Yacht Charter Caribbean: From Anguilla To Dominica

Directly to the area characteristics

GETTING THERE

The most important airports in the area are St. Martin and Guadeloupe. The former is served by KLM and Air France alike, the island consists of a French and a Dutch part. What is attractive for flights with Air France to St. Martin is that they are considered international flights because of the airport in the Dutch part. This means that German travelers in Paris do not have to change airports, they arrive in Paris Charles de Gaulle from Germany and change there. This does not apply to the alternative to Guadeloupe, which is a domestic flight according to the French definition. Therefore you have to change from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Orly, a transfer right through the heart of Paris that takes about 60 minutes, depending on the traffic. KLM flies over Amsterdam, the problem does not exist.

Until recently, there were still direct flights from Germany to Antigua, but these were canceled in 2020, so this is currently not an alternative. However, it may be worthwhile to ask the agencies whether there is a connection there again, because Antiguist is without question very attractive as a port of departure.

CHARTER

There are three main areas of the fleet: the French and Dutch parts of St. Martin (Dutch: Sint Maarten), Guadeloupe and Antigua. There are various starting ports on St. Martin: Marigot Bay in the north-western part of the Netherlands, Anse Marcel in the north or Oyster Point in the east. In Guadeloupe, the charter fleets are concentrated around the large bay of Point-à-Pitre. On Antigu, the bases are in English Harbor.

CHARTER PROVIDER IN THE CARIBBEAN

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WIND & WEATHER

The best time to travel is from the end of the hurricane season in late November to April. During this time a fairly constant trade wind blows from northeast to east, mostly at 12 to 25 knots. Until mid-December the weather is a little more unstable than during the rest of the sailing season. In April there tends to be a little less wind. The direction of the trade winds is favorable for the leewards, to the south it often goes with light winds, back it is ideally a neighboring. On the leeward sides of the high, mountainous islands such as Guadeloupe or Dominic, there is often less wind and the wind direction varies more.

Crews in tropical areas always have to expect strong, but mostly short, showers or thunderstorms, which then bring with them gusts.

Most crews get weather reports via the usual smartphone apps such as Windy or Windfinder Pro. In the French territories one is in EU roaming. It can get more expensive off other islands, and many crews then use WiFi networks in bars or restaurants.

The hurricane season officially runs from June 1st to November 30th.

Photo gallery: Caribbean: Leewards

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NAVIGATION & SEAT CREW

If you sail from island to island in the leewards, you have to complete longer offshore passages in between in the trade winds, which sometimes bring swell and more wind with them. The wind is weaker and more unsteady on the leeward side, but the harbors and bays are often there. This is especially true for St. Martin, St. Barth, Guadeloupe and Dominica.

Many of the islands are independent, which means that you have to clear in and clear out constantly. This is sometimes convenient, like in the French part, where there are good computer-aided PC systems, in which most of the charter ships can already be found and where the skipper can handle the whole procedure himself. In addition to the boat papers, it is important to always have a crew list and identity papers with you. For short, one-day stops, you can usually get in and, practically in advance, declare with just one visit to the authorities. The computers for such border changes are sometimes only available in marinas (e.g. Marigot Bay St. Martin) or shops (e.g. Deshaies in Guadeloupe). It is best to ask about the current procedure on site, because some of the offices, including those of civil servants, close at 5 or even 4 p.m.

For the island of Montserrat with its very active volcano, restrictions apply with restricted areas, depending on its activity, which must be inquired about before the trip. In addition, there are some area restrictions on the part of the charter companies, e.g. for the northeast part of Antigua. For insurance reasons, some fleet operators prohibit access to its complicated reef-lined bays. This also applies to parts of Barbuda, for whose very shallow, changeable waters the nautical charts are also not very reliable.

When approaching ports and fairways, it must be noted that in the Caribbean the lateral system for marking is the opposite of the European one (IALA-B): When entering the fairway from the sea, red buoys are found on the starboard side instead of green ones.

When approaching the anchorages, crews have to rely on the so-called "eyeball navigation", that is, control by sight, because of the reef heads. It works according to the water color. Deep water is blue, green or turquoise water about five to eight meters deep, brown and gray water indicate stones or coral heads.

Most charter companies prohibit customers from sailing in the dark. So you should make sure that you have reached the port or anchorage by about four or no later than five o'clock. Exceptions are possible on request, but often you are only allowed to sail outside between the islands. At night it is usually important to keep a spell around the islands, sometimes it is around ten nautical miles.

PORTS & ANCHORAGE

The extensive area between Anguill in the north and Dominic in the south offers a rich mix of beautiful and safe anchorages and good harbors. The marina infrastructure on the French islands is denser and more professional, and this also applies to Antigua. On the smaller islands, especially in the west on St. Kitts and Nevis, but also Anguill, Barbud and Dominic, there are often only simple jetties.

Good anchorages are often on the leeward sides of the islands, the northeast sides exposed to the trade wind are often too restless. Sometimes there is also a swell in the bays on the north and south sides, depending on the circumstances, crews have to choose carefully. This is also one of the reasons why so many kats are out and about in the area: If you anchor a lot, these boats naturally lie quieter. There are both bays in which you can anchor completely freely, as well as a number of bays in which there are buoy fields that are subject to a charge, e.g. on St. Barth, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes and others.

The mooring fee is usually collected in the evening by a mariner in the boat. If the buoys are all occupied, however, anchoring is carried out next to the buoy fields, only in some national park areas this is expressly prohibited. Often it is sandy grounds that offer a good grip. Crews must of course avoid reefs for environmental reasons.

LITERATURE & SEA MAPS

District guide: The very practical books of the series "The Cruising Guide" can be found on many charter yachts, there is a volume "Leewards" for the north and one for the south, each 35 euros (only in English). The French publisher Bloq Maritim has the volume "Petites Antilles" (French with additional English texts, 39 euros).

Nautical charts: As a set for the whole area, NV-Verlag is offering the Leeward Islands package for 89.90 euros. When purchasing, the use of the map set for the navigation app from NV-Verlag is included. The British publisher Imray offers a sailor and individual maps for each larger island (23.50 euros each).

AREA CHARACTERISTICS LEEWARDS '

There is hardly a Caribbean area that offers such a great variety and variety as the Leeward Islands. These are the French-influenced islands that combine a pleasant mix of European infrastructure and Caribbean lifestyle: good marinas, bakeries with baguettes and croissants at Parisian level, top restaurants with wine refrigerators, while at the same time the Caribbean way of life. Beach bars, colorful wooden houses and dreamlike, palm-fringed beaches. Guadeloupe, the Iles de Saint, St. Barth or the French part of St. Martin are such places.

On the other hand, there are islands belonging to Great Britain (Anguilla) or the Netherlands (Saboder, the Dutch part of the island of Sint Maarten) - with a different national language, less European influence and a more Caribbean-style appearance. If you want, you can get to do three or even four nationalities on a trip, so to speak, and see and feel the colonial past. One of the top destinations in this direction is, without question, English Harbor on Antigua. The old naval base around Nelson's Dockyard is one of the most beautiful natural harbors and land spots in the whole of the Caribbean. Anyone who has ever been there and then also experienced the legendary steel band and reggae party (always on Sundays) on top of the mountain Shirley Heights, should have fallen for the area with skin and hair. The view from above over the natural harbor and the bay is also sensational.

The islands also offer other peculiarities, such as rum production, which is still widespread on some French islands such as Guadeloupe or Marie Galante and produces really good goods. The only disadvantage in the area is that the many nationalities also require frequent check-in and check-out - something crews who otherwise only travel to the BVIs are not familiar with.

The two very mountainous islands of Guadeloupe and Dominica, overgrown with dense greenery, are also something special. Anyone who wants to take a tour through tropical forests with waterfalls and steep peaks has come to the right place.

In terms of sailing, things are different than in the BVIs: Between the islands you sometimes sail a little longer strokes, with the northeast trade wind blowing steadily. The wind direction and location of the islands complement each other quite favorably, often it goes south with a light wind, then with a bit of luck a local course will reach back. A good area for crews who also want to make a long shot in the open Atlantic. Most of the crews who sail here come for 14 days, but even in two weeks it is not possible to cover the whole area. The charterers either sail southwards from St. Martin to Antigua at the most, the others start in the south from Guadeloupe and get a similar distance. So reason enough to visit the area twice.