When I knew about the preparations for this regatta, I determined to get involved in it. I was looking for adventures and I always wanted to rediscover a part of the Caribbean.

March 6 I was received in Marina place where the contest begins a small sea town in the south tip of Martinique. The Ratin couple has been preparing this contest for three years. Most of the participants in this event are sea lovers, passion and experience characterized them all. Such is the case of Françoise who lived on the boats GNAGNAGNA I, II, III, and IV until Guy, her husband died. The night before among long chats and several bottles of strong Martinique rum (55 degrees), they prepared the boats. From every bottle uncorked, a bit is poured over the sea or over some corner of the boat. They claim that luck will never abandon them if the do it this way. I thought that the night before departure, work meetings would end early but that was not the case. Late in the night I still listened them in my cabin on board the Nirvana, a boat of the press and of the Organizing Committee.

SURROUNDED BY BOATS Dance, Alejandría, Carmen, Le Monde du Catamaran, Tania, Cilibul, No limit, Adelaide, Bar Avel, Pecheur de Lune, Callisto, Mon Rêve, Caraibes Air Cargo (defends the color of Cubana de Aviación), Passiflore, Gwadeloup Challange, Halley, Let it be and Petrouchka are some of the names of the 41 vessels registered. Of them 16 are multihulls and 25 monohulls. Crews are made up by Swiss, a Brazilian woman, British, Americans, Italians, French and Caribbean, most of the latter come from Guadeloupe. Special guest, the French Laurent Bourgnon, chosen as champion several times in different events with its impressive multihulls Primagaz, baptized again for this regatta with the name of Matouba (a mineral water brand), its sponsor. Given the conditions of this 38-m sailing boat, Matouba does not participate in the contest. Bourgnon has been double champion of the Rum Route to make the journey in solitaire between France and the Caribbean in a record time. The other boat, out of the contest is the Nirvana. Average speed: 10.5 knots. When its tricolor 300-m2 sails are unleashed is magnificent.

March 7 THE START The trip between Marin and Les Saintes began. For 100 miles and almost 15 hours of chatting, I take the advantage of this opportunity to know somebody as Annie Rutin, a woman of 65 years of age, so fast and skillful as the youngest sailors. Her husband, Jean Marc, had organized more than 70 regattas in 11 years. The regatta is on and at sunset, the Nirvana, under the command of Quito, approaches Anse d'Arlet to pick up the ship's skipper, just now that he joins us, bringing with him accras (cod fritters) and stories that draw my colleagues' attention.

March 8 WHERE DAWN IS SEEN FIRST Dawn appears earlier in this part of the Caribbean. Between 1 and 5 o'clock in the morning, the first boats arrived only propelled by wind. Les Saintes is a group of six small islands that makes up the Guadaloupean archipelago. This is a village mostly populated by fishermen. Houses are built under the influence of the Britons. At sunset, we welcome the only winner who unmistakably followed the whole route: Adelaide boat. At 9 p.m. is the new start toward the new goal, Antigua, at some 800 miles of distance and 12 hours of navigation.

March 9 ANTIGUA AND ITS DIFFERENCES Between 9 a.m. and 12 m. of the next day, at Jolly Harbour, the clean marina of Antigua. Antigua has a territory of 280 km2. The population is of 7,300 inhabitants. The capital is St. John. The largest regattas of the world are here organized. This stage between Les Saintes and Antigua was won among the multihulls by the AMC and among the monohulls by the Gwadeloup Challenge guided by a group of enthusiastic Guadaloupean youngsters.

BACK TO GUADELOUPE A part of the archipelago of Guadeloupe Islands is also Saint Martin, an isle shared by France and Holland of 50 km2 of extension and 2,800 inhabitants. Claude Bistoquet, the captain of Caraibe cargo, is beyond doubt the winner among multihulls as Halley boat is in the category of monohulls. Still, the largest trip remains to be made, towards Cuba, at some 1,185 miles and 7 days of distance.

CUBA ON SIGHT The strong winds of a cool front, typical around this season in Cuba, make difficult the access to Havana. However Bourgnon and its Matouba arrived almost one day in advance before the other participants. Still on March 19 and 20 when the commodore of the Nautical Club of Cuba, José Miguel Escrich, welcomed the boats at Marina Hemingway, the other participants continue arriving and joining the fiesta where Tony Cortis and his musical group were performing. To be even more convincing, Bistoquet and his Caraibe arrived first.