds, incredible seabeds full of fish and good wind for kite surfing everywhere. 

Bonaire and ...

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