Thanks for that grmf.

"The Moorings" look very good - but they only have quite big boats left (42ft +) for my dates and the nearest to Guadaloupe is Martinique ... which would be fine, but the crew wants to go to Guadaloupe (apparently it's where they film "death in paradise" !) and doesn't want an open sea passage.  Hey ho.  Next time.

Meanwhile

click&boat seem good; called me back from france and discussed needs, itinerary and qualifications - they mostly want to handle full week charters but there are exceptions.  Most of the boats they have are BIG; a 36fter would be more than enough for me, but their idea of small is a Beneteau 383.

12knots.com seem to be legit (just a very low UK presence - they're based in the US), they were very responsive and helpful and will do charters by the day ... click2boat could see they were holding a boat I was after and I can track the boat sailing round Martinique from its MSSI!  So almost certainly for real .... though sending money to the US is worrying somehow.

as a Caribbean newbie, I intend to hang around the Guadaloupe coast rather than head out to St Lucia.  And there is a great youtube of the Pogo30 I fancy borrowing being delivered across the Atlantic from La Rochelle!

Dream Yachts have HUGE things.  Even Horizon offers full crew and COOK!  They do look promising for more basic bare boating, but they don't do Guadaloupe sadly.

Click&boat is actually a peer to peer rental agency - you register with some details and a sailing CV then message yacht owners direct; the owners check you out and make an offer.  AirBnB for boats basically.  Then confusingly click&boat's office phone and email with completely different offers and boats! .....

thanks for the advice.

All you seasoned salty keel boaters are going to rip me to shreds now ... I finally settled on a Beneteau 343 on the basis that it was affordable and available.

We've been out in the F6+ Meltemi in Turkey in a Beneteau 321 (with three kids), and back and forth between Greece and Turkey in a 37fter and that went OK (baring one broach).....  anyway, some bloke just sailed round the world in a 36fter ... though he did pitch pole it and nearly die!  And that Pogo30 is still cruising towards St Lucia across open sea.  I'll only be doing a few days of coastal cruising after all ......(famous last words).

If I survive the experience, I'll report back.

The boat came from clickandboat who put me in touch with an owner with a small rental fleet in pointe a pitre.

It's the first I've heard of Samboat .. just been to cruise your web site and found the same 343 I've just rented.  I shall be in touch next time.

Cheers people.

Just reporting back from my bare boat hols in Guadeloupe.  Very pleasant and laid back. 

Clickandboat.com worked out fine; the company itself was good and helpful, though their website isn't the easiest to use (you have to chose a boat and see if it is available rather than state your dates and see what is free ...).  Most boats are only available Friday to Friday, but some of the owners are happy to lease for a few days mid week or across a weekend.

A 34fter is quite sufficient, for Guadeloupe's windward side; you just don't go very fast, so getting further than Les Saintes and Marie Gallant is probably not going to happen very easily.  To get from Saintes to Marie Gallant let alone out to Desirade and Petite Isles is a long beat against the prevailing wind - with few options for easy anchorage part way along if you don't make it.

In the end the boat owner looked at my itinerary and suggested we go first from Point a Pitre to Marie Gallant rather than to Les Saintes ("full of tourists anyway") to avoid the beat out to Marie Gallant ... then the wind changed and we ended up beating most of the way to Marie Gallant anyway.  Could then easily have broad reached across to Les Saintes and beam-reached back to Pointe a Pitre; but "the crew" liked Marie Gallant so much we stayed there!  Great anchorage off Saint Louis, couple of nice bars / restaurants and lovely bays and beaches in both directions for day trips.  Oh, and 50o proof RUM in 5 litre boxes!

Constant 26oC, surprisingly variable F3 to F6, but mostly sat around the top of F4.   Local 1m waves crossing 2m ocean swell makes for a bouncy ride.  Navigation is basically line of site;  though look out for blocks of coral when close to shore (the chart might say 2m depth, but the rocks are BIG).