Three islands in a week: St Martin, Anguilla, St Barths
Three islands and three flags in a week: French St Martin, British Anguilla and St Barths, the most polished island in the Caribbean. Legs take two to four hours, the islands are within sight of each other, and the only stretch of open water is the one to St Barths. A loop of about 85 nm; this route is less about miles than about white sand, reefs and dinners ashore.
Day by day
Marina Fort Louis (Marigot)
- Marigot18.070, -63.088
Take over the yacht after 17:00 at Marina Fort Louis in Marigot, 25 minutes from Princess Juliana airport. The ruins of Fort Louis stand above the marina, and the French side's market and cafés line the waterfront. Provision for the week here: everything costs noticeably more on Anguilla and St Barths.
Marigot → Road Bay, Anguilla
- Road Bay, Anguilla18.203, -63.094
Two hours north across the Anguilla channel to Road Bay at Sandy Ground. The first change of flag: customs and immigration are by the jetty in the bay, then the dinghy to the beach bars. Anguilla is flat and quiet, with the whitest sand in the Leewards.
Road Bay → Prickly Pear → Road Bay
- Prickly Pear Cays18.260, -63.180
- Road Bay, Anguilla18.203, -63.094
A day out at the Prickly Pear Cays: two uninhabited islets with a reef between them and nothing else — lunch at anchor, mask and snorkel. Back to Road Bay for sunset and dinner at one of the beach restaurants; book a table during the day.
Road Bay → Tintamarre
- Tintamarre18.118, -62.988
East along the north coast of St Martin to Tintamarre, an uninhabited island in the nature reserve, with a beach on its lee side and turtles over the seagrass. You lie on the reserve's moorings, and the night is as dark as the Caribbean gets.
Tintamarre → Gustavia, St Barths
- Gustavia17.897, -62.851
Three hours south-east across the channel to St Barths with the wind just forward of the beam. Gustavia is a red-roofed harbour town with a Swedish past and the best shops and restaurants in the islands. The yacht lies on a mooring or at anchor in the outer harbour; you clear in at the port office.
Gustavia → Colombier → Grand Case
- Anse de Colombier17.922, -62.868
- Grand Case18.104, -63.054
A morning in Colombier, a bay you can reach only by sea or by footpath; it is a marine reserve, so you take one of its moorings. Then the long reach back to St Martin and Grand Case, the French side's food village: restaurants on the waterfront and lolos, the open-air grill kitchens. The last dinner is ashore.
Grand Case → Marigot
- Marigot18.070, -63.088
An hour around the headland with a last swim off Baie Rouge, and into Marina Fort Louis by midday: fuel and handover. A night aboard in the marina, flight home the next day.
Coordinates are approximate, for the harbour or bay. Paste them into Google Maps or a chartplotter, and check the chart and pilot book before you moor or anchor.
Good to know
- Season: December to April, at its best from January to March. The trade wind blows from the east at 15–20 knots, and the 'Christmas winds' of December and January reach 25. June to November is hurricane season.
- Weather: the leg to St Barths is the only one across open water. In 25 knots, keep the week between Anguilla and St Martin: a second night at Prickly Pear and Orient Bay instead of Gustavia, about 60 nm. When the northerly swell runs, swap Tintamarre for Grand Case.
- Formalities: every change of flag means clearing. Out of St Martin, into Anguilla at Road Bay, back into French waters and into St Barths at the Gustavia port office. On Anguilla, anchorages outside Road Bay, Prickly Pear included, need a separate permit, and the fees for charter yachts are significant — ask at customs and budget for them. Ask the base which papers the fleet prepares and where to clear back into St Martin.
- Logistics: Princess Juliana airport (SXM), on the Dutch side of the island, is 12 km away, about 25 minutes to Marigot; planes land right over Maho Beach. The border between the French and Dutch halves of the island is open.
When to go and what it costs in the Caribbean
Median € per berth per week from the agent's latest check, monohulls; each month's page has both boat types, a chart and boats departing that month.
Discounted boats in the Caribbean
All boats in the Caribbean
How long is the St Martin — Anguilla route and where do you stay overnight?
7 days and about 85 nautical miles in a loop, starting and finishing in St Martin. Overnight stops in order: Marigot, Road Bay, Anguilla, Road Bay, Anguilla, Tintamarre, Gustavia, Grand Case. The longest leg is day 6, 22 nm.
When is the best time to sail the St Martin — Anguilla route?
The Caribbean season runs December to April: dry, with a steady 15–20-knot trade wind. The most expensive weeks are Christmas, New Year and February–March. June to November is hurricane season: boats are cheaper, the weather riskier; May is a transition month. The fleet is mostly catamarans, booked 4–8 months ahead. By the agent's latest checks (monohulls), the cheapest month is October: a median of €510 per berth per week. The most expensive is February, at ≈€778. The most boats with 20% off or more are in November: 11%. The agent checks the current month and the next five; each month has its own page with the numbers.
How much does a yacht for this route cost?
A whole boat in the Caribbean for a week starts from €1,790 in the agent's current selection: the cheapest discounted week departing in the next three months. Prices per berth by month are higher up the page; the boats are under “All boats in the Caribbean”.
Do I need a licence to charter a yacht?
For a bareboat charter (no skipper or crew provided), yes: a skipper's licence and, as a rule, a VHF radio certificate. Without a licence, we add a skipper, paid separately from the boat price.
What's included in the boat price?
Just the boat, for a week. Usually paid separately: transit log and final cleaning, fuel, marina fees, the security deposit (or deposit insurance), a skipper, cook and hostess if you need them, and extras (SUP board, on-board Wi-Fi, coffee machine, child safety netting).
