Terre-de-Haut

A Little Slice of France with Island Windjammers

Published June 8, 2015 | By Clark Norton

The harbor at Terre-de-Haut, Guadeloupe. Photo by Catharine Norton.

Fourth in a Series:

After leaving Dominica aboard our Island Windjammers cruise through the French West Indies, we reached Guadeloupe early in the morning of our fourth day out.

Rather than visiting Guadeloupe’s main island, our sailing ship, the 24-passenger Sagitta, anchored off idyllic Terre-de-Haut, one of two small inhabited islands of the Iles des Saintes (Islands of the Saints), which Columbus named because he first saw them on All Saints Day.

The islands (also sometimes called Les Saintes) are part of Guadeloupe, which in turn is an overseas department of France — meaning it’s not a territory but part of France itself.

Being up on deck with our cups of coffee as we sailed through the island chain was a treat. The Iles des Saintes are truly the undiscovered Caribbean, visited only by small ships: yachts, sailboats, ferries… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Caribbean, Cruises | Tagged Caribbean, French West Indies, Guadeloupe, Island Windjammers, Sagitta, Terre-de-Haut | 2 Comments

Island Time: Life on an Island Windjammers Cruise

Published June 1, 2015 | By Clark Norton

The Sagitta at full sail. Photo by Marina Kofman.

First in a Series:

On the first day of our recent Caribbean cruise aboard the Sagitta – a 24-passenger Island Windjammers ship sailing out of St. Lucia through the French West Indies – my watch stopped.

Though it seemed inconvenient at the time, it proved to be a good omen. This was one of the most relaxing trips I’ve had in years, and while I admit that I glanced at my left wrist from time to time over the course of a week’s cruise expecting to view my now packed-away watch, I didn’t really need to know the hour – or sometimes, it seemed, even the day.

The ship’s bell rang at mealtimes – 8 a.m. for breakfast, noon for lunch, 5 p.m. for snack-and-cocktail hour, 7 p.m. for dinner – so the critical times of the day were… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Caribbean, Cruises | Tagged Dominica, French West Indies, Guadeloupe, Island Windjammers, Martinique, Sagitta, St. Lucia, Terre-de-Haut | 2 Comments

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.