On the Sunny Side of Life - Sailing from San Juan to Philipsburg

Departure 10:00 pm
The fact that San Juan was considered impregnable for centuries was due not least to its imposing fortifications. La Fortaleza, Fort San Felipe del Morro, Fort San Juan de la Cruz and Fort San Cristóbal protected San Juan from attacks – and ensured that its old town was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983. "Old San Juan" is a Spanish colonial town like out of a picture book: the brightly colored facades have been lovingly restored and shine with balcony flowers and the blue shimmering cobblestones. Salsa music can be heard in almost every café encouraging spontaneously dance.

Arrival 2:00 pm, Departure 11:00 pm
If you ask about St. John, the answers are stacked with superlatives. The island is the smallest, the most original, the most relaxed and simply the most beautiful of the American Virgin Islands, they say. And indeed, the breathtaking Virgin Islands National Park stretches over two thirds of St. John, from the velvety soft palm beaches to the lush green tropical forests of the hilly countryside. Cruz Bay is the colorful port city of the Antilles: its colonial houses today remind us of the sweet life of the Danish sugar barons – and the hard fate of their slaves.

Arrival 8:00 am, Departure 4:00 pm
It almost seems as if no other career choice than pirate was possible in the 17th and 18th centuries in the British Virgin Islands. Jost van Dyke, Blackbeard, Francis Drake – they all went on the prowl in the Dream Territory during the golden age of privateering. Norman Island was named after the pirate captain Norman, who allegedly hid his treasures here, and inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write his adventure novel “Treasure Island”. If you dig a little in the fine sand on the uninhabited private island today, you probably won’t discover any gold coins, but you will discover an equally valuable treasure: deep, Caribbean relaxation.

Arrival 08:00 pm
Explorers once used to cross swords in the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Nowadays the sea around the British Virgin Islands is one of the world's best sailing areas. Heavenly bays, gorgeous beaches, idyllic anchoring spots, smart yacht clubs and charming little beach bars make the island a popular haunt for sailors. On Virgin Gorda, once called "The Fat Virgin" by Columbus due to its shape, you can find "The Baths", one of nature's most beautiful oddities, in the National Park. Ground to a sphere and polished to a shine, the huge granite formations on the beach and in the water create a multi-branched labyrinth of giant boulders.

Departure 6:00 pm
Explorers once used to cross swords in the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Nowadays the sea around the British Virgin Islands is one of the world's best sailing areas. Heavenly bays, gorgeous beaches, idyllic anchoring spots, smart yacht clubs and charming little beach bars make the island a popular haunt for sailors. On Virgin Gorda, once called "The Fat Virgin" by Columbus due to its shape, you can find "The Baths", one of nature's most beautiful oddities, in the National Park. Ground to a sphere and polished to a shine, the huge granite formations on the beach and in the water create a multi-branched labyrinth of giant boulders.

Climbing the rigging, untying ropes, setting sails – today is all about sailing. Time to lean back and relax in the deck chair and watch the passionate crew hoisting the sails by hand.

Arrival 8:00 am, Departure 6:00 pm
St John’s is the capital of this small island in the Antilles, a former British colony. From Shirley Heights in the south you have a fantastic view over the English harbor and Nelson's Dockyard, an old restored shipyard named after the Admiral. Visit Betty's Hope, a restored sugar mill where "white gold" would have been processed during the island's bitter past. Now sweet black pineapples grow in the gentle rolling landscape around Boggy Peak. The coast is lined with bays and lagoons, dazzling white palm-filled beaches – one for every day of the year – and an almost unbroken coral reef.

Arrival 8:00 am, Departure 1:30 pm
With an area of 100 square miles and a population of only around 53,000, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is one of the twelve smallest recognized states in the world. Located to the southeast, Nevis is the smaller and quieter of the two leeward islands – and a true Caribbean dream. Lush green rainforests stretch along the slopes of its extinct volcano, flowing into long sandy beaches that shimmer seductively in various shades of yellow, black and red toward the ocean. Charlestown itself is quite manageable, and offers two museums as cultural alternatives to splashing around in the warm Caribbean waters.

Arrival 8:00 am, Departure 11:00 pm
St. Barthélemy, affectionately known as St. Barths by most, already had many "owners" before the Lesser Antilles were acquired by France in 1877. When the first estate was acquired by the banker David Rockefeller in 1957, the island's future was finally sealed. It became a refuge for the international jet set and an elegant holiday paradise for many Hollywood stars. For over 40 years, St. Barths has cultivated a luxurious lifestyle with a Caribbean laissez-faire approach. You can stroll through the charming main town of Gustavia, whose beautifully restored houses and colonial facades look out over the sea with its elegant superyachts, browse in the shops for precious items, or enjoy a sundowner in the picturesque harbor surrounded by clusters of high class bars and restaurants.

Arrival 8:00 am
Dutch in the south, French in the north – on St. Maarten you will find an unusual piece of Europe in the middle of the Caribbean. Because of the natural salt deposits, the Dutch West India Company once claimed the island for itself and – according to legend – divided the island up in 1648 after a drinking competition with the French. In the colorful port city of Philipsburg, a day at the beach can be perfectly combined with a stroll through town: From the fine sandy Great Bay Beach it is only a stone's throw to the Boardwalk with its restaurants and to the boutiques of the small city center.

Itineraries are subject to change.