This week closes out one month of being in the Caribbean, and time is surely passing too quickly. Things have smoothed out nicely and we've established a comfortable rhythm.

As idyllic as sailing around the Caribbean Sea sounds, it has certainly not come without its own challenges. Many of the islands are of volcanic origin, meaning tall mountains that, combined with the relatively close distance from island to island, funnel winds that can sometimes double what the forecast perceives. Sailing over-reefed is a must around these parts, but can quickly turn to agony when the wind briefly dies, leaving the sails flogging as the boat bobs at a near standstill.

We picked up some family at Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, for a week on board Stardust. Having a good lay of the land at this point, we quickly started our descent to Les Saintes, pausing at all the usual spots by Îlet à Cabrit and Terre-de-Bas. We'll be making our way north towards Bouillante until the middle of next week, before starting our official journey south to Martinique to end out the winter cruising season.