$4,125 CAD | 300nm | 4 spots max
Island Hopping Adventure
Panacea X will take us from pretty St.Lucia, northward through the island chain, with a focus on les belles îsles des Antilles Françaises. Martinique and Guadeloupe will be our focus, pillaging as many patisseries as we can along the way, moving at a pace that allows for lovely day sails and lots of land excursions. We will finish with an open ocean passage to beautiful Barbados, providing the full spectrum of skill development under starry night skies.
Priority booking is given to our Steadfast Sailors (i.e. returning crew!). We will open for public booking on June 30, 2026 when a booking link will be added here. Until then, feel free to contact our office with questions or to register your interest.
Pre-Requisites
Prior sailing experience is required to a Competent Crew level.
For those 19 years and older at time of booking.
Discount Booking Packages Available
For those who want to build some serious mileage AND do some fun racing before Christmas, check out our booking packages for some great deals:
Full Pre-Season Package: Grenada to St.Lucia + Mango Bowl Regatta + Les Belles Îles all for less!
If you’re one of our Steadfast Sailors (returning crew), remember to book through our office to receive your discount!
The Route
This is not, in fact, our route! The conditions of each day dictate where Panacea X will actually roam- we cannot set our plans in stone when the ocean has other ideas. However, this is a good representation of one path we may take through these islands, to give you a sense of the mix of long and short days at sea.
Typical Weather Conditions
This is prime tradewind sailing! Typical conditions are far from guaranteed, but usually we do enjoy great breeze. We will likely start out from St.Lucia on a close reach for the legs up to Guadeloupe. Part of the reasoning for this particular itinerary, is it ultimately puts us on a great angle for the open ocean miles to Barbados- which should be a beam or possibly broad reach from Guadeloupe. It is warm and wavy, with often big ocean swell running in between the islands- and for sure once we’re on the windward side of any of the islands. This gives a great variety as we can experience open ocean conditions, and then relax in the flat water lee of each island. Expect the occasional squall, which can bring short-lived but heavy rain and strong gusts- something we are always prepared for on these passages.
About life on board
Sailors should expect to participate fully in the running of the boat and will get experience with a wide variety of skills and conditions, with none of the stress of doing it on your own. You will get plenty of opportunity to helm underway, practice anchoring, learn about sail trim, and be part of passage planning and applied digital navigation each day. Our goal is ultimately to get from A to B, so we do not have the ability to spend time on the sorts of drills included in more formal training (like docking, etc.).
We will make island hops usually sailing for 6 to 12 hours, depending on conditions, with the last leg to Barbados being up to 24 hours long. We will have some night sailing hours on one or two of the legs, and may even choose to do one hop entirely overnight so that we have good visibility for arriving in an unfamiliar location. We’ll enjoy a variety of different anchorages, and clear customs to make landfall at each island… with the option to have one or two days dedicated to more in depth exploration ashore.
One thing this adventure is not, is a luxury passenger vacation. Your skipper cannot do all things every day, so it’s important to come ready to pitch in and help with all the day- to-day tasks necessary to keep the boat neat and tidy and everyone fed and happy. Everyone should be prepared to take a turn preparing a meal, taking care of dishes, tidying up the cabin and we’ll work together to keep the boat ship shape throughout the cruise.
Sharing the incredible experience of sailing in the Caribbean with your fellow crew is a feature of the trip, and the perfect common ground to form lifelong friendships. This is real sailing, not the glitz of a superyacht! Cabins / double bunks are generally shared, with a lee cloth in place to provide some personal space. It’s important to keep your things ship shape, and bringing less rather than more stuff goes a long way towards that goal. Bring your curiosity, your love of adventure, your patience, and your sense of humour- and prepare for the trip of a lifetime!
Questions?
Read more about Panacea X and check our full Caribbean FAQs for more information. If you can’t find what you need there- contact us!