11 days one way: St Barths, a night passage and the Virgin Islands
A passage under three flags from French St Martin to the British Virgin Islands. First St Barths with Gustavia harbour and the protected bay of Colombier, then a night passage west across the Anegada Passage — 85 nm with the trade wind astern — and a week among the islands around the Sir Francis Drake Channel: The Baths, Marina Cay, Jost Van Dyke, Norman Island. About 180 nm in 11 days, one way: you pick up the boat in Anse Marcel and hand it back in Road Town on Tortola. A route for a crew that has sailed at night before and is ready to stand watches.
Day by day
Marina Anse Marcel
- Anse Marcel18.114, -63.037
Take over the yacht after 17:00 at Anse Marcel marina, an enclosed basin in a green bay on the north coast of St Martin, 40 minutes from Princess Juliana airport. Provision on the way from the airport, at the supermarkets of Marigot or Grand Case. At the briefing, ask which papers the fleet prepares for foreign waters and where to clear at each change of flag.
Anse Marcel → Gustavia, St Barths
- Gustavia17.897, -62.851
Three hours south-east past Tintamarre and across the channel to St Barths, the wind just forward of the beam. You clear into St Barthélemy at the Gustavia port office; the yacht lies on a mooring or at anchor in the outer harbour. The evening is spent in a red-roofed town with a Swedish past and duty-free shops.
Gustavia → Colombier
- Anse de Colombier17.922, -62.868
A morning in Gustavia — a walk up to the ruins of the Swedish forts above the harbour — then half an hour round the headland into Anse de Colombier. You can reach it only by sea or on foot; the bay is part of the marine reserve, and you lie on its moorings. Turtles over the seagrass, snorkelling straight off the boat and a quiet, dark night.
Colombier → Grand Case
- Grand Case18.104, -63.054
- Île Fourchuemooring buoys17.957, -62.902
Back across the channel to St Martin and round the northern cape into Grand Case, the French side's food village: restaurants on the waterfront and lolos, the open-air grill kitchens. Anchor off the beach and eat early: clear out of St Martin before evening, as the passage to the British Virgin Islands starts tonight.
Grand Case → The Baths → North Sound, Virgin Gorda
- The Baths18.429, -64.444
- North Sound, Virgin Gorda18.496, -64.390
- Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbourmarina18.449, -64.436
Leave the evening before: all night west across the Anegada Passage with the trade wind astern, two- to three-hour watches, about 85 nm of open water. At dawn, Virgin Gorda on the horizon. Clear into the BVI at customs in Spanish Town, then the granite boulders and sea pools of The Baths, and by evening round the north of the island into the sheltered lagoon of North Sound. Catch up on sleep.
North Sound → Marina Cay
- Marina Cay18.459, -64.527
- Trellis Baymooring buoys18.446, -64.533
A short day after the night at sea: a morning in North Sound, then round the point and west along Virgin Gorda to Marina Cay, a tiny island on the reef off Beef Island. A night on a mooring and sunset from the top of the cay.
Marina Cay → Sandy Cay → Jost Van Dyke
- Sandy Cay18.436, -64.709
- Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke18.444, -64.751
West along the north shore of Tortola with a following trade wind. Lunch at Sandy Cay, an uninhabited islet with a beach and reef; it is a national park, for day stops only. The night is in Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke, the island's only village, with bars on the sand and the famous Foxy's.
Jost Van Dyke → Cane Garden Bay
- Cane Garden Bay18.426, -64.659
An hour across the channel to Tortola and Cane Garden Bay, a palm-fringed beach with moorings off it. Walk to the old Callwood rum distillery behind the beach. When the winter northerly swell runs, the anchorage gets rolly — then spend the night at Soper's Hole on Tortola's west end instead.
Cane Garden Bay → Norman Island
- Norman Island (the Bight)18.319, -64.618
- Soper's Holemarina18.385, -64.702
Round the West End through Thatch Island Cut and south-east across the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Norman Island. On the way, the caves at Treasure Point, which you swim into with a mask. A night on a mooring in the Bight; the path up to the island's ridge gives a view over the whole channel.
Norman Island → Peter Island
- Peter Island18.357, -64.585
A short hop east to Peter Island: choose between Great Harbour, Little Harbour or the palm-lined beach at Deadman's Bay. A day without miles, for swimming and snorkelling.
Peter Island → Road Town, Tortola
- Road Town18.424, -64.613
An hour across the channel to Road Town, the capital of the BVI: fuel and handover at the marina. If there is time, drive up to Sage Mountain National Park and the rainforest on the highest point of the Virgin Islands. 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 and weather: December to April, with an easterly trade wind of 15–20 knots, up to 25 in December and January; June to November is hurricane season. The night passage from St Martin to Virgin Gorda is about 85 nm of open water with the wind astern: go only on a settled forecast, and postpone it when a northerly swell runs. Not every fleet allows night sailing — ask when booking; you need at least two people aboard able to stand a watch.
- Formalities: three changes of flag. Clear into St Barths at the port of Gustavia; clear back into St Martin and out again before the night passage following the base's instructions; clear into the BVI in Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda. For a boat not based in the BVI, the cruising fee is charged per person per day and is noticeably higher than for local charter boats; the day moorings in the national parks — The Baths, Sandy Cay — need a National Parks Trust permit.
- One way: the fleet charges a one-way fee for taking the boat from St Martin to Tortola — it depends on the boat and the season, so ask when booking; only companies with bases on both islands offer this route. You hand the boat back in Road Town; leave time on the last day for fuelling and the check-out.
- Getting home: Beef Island airport (EIS) is 20–30 minutes by taxi from Road Town, with flights to San Juan, Antigua and St Martin and connections onward. The other way is the ferry from Road Town to St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and a direct flight to the US; for that you need US entry papers — ESTA or a visa.
How to get to the marina
- Marina d'Anse Marcel (Port de Lonvilliers), St Martin
- Sint Maarten (Princess Juliana) (SXM) — 24 km, 40 min by carGrand Case (regional flights) (SFG) — 6 km, 12 min by car
10–15 min · €20–30 per car
From the small Grand Case airport, a taxi from the rank by the terminal over the hill to Anse Marcel at the French side's fixed tariff.
35–55 min · €45–70 per car
The taxi dispatcher at the exit gives a fixed price; the road runs along the lagoon via Marigot and Grand Case, with jams near Marigot at rush hour. Extra per passenger beyond two and at night.
35–55 min · €60–90 per car
A pre-booked transfer: a driver with a sign in arrivals and a fixed price per car. Handy for a group with lots of luggage.
35–55 min · €35–55 per day
Rental desks at the airport. Driving is on the right and you cross between the Dutch and French sides without stopping; there are supermarkets on the way for provisioning.
Planes land at SXM right over Maho Beach; there are direct flights from Paris, Amsterdam and the US. The border between the French and Dutch halves of the island is open.
Prices are autumn 2026 estimates in euros; times are without traffic. Bus and ferry timetables change with the season, so check them before you travel.
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 — Tortola route and where do you stay overnight?
11 days and about 181 nautical miles one way, starting in St Martin and handing the boat back in Tortola. Overnight stops in order: Anse Marcel, Gustavia, Anse de Colombier, Grand Case, North Sound, Virgin Gorda, Marina Cay, Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke, Cane Garden Bay, Norman Island (the Bight), Peter Island. The longest leg is day 5, 90 nm.
How do I get to the marina for the St Martin — Tortola route?
The route starts and finishes at Marina d'Anse Marcel (Port de Lonvilliers), St Martin. The nearest airport is Sint Maarten (Princess Juliana) (SXM), 24 km away. Fastest: taxi, 10–15 min, €20–30 per car.
When is the best time to sail the St Martin — Tortola 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 €787. 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).
