Theme tours Martinique in Coop. with ZEIT-Reisen

This one-week sailing trip in the southern Caribbean led by Wolfgang Lechner combines relaxed island hopping with exciting stories about discoveries, colonial powers, pirates and rum. From Martinique, the route takes you via St. Vincent to the Grenadines and back. On this route, movie sets, dream beaches and living history lie close together.

Wolfgang Lechner gives several lectures on board: In “Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean”, he talks about the admiral’s late voyages, his conflicts, his failures and how he held on to having reached Asia until the very end. In “Why Charles is the King of Saint Vincent”, he sheds light on the colonial policies of the British and French, their wars over the islands and the tense relationship between sovereignty and dependence that continues to this day – including the American view of the Caribbean as the USA’s “backyard”.

A special theme is the “Pirates of the Caribbean”. In Wallilabou Bay on St. Vincent, a central filming location of “Pirates of the Caribbean”, we take a themed tour of the original locations. On board, Wolfgang Lechner frames this excursion with a screening of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and a talk about how pirates, corsairs and privateers really lived – and who suffered among them.

Another talk is about rum. In his rum lecture, Wolfgang Lechner explains how distilling originated in the Caribbean, what role Columbus played with the introduction of sugar cane, how rum became the engine of the slave trade and the subject of early trade conflicts and what significance it had for American independence. In addition, we visit a rum distillery near Marigot Bay on St. Lucia with a guided tour and tasting.

The voyage takes us sailing south from Martinique via St. Vincent with the picturesque Wallilabou Bay and on to the Grenadines. We visit Mustique with the famous “Basil’s Bar” or Bequia with its wide beaches. On the way back to Martinique, we stop off on St. Lucia. The island is known for its striking Pitons. We visit the botanical garden with waterfall and swimming opportunities or the protected Marigot Bay – a Caribbean classic that combines nature, film history and enjoyment in an ideal way.