Five Atlantic crossings as crew and four Caribbean winters, on the islands I lived on for weeks or months. How to get on a boat, where to stop and stay, the trails, the coconuts and the markets. It is not ready yet. The waitlist hears first.
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Choose by how you want to do the Caribbean
Every island deserves weeks, if not months. This guide is for people who arrive by boat, stay longer than planned, and want to know how to live an island instead of ticking it off. There is no day-by-day schedule, just the places, the tips and the know-how to find your own bays.
Live the islands instead of travelling through them
Before my first Atlantic crossing I had absolutely no idea about the Caribbean. I was super curious and eager to explore this promising paradise. Then I arrived in Dominica by sailboat, straight off the ocean, craving fresh fruit and solid ground. I meant to stop for a few days. I kept coming back. The days turned into months. Dominica does that to you.
Slow down. When you arrive from the east you will most likely land on an island where it's hot and everyone is in laidback beach mode. Take the time to absorb the ambience. Drink a coconut. Take it easy. Don't leave two days after arrival! That's when you just start to adapt to the local scene. Forget about cheese and olives and eat what grows here. It's pure, tasty, and a whole lot cheaper.
Obviously, I love coconuts.
What is in the guide
Every bay I anchored in, every village I stayed too long in, every trail and market and river bath, written up island by island with a note on how to get there and what it costs. Next to the places sit the tips that make a Caribbean winter easy on a small budget.
Getting on a boat
Where the boats gather, when they leave, and how to find a captain you trust.
The crossing
What a crossing is like as crew, from provisioning to the first landfall.
Island by island
Dominica, the Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago and the ones in between, with what each island is for.
Where to sleep
Anchorages and hosts for sailors, hostels and camps for walkers, and the budget options that actually work.
Hiking
The Waitukubuli segment by segment, and the shorter walks worth a morning.
Food and markets
Where to buy, what grows, and how to eat well on very little.
Money
What a Caribbean winter really costs, and the ways it can cost almost nothing.
The quieter spots
A small bonus chapter for the waitlist, the bays and villages I don't put in a public post.
A PDF field guide you can read on your phone, offline, or print at home. It grows with updates after launch.
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Suzanne van der Veeken
Four Caribbean winters, always arriving by boat
Before my first Atlantic crossing I had absolutely no idea about the Caribbean. Five crossings and four Caribbean winters later, I have lived on thirteen islands for weeks or months at a time: Dominica longest, then the Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago and the rest of the zone.
I arrive by boat, stay too long, and leave by boat. In between I walk: the Waitukubuli across Dominica, the volcano trails, the river paths. I eat what grows, take the local bus, and drink a lot of coconuts.
The guide is my saved map, my notes and my photos from those winters, written up island by island.
I also run Ocean Nomads, a community for people who want to live a little wilder, explore a little further, and do it with good people. Now and then we sail trips together.
5
Atlantic crossings as crew
4
Caribbean winters
13
islands lived on for weeks or months
50000
nautical miles at sea
Suzanne van der Veeken has been featured in print and on TV, for sailing expeditions and long trails.
Is this for you?
- You want to cross the Atlantic as crew and have no idea what happens after landfall.
- You'd rather live one island for a month than tick off ten in two weeks.
- You walk. The Waitukubuli is on your list, or it is about to be.
- You travel on little money and want to know how that works out here.
- You liked my free Dominica and Waitukubuli writing and want the map that pulls it together.
What you won't find in it
- A resort guide
- Hotel tips (I slept on boats, in tents and with hosts)
- Islands I haven't been to myself
What you will find
- How to get on a boat, and what the crossing is like
- Island by island, what each one is for
- Where I slept and ate, and what it cost
- The Waitukubuli segment by segment
Almost ready
Join the waitlist for the Caribbean guide
One email when it is ready, with the early-bird price and a small bonus chapter with the quieter bays. No newsletter spam. You can unsubscribe at any time.
One email when it is ready, with the early-bird price. You can unsubscribe at any time.
A few things you might be wondering
Do I need to sail?
No. Most of it works by ferry and local boat too. The guide starts from how I did it: as crew, from the Canaries.
Which islands?
Dominica in depth, then the Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago, St Vincent and the islands in between. The ones I have lived on, not a list of all of them.
Can I hike it?
Yes. The Waitukubuli across Dominica is a two-week trail through rainforest. The other islands have day walks worth the sweat.
Is the Caribbean expensive?
It does not have to be. I crossed as crew, slept on boats, in tents and with hosts, and ate from the markets. The guide shows how.
What format is it?
A PDF, readable on any phone, tablet, laptop or e-reader, and it prints cleanly at home. Built from my own notes and photos, island by island.
When is it ready?
I'm building it now. The waitlist gets the first email when it is, with the early-bird price. No date promised until it is true.
Live the islands
Slow down. Drink a coconut. Take it easy. Give an island weeks, not days. It opens up: the market mornings, the river baths, the people who say good afternoon to a stranger. Live the Caribbean instead of travelling through it.
Stay wild.
Join the waitlist
It is not ready yet. The waitlist gets the first email when it is, with the early-bird price and the bonus chapter. Until then, my free Dominica guide, the Waitukubuli diary and how I travel the Caribbean on a budget are the best place to start.
