Uproar spent almost two years in the Eastern Caribbean. We are often asked, “What's your favorite island?” I'll get to that but first give my general impressions of this famous cruising ground.

I consider the Eastern Caribbean to be the Lesser Antilles, These are the smaller islands east of Puerto Rico and following south to Trinidad. The chain from Anguilla to Grenada is a banana-shape, mostly lying north to south. It would fit inside Lake Michigan! This is the area we cruised. We did spend six weeks in the Virgin Islands from Culebra to Virgin Gorda. I would have to say that we are not big fans of the Virgin Islands. Culebra was delightful and a great place for a one week charter. New Found Bay on St. John is an idyllic anchorage, seldom visited. And the British Virgins have some beautiful snorkeling spots but lack local color and are quite crowded with charter boats.

Sail 100 miles east from the Virgin Islands to St. Martin or Anguilla, the north end of the banana. Here you will find a diversity of islands which give a variety of cultures, topography and anchorages within a days sail between islands. Consistent trade winds make protected anchorages on the lee side of the islands, water is warm and beautiful almost everywhere and a cruising community exists that becomes your second family.

We love it here. We could have easily spent another year or more in the, Eastern Caribbean but the South Pacific called. I am writing this from the Las Perlas islands of Panama. We are now in the Pacific Ocean and the water is cold! I never had to think about water temperature when jumping off Uproar in the Caribbean. Sure makes me think more about the beautiful islands we left behind.

Passages between islands are between 20 and 40 miles. One can sail between islands with just day hops. Strong trade winds can make these passages a bit rough but the wind is usually on the beam making for swift sailing. The wind and water are warm, getting splashed a bit is no problem. Hurricane season can be a big problem. 2017 was a very bad year for hurricanes, damaging Dominica, St. Martin, Barbuda and the Virgin Islands. Grenada and south are considered safe from hurricane damage and there is plenty of great cruising in this area during hurricane season, July through October.

There are at least a dozen countries represented in this island chain. Some are independent island nations like Dominica and some are territories of other countries like Martinique, a state of France. The short passages between islands often bring diversity in cultures that are most enjoyable. OK, I love the French islands for their food, language, infrastructure, shopping and understated friendliness. People in the formerly English islands are more outgoing and colorful with a fierce national pride. We witnessed an election in St. Lucia. What a spirited, boisterous and fun event. The battle was closely fought but without animosity. Seems they change parties every five years when the party in power fails to deliver on promises.

Now for the favorite islands as promised. Lisa and I agree, Dominica is the most beautiful. This mountainous island has rivers and waterfalls everywhere. A strenuous hiking trail runs the length of this 30 mile island in 14 segments. There are hot springs, bubbling pools, tropical rain forests and food growing everywhere. Only 70,000 people live on Dominica and they are most welcoming to strangers. The anchorages are limited to moorings in the deep waters off Roseau, the capitol. Portsmouth has a broad, sandy bay with moorings or safe holding for anchoring. Dominica is a hiker's paradise. From the Portsmouth there are many, beautiful hikes. Taxis or buses will take you to breathtaking waterfalls and mountain lakes. Food is cheap but nothing fancy. The cruiser community is alive especially during PAYS (Portsmouth Yachting Services) cruisers appreciation week. We were anchored with 200 other boats for this lively event.

Dominica received the brunt of damage from hurricane Maria. Lisa and I, along with Nicola and Laura (young artists from Martinique who had collected aid supplies) brought aid to Dominica after the hurricane. Our friend Budah from Dominica drove us around to distribute aid. The devastation was horrific and all encompassing. Dominicans seemed resilient and optimistic about their recovery. We hope this island recovers to its former beauty.

Guadeloupe is another beautiful island. It is actually a group of islands that are quite diverse. The main part of Guadeloupe consists of two, large islands joined by a bridge. Grande Terre is the older formation, fairly flat and with beautiful beaches. Bas Terre is mountainous by contrast with dense forests and picturesque seaside villages. South of Guadeloupe are Les Saintes, still part of Guadeloupe. This small ring of islands is most visited by yachts and tourists. They come here for good reason, this small ring of islands has beautiful beaches, historic forts, hilly hikes and shops. Marie Galant is a small, agricultural island, part of Guadeloupe. It is one of the older, hilly, not mountainous islands. We found it the best biking island with little traffic and French-quality roads. There are three run distilleries here powered by live steam engines. They also produce 59% alcohol Rhum Agricole! We biked to all three and bought a few bottles.

We were fortunate to be in Guadeloupe during Carnival. The small city of Bas Terre had an energetic, costumed parade we watched for hours. It was of a smaller scale than Grenada but we enjoyed it more. The local bands and dancers were truly grass roots clubs that were out, enjoying life. One troupe pulled Carla, Steve's girlfriend, out of the crowd to dance with them.

Down the chain is Martinique, also French. Martinique is one of the large yachting centers in the Caribbean. But it has some beautiful anchorages if you want something more remote. We loved driving the mountainous roads and visiting some of the Atlantic side towns. Sainte Pierre is one of the oldest towns in the Caribbean. It was destroyed by a massive volcano in 1903. There are several museums that chronicle the volcano which killed 30,000 people in a matter of minutes. One of our favorite run distilleries is a short distance away, Depaz. It is a museum of rum production, a beautiful overlook of the Caribbean and still powered by a live steam engine. We love Martinique but give the nod to Guadeloupe for its diversity of islands and more laid-back lifestyle.

Bequia gets honorable mention. It is a great harbor and village. There is a lot of ship building history and whaling history there. We enjoyed our time with Alec and Selma who run a sail loft and keep traditional boat racing alive.

Grenada has much of the beauty of Dominica and is more developed. The cruising community here is strong because Grenada is considered safe during hurricane season. Cruisers hole up here for months at a time. There are activities every day to join in. But the best part of Grenada is its smaller sister island north, Carriacou. Carriacou has only one major town, Hillsborough. Tyrrel Bay is just around the corner and a well-protected bay where cruisers hang out. There are small bars and restaurants in Tyrrel Bay and the surrounding area. We just fell in love with the place. It is partly due to the camaraderie of other cruisers we met there.

After being there for one week, we knew about 40 people who attended Joanne's birthday party at Slipway. The Slipway restaurant charged $5 per person for a grilled chicken quarter. The rest of the meal was pot luck and beer was the typical $1.20. We engaged in “noodling” water aerobics MWF and extensive hikes on other days. The local boat yard was busy repairing the wooden fishing boats built on the island. It was amazing to watch skilled craftsmen remove rotten planks, fit new ones in place, caulk, paint and launch the boat in a matter of days. When it came time to paint Uproar's bottom, I knew exactly which craftsmen I wanted working on my boat. I had the bottom done twice there (under the paint company's warrantee). They did a great job.

Carriacou does not have the dramatic topography of Dominica but has breathtaking vistas. It is surrounded by some beautiful islands with passages between. There is a variety of terrain not found on most islands. There are black sand beaches, moon rock beaches, perfect sandy beaches (Sandy Island), pastures and woodlands. We love the hiking. Scottish immigrants built famous boats in Windward several hundred years ago, a small, remote village. Their descendants mixed with the African slaves. They still build wooden boats in Windward and love to show their work with a twinkle of their green eyes. The movie “Vanishing Sail” is a must-see documentary of these people.

Carriacou has some fantastic snorkeling, especially off Sandy Island. We spent many weeks in Tyrrel Bay and would occasionally go on “vacation” sailing the 4 miles to Sandy Island for the weekend. We also loved biking on Carriacou. Traffic is not bad and the roads are OK. There are mini-stores all along the island to stop for a coke and chat. Most of all, the people of Carriacou are just the best. We found everyone hospitable in the Caribbean but really got to know local people in Carriacou. I would ride my bike and be stopped by someone I had met briefly a year ago, just to say hi. I had to stop and visit with friends everywhere. Not just to say hello but to have a bit of a conversation.

So here is the summary. Dominica is the most beautiful. The people here are welcoming and help you to enjoy their island paradise. Guadeloupe has a lot of variety in landscape and endless possibilities to explore. The French culture is a real plus for food, rum and wine. Grenada has it all but the corner of Grenada that really drew me in was Carriacou. I felt like part of the community among cruisers and locals. On balance, Carriacou is my favorite island in the Caribbean. You won't find it mentioned in any guide book. I would not suggest booking a flight to vacation there. But if you are sailing in the Caribbean and in no hurry, visit Carriacou and you will absorb its charms. Oh, and we sure enjoyed the Carriacou Regatta which we won twice!