April 13

We weigh anchor and leave Union Island. Aboard the "Serenity", we are now heading for the Tobago Cays Marine Park. We pass the island of Mayreau on our port side and steer directly toward the Tobago Cays.

The Tobago Cays are five small islands, four of which are protected from the Atlantic surf by the Horse Shoe Reef. This is the perfect spot for anchoring, diving and snorkeling — a true meeting point for sailing yachts.

We drop anchor right in front of Baradel, the island with a guaranteed sea turtle encounter. The weather is not cooperating today either, but we still spot plenty of turtles, an eagle ray, and many other exotic fish.

We have a magnificent view of the island of Jamesby — an elongated rock with a stunning sandy cove — and the island of Petit Tabac, the very island where Jack Sparrow was marooned in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and escaped with the help of sea turtles. We take the Zodiac over to Jamesby and savor the Caribbean dream, despite the low-hanging rain clouds that soon unleash a heavy downpour.

April 14

From the Tobago Cays to Bequia it is 12 nautical miles. Today we are lucky — the wind is in our favor. I get to try my hand at the helm for four hours, and sure enough, we arrive right on schedule. It was an incredible thrill to keep our two-masted schooner on course and feel the power of the wind and the waves.

In the harbor of Bequia, countless sailing yachts are at anchor — among them two exceptionally beautiful ones: a three-masted tall ship and another built entirely of carbon fiber. Our skipper knows someone in the crew but unfortunately cannot pry out of him which celebrity owns the boat.

After dinner, we head to Port Elizabeth, the capital of Bequia, and visit the Frangipani Restaurant and Bar. Every Thursday, live steel pan music fills the air. Locals, vacationers, and yacht owners all gather here. Over one or two rum punches, we slowly begin to say goodbye to our sailing adventure.