19-Day Caribbean Yacht Harbors & Atlantic Crossing

Since 2010, Sint Maarten has been a constituent country within the kingdom of The Netherlands. It comprises the “Dutch Side” of the island of Saint-Martin, the other half being a French overseas territory. Philipsburg is its capital and a busy deep-water port city. It is a popular port for cruise ships, and consequently boasts a thriving duty-free shopping community, a range of resorts and villas, and numerous leisure and sightseeing activities, as well as a well-served airport.

A classic golden arc of sugary sand at South Friar’s Bay, Carambola is home to the island’s most luxurious beach clubs and restaurants. Umbrellas, loungers and optional water sports abound for those so inclined. Otherwise St. Kitts has other attractions, including a number of lovingly preserved plantation great houses, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Brimstone Hill Fortress and a scenic narrow gauge sugarcane railway.

St. Lucia is the sort of island that travelers to the Caribbean dream about–a small, lush tropical gem that is still relatively unknown. The Atlantic Ocean kisses its eastern shore, while the beaches of the west coast owe their beauty to the calm Caribbean Sea. St. Lucia seems like an island plucked from the South Pacific and set down in the Caribbean. Its dramatic twin coastal peaks, the Pitons, soar 2,500 feet up from the sea, sheltering magnificent rain forests where wild orchids, giant ferns, and birds of paradise flourish. Brilliantly-plumed tropical birds abound, including endangered species like the indigenous St. Lucia parrot.

The Iles des Saintes, a tiny cluster of islets off the southern coast of Guadeloupe is what the doctor ordered, if he ordered an unspoiled Caribbean experience. No franchise duty free, no big hotels, no casinos. It is what much of the Caribbean used to be like. Stroll around the little town of Bourg de Saintes. Shop for real French cosmetics from the sidewalk vendors. Grab a seat and a beer and revel in the weather and the pace of the past.

The island of Grenada rises up from the Caribbean in steep, green, volcanic mountains. Sheer cliffs and sandy beaches alternate as you proceed along the coast, and the rainforest interior boasts of crater lakes, natural springs and waterfalls. St. George’s, Grenada’s capital has long enjoyed the reputation of being the most picturesque harbor in the Caribbean. Founded by the French in 1732, the town retains many elements of its Gaelic heritage, particularly in the architecture along Market Square and the Esplanade. Since wooden structures were outlawed long ago because of repeated fires, many buildings were constructed out of the brick brought over as ballast in trading ships of old. Quaint buildings line the waterfront, tiny pastel houses stand between lush jungle and sandy beach, and multicolor-roofed bungalows climb up the hillsides. The island’s fame is derived from the spices it produces and exports all over the world.

Barbados has retained many of the trappings of its British colonial heritage. Judges and barristers wear proper robes and wigs, police don helmets styled after London bobbies and cricket remains a national passion. Barbados also has all the sporting appeal of the rest of the Caribbean, with pristine beaches, powerful surf and crystal clear waters. Brightly colored homes and hibiscus flowers mingle with mahogany trees and English churches dating back to the 17th century.

In a sense, Agadir is an ancient city whose history dates back to 1960. The riddle is solved when you realize that a devastating earthquake reduced much of the town to rubble in just 15 seconds, killing some 12,000 residents in the process. Survivors and foreign investors soon rebuilt around the port, leaving the old site as a memorial to the dead.Today, Agadir is a thriving resort area on the Atlantic, with an excellent beach and numerous luxury hotels catering to vacationing Europeans. Although seismologists agree that there is little likelihood of another earthquake of such devastating proportions, everything was rebuilt to the most stringent specifications of the time.

The great period of “the Discoveries” accounted for phenomenal wealth brought back from India, Africa and Brazil by the great Portuguese navigators. Gold, jewels, ivory, porcelain and spices helped finance grand new buildings and impressive monuments in Lisbon, the country’s capital city. As you sail up the Tagus River, be on deck to admire Lisbon’s panorama and see some of the great monuments lining the river. Lisbon is one of Europe’s smallest capital cities but considered by many visitors to be one of the most likeable. Spread over a string of seven hills, the city offers a variety of faces, including a refreshing no-frills simplicity reflected in the people as they go unhurriedly through their day enjoying a hearty and delicious cuisine accompanied by the country’s excellent wines.