GALINI discovers the world: Antigua Sailing Week – Regatta week from St Martin

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Nine nights, two trade wind passages and five race days: From St Martin we sail across to Antigua and take part in the 58th Antigua Sailing Week – one of the Caribbean's best-known regattas. We berth right in the heart of the action in Falmouth Harbour, next to the historic Nelson's Dockyard, and after the final race day we set course back to St Martin.

GALINI is a fast cruising yacht, not a racing boat. We sail with a normal cabin charter crew in a cruising class – it's about the experience, the fleet and the shoreside programme, not the trophy. Prior knowledge is welcome but not required.

Highlights

We decide our stops in harbours and anchorages together. We're a crew that plans the route according to preferences, wind and weather.

St Martin — divided island, departure and destination port for the trip

Passage to Antigua — around 95 nautical miles of trade wind sailing, mostly as an overnight leg

Falmouth Harbour — regatta port and heart of Antigua Sailing Week

Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbour — the only continuously operating Georgian-era dockyard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016

Antigua Sailing Week from 21 to 25 April 2027 — five race days of the 58th edition

Shoreside programme — prize-givings, live music and sailors from around the world

Return passage to St Martin — broad reach back through the Leeward Islands

Sailing area

The Leeward Islands in the northern Lesser Antilles lie in the heart of the trade wind belt. Between St Martin and Antigua there are around 95 nautical miles of open water — one of the Caribbean's classic trade wind passages, easily sailed in an overnight leg. The islands are tropical: air temperature year-round 25–30 °C, water 26–27 °C. The north-east trade wind blows steadily at force 4–5.

Antigua is the sailing centre of the eastern Caribbean. English Harbour and neighbouring Falmouth Harbour form one of the region's best-protected natural harbours. The British naval dockyard there dates back to 1725, is the only continuously operating Georgian-era dockyard and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016. Every year at the end of April, yachts from around the world gather here for Antigua Sailing Week — from charter and cruising yachts through classic vessels to superyachts.

Trip

Our trip begins in St Martin. After boarding, provisioning and safety briefing, we take the first few days to get to know the sailing area and the crew: we shake down, practise manoeuvres and anchor in the bays around St Martin, St Barthélemy and Anguilla — wherever wind and inclination take us.

Then comes the leg to Antigua: around 95 nautical miles across open water, with the north-east trade wind on the beam. We sail it mostly overnight, with watches and a star-filled sky — for many on board the first real night passage and for everyone the most memorable part of the voyage.

From 21 to 25 April 2027 Antigua Sailing Week runs, the 58th edition. We enter GALINI for the regatta and sail five race days. Let's be honest: GALINI is a 17.15-metre Hanse 575 — a fast but fully equipped cruising yacht with generator, washing machine and watermaker on board, not a stripped-out racing boat. We start in a cruising class, with the crew who are on board. The final class allocation follows from the entry. If you've never sailed a race before, you're in the right place: in the end the start line, the gusts under the land and the applause in harbour count more than the result.

Between races we berth in Falmouth Harbour, a few minutes' walk from Nelson's Dockyard. Antigua Sailing Week is as famous for its shoreside programme as for the sailing: prize-givings, live music and in the evenings a harbour full of sailors from around the world.

After the final race on Sunday we slip our lines and sail broad reach back to St Martin, where the trip ends on Monday.

We reckon on around 300 nautical miles — two passages of about 95 nautical miles each plus the race distances off Antigua. That's an estimate: how many miles the regatta brings in the end depends on the courses set. Sailing experience is welcome but not required. Language on board is German and English.

For anyone collecting miles for their next sailing licence: since on this trip we sail the open stretch between St Martin and Antigua twice and add five race days, a decent number of nautical miles goes into the logbook. We'll of course issue you with an official mile certificate at the end of the voyage.

Our GALINI is travelling the world – and you can be part of it! With us you are not an anonymous guest on a standard route, but part of a real crew discovering new horizons together. We are not a classic charter company running the same tour every week. Instead we sail together, experience real boatlife and embrace the adventure the sea has in store for us.

Step aboard a superbly equipped, lovingly maintained boat and enjoy what makes us special: with us nothing comes off the peg. Every sailing trip is unique – sometimes spontaneous, sometimes planned, always full of surprises. Unplanned experiences are just as much a part of it as relaxed days on deck.

Do you want to do more than just sail along? We look after the boat's systems together, and you can pitch in yourself if you'd like. You can also turn it from a holiday sailing trip into a real experience on a long-distance yacht and become part of life at sea.

Our sailing trips combine holiday, experience, mindfulness and real boatlife. Become part of our crew and experience a special time on GALINI – authentic, communal and full of a spirit of adventure.

Wind & climate

The north-east trade wind blows at mostly force 3–6 and is the constant engine of our Caribbean trips. April still lies in the dry, reliable sailing season and well before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season on 1 June. Air temperature averages 29 °C, water temperature 27 °C. On the courses off Antigua the trade wind provides brisk, well-sailable conditions; brief showers occasionally bring cooling.

The yacht

Our beautiful GALINI is a very fast, large and comfortable yacht. She was in the Caribbean over the winter and is crossing the Atlantic in April/May.

She is a modern Hanse 575 with 4 double cabins and a skipper's cabin. Each cabin has its own head with electric toilet. Wi-Fi via Starlink (optional), multimedia, generator 220 V / 7 KW (230 V in all cabins), washing machine, air fryer and coffee machine. She has large solar panels, radar, AIS, a watermaker, hydraulic bathing platform and a dinghy with outboard motor. A comprehensive array of safety and navigation equipment and much more besides – in short, everything you need to be self-sufficient on the go without needing to call at a provisioning harbour. A yacht that meets the highest standards for safety, design and comfort.

The sailing characteristics are outstanding too! The Hanse was designed by Volvo Ocean racers and is the fastest yacht in her class. Sailing pleasure guaranteed!

Marine Infinite

We want to make sailing more sustainable and environmentally friendly. On GALINI we test different products that give you a great sailing experience whilst placing less strain on the environment. At the same time she is on a voyage to explore the world. Her base is on Poros, Greece. Usually, though, she is away on long voyages. Our small team of skippers looks forward to sharing a real sailing experience with you!

Services

Cabin charter with experienced skipper

Berth on the yacht

Entry fee for Antigua Sailing Week

Sailing instruction

Mileage confirmation (on request)

Additional costs

Onboard kitty (harbour fees, transit log, provisions, diesel, internet, final cleaning etc.): approx. 350 EUR per week/person. During regatta week the berthing fees in Falmouth Harbour are higher than usual in the Caribbean.