Under sail in the Caribbean seas of the Grenadines

This chain of 32 islands was inhabited by indigenous tribes until the 18th century when the Europeans sailed in.

In the years that followed, St Vincent and the Grenadines was colonised by the French and British, until gaining its independence in 1979.

We docked for a brief lunch at Mayreau, the smallest of the Grenadines’ inhabited islands and home to 300 residents who live in brightly painted stone houses.

Back on the water and circling the island we were tasked with “sweating the halliards”, which basically means taking out the slack of the line.

I was working so fast, I hardly noticed the friction burns that were stinging the palms of my hands. Instead I felt exhilarated at the sight of the sail rising and the sensation of the boat speeding up within minutes.

Docking for the night at Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau, I leapt off the back of the boat for a swim as a man kayaked over to sell us bread and ice cubes. That night we dined at a beach bar, feasting on barbecued lobster and red snapper.

The next morning, we took it in turns to “tack”, a tricky manoeuvre in which the boat crosses the wind. After negotiating the shallow waters around Tobago Cays, a protected marine park consisting of an archipelago of five islands, we dropped anchor (without incident this time) and snorkelled with turtles that glided over the seabed like little submarines.

By the time Palm Island appeared later that afternoon, the ink barely dry on our certificates, I found myself hoisting the sails almost instinctively and relishing life on the open seas.

“You’re now fully fledged sailors,” beamed Katie. Ashore, we toasted our success with sweet rum cocktails prepared by Palm Island’s barman Kenneth.

The steel band was warming up as dinner was served at the beachfront restaurant. Ravenous after our active afternoon, we tucked into a Creole feast of curried goat and crab cakes with spiced papaya. The other tables were occupied by a smattering of couples and the odd family with teenagers in tow.

No noisy toddlers though, 135-acre Palm Island is strictly for the over-12s only. With only 43 rooms, with cool tiled floors, wooden shuttered windows and pastel colours, and five beaches to choose from, Palm Island rather feels like your own private isle. Before Americans John and Mary Caldwell arrived in 1966 it was nothing but waterlogged swampland. They leased the island for $1 a year and put into motion a transformation few thought possible.

During the day we rarely saw another guest and on the following morning’s 20-minute bike ride the only company that we had were the giant iguanas that scuttled into the bushes, along with the resident gardener.

We watched in awe as he climbed a palm tree hacking away with his machete until coconuts the size of bowling balls fell to the ground with a loud thud.

We cycled to Cactus Hill, a prickly rounded peak that dominates the island. Below, sandy trails crossed the lush lowlands, linking the spa and golf course to the turtle sanctuary and plant nursery where herbs grow in canoes suspended in the air, out of reach of hungry iguanas.

To the east, waves battered the rocky, windswept Atlantic coast and yet the Caribbean Sea was perfectly calm. A lone yacht slowly inched across the horizon. Its sails rippling in the warm, gentle breeze.

It was, I thought, a perfect day for a spot of sailing.

The Knowledge

Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3859/ virginholidays.co.uk) offers seven nights on Palm Island from £1,775pp (two sharing), all-inclusive. Price includes return flights with Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick to Barbados and transfers. Overnight sailing course, from £599pp (full board). St Vincent the Grenadines tourism: discoversvg.com