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Yacht Charter — Caribbean
Sailing
Sailing
the Caribbean.
Trade winds, turquoise water, endless sky.
Plan Your Charter
Trade winds, turquoise water, endless sky.
Plan Your CharterThe Caribbean is the benchmark against which all other charter is measured — and it earns that status every winter. The trade winds blow consistently from the northeast at 15 to 20 knots across an arc of islands that stretches from the Virgin Islands in the north to Trinidad in the south, each island entirely distinct in character from its neighbour. The BVI offers sheltered, organised sailing ideal for first-time charterers. The Grenadines provide some of the finest anchoring in the world. St Lucia, Martinique, Antigua — each brings its own landscape, cuisine and pace. Our brokers know every island group intimately and will match your itinerary to the experience you are looking for.
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The British Virgin Islands
15 to 20 knots from the northeast, November through April, with near-perfect reliability. The Caribbean trade wind season is the reason the world’s charter fleet congregates here every winter.
From the organised, sheltered BVI to the wild Grenadines, each island group is distinct in landscape, culture, cuisine and character. An island a day is entirely manageable in most of the arc.
The Caribbean’s defining feature is colour — turquoise over white sand in the shallows, deep cobalt in the channel. Visibility of 30+ metres makes snorkelling and diving extraordinary.
Peak season runs December through April when northern Europe is cold and grey. A Caribbean charter is the single most effective antidote to a northern winter that exists.
Reliable trade winds, warm days and cool evenings — the classic Caribbean winter. Christmas, New Year and February are the busiest weeks; book months in advance for the best yachts.
Still excellent sailing, quieter anchorages and lower charter rates. The winds ease slightly but remain reliable. Hurricane season does not meaningfully begin until August.
The Atlantic hurricane season peaks in September. Most charter yachts relocate south of the hurricane belt or to the Mediterranean during these months. Not recommended for charter.
The BVI is where most of the world’s charter industry began, and it remains the benchmark for good reason. The island group is compact and well sheltered, with consistent trade winds and short, manageable passages between anchorages. The Baths at Virgin Gorda — a geological formation of enormous granite boulders creating tunnels, grottos and pools above and below the waterline — is one of the most visited yacht anchorages in the world, and entirely deserves its reputation. Jost Van Dyke, Anegada and Norman Island each offer a distinct character: Jost Van Dyke is social and lively; Anegada is a flat coral island of wild beaches and lobster restaurants reached after an easy overnight passage; Norman Island, the supposed inspiration for Treasure Island, has caves at the waterline accessible only by dinghy. The BVI suits first-time charterers and those who prefer organised sailing without sacrificing quality.
The Grenadines — a string of 32 islands and cays between St Vincent and Grenada — represent the Caribbean at its most unspoiled. Bequia is the social heart of the southern Caribbean sailing world: a proper island community with an exceptional natural harbour, excellent provisioning and a Friday evening scene at the Frangipani bar that has drawn serious sailors for decades. Mustique offers a rare combination of extreme privacy, world-class beaches and an international crowd of considerable discretion. Tobago Cays, four uninhabited islands inside a horseshoe reef, provide the finest snorkelling in the eastern Caribbean and anchorage of extraordinary beauty. The Grenadines reward those who want to sail away from the organised charter circuit into something quieter and more genuinely Caribbean.
St Lucia is the most visually dramatic island in the eastern Caribbean. The twin Piton peaks — volcanic spires rising directly from the sea — form one of the most recognisable horizons in the world, and arriving at the anchorage at Soufrière in their shadow is an arrival that stays with any sailor who makes it. The island is lush and mountainous, with a drive-in volcano, botanical gardens and a food culture that reflects its French and British colonial history in equal measure. Martinique to the north is entirely French — baguettes, Creole cuisine and a sophistication that reflects its status as an overseas department of France. The four-hour passage between the two passes through some of the finest trade wind sailing in the Caribbean, with the islands growing on the horizon in a way that never loses its drama.
Antigua claims 365 beaches — one for every day of the year — and while the number may be approximate, the point holds: this is an island of extraordinary coastal variety, most of it accessible only by sea. English Harbour, in the south, is the yachting capital of the Caribbean — Nelson’s Dockyard, a perfectly preserved Georgian naval base, now serves as the social and logistical centre of the eastern Caribbean charter fleet. Antigua Sailing Week in late April draws several hundred yachts and is one of the great events in world sailing. Barbuda, a 40-mile passage to the north, is the antidote — almost entirely uninhabited, with a lagoon of exceptional beauty and a frigate bird colony of 5,000 nesting pairs that constitutes one of the most remarkable wildlife encounters accessible by yacht anywhere in the world.
The trade wind fills the sail and the Caribbean does the rest. It is, quite simply, the finest winter sailing in the world.Yachting Europe — Caribbean Charter
The classic Caribbean charter season runs from mid-November through April, when the northeast trade winds blow consistently and the risk of tropical storms is negligible. Christmas and New Year are the busiest weeks of the year — book at least 9 to 12 months ahead for the best yachts during this period. January through March offers the ideal combination of reliable winds, settled weather and slightly fewer boats than the peak holiday weeks. May and June are quieter and often offer excellent value, with the trades still reliable before the summer hurricane season begins.
The BVI is the better choice for first-time Caribbean charterers, families with children and those who prefer shorter passages, well-organised marinas and a lively social scene ashore. The Grenadines suit experienced sailors who want something quieter, more authentically Caribbean and less commercially developed — the anchorages are wilder, the passages longer and the rewards proportionally greater. Both are exceptional. If you have two weeks, fly into the BVI and end in Grenada, sailing the entire eastern arc south.
Yes — the Caribbean islands are divided among multiple sovereign nations and territories, each requiring customs and immigration clearance on entry. The process is generally straightforward but varies in efficiency between islands. Moving between the BVI and the US Virgin Islands, or between French and English-speaking islands, requires customs formalities. Your skipper will manage all clearances. Your Yachting Europe broker will plan the itinerary to minimise bureaucracy while maximising the sailing.
Tell us your dates, group size and preferences. Tell us your dates, group size and preferred island group. Our brokers know every anchorage in the Caribbean arc and will match you with the right yacht for the experience you are looking for.
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