Yacht charter St Barts

Where to sail in St Barts

A day on the water is enough to go around the island. The question is where you can drop anchor, and where you cannot.

The island’s anchorages

The most common run leaves Gustavia, passes Colombier, follows the north coast, then comes back through Grand Cul-de-Sac, Gouverneur and Saline.

No road reaches Anse de Colombier, so you arrive on foot or by boat, and that is what keeps it quiet. The bottom is seagrass, which is what brings the turtles, and mooring buoys replace the anchor so the beds stay intact.

Île Fourchue, uninhabited, sits a few miles northwest of Gustavia. Part of it stays off limits to protect nesting seabirds.

On the south coast, Gouverneur and Grande Saline make good lunch stops. Both are open to the swell, so plan on lunch rather than a night at anchor.

What the nature reserve allows

Created in 1996, the Réserve Naturelle de Saint-Barthélemy covers roughly 4.5 square miles across five zones. It takes in Fourchue, Frégate and Toc Vers, the Gros Îlets and Pain de Sucre off Gustavia, Colombier bay and the Grand Cul-de-Sac lagoon.

Anchoring is not allowed inside the reserve, except in marked areas within Colombier and Fourchue bays. Those two bays have forty mooring buoys, one boat per buoy, four days at most. Wardens from the territorial environment agency issue fines.

A day out or a full week

A day is enough to circle the island and stop for lunch at anchor. The run over to Saint Martin also fits between morning and evening. Take a week and the neighboring islands come into range.

Motor yacht, sailboat or catamaran, the choice comes down to how many are aboard, how long you are out and where you plan to stop.

When to sail

High season generally runs from December through April, and berths in Gustavia fill up fast. Two weeks stand out, the St Barths Bucket Regatta in March and Les Voiles de Saint-Barth Richard Mille in April, when the harbor fills with big sailing yachts.

Entering the port of Gustavia

Boats back in to the quay, stern-to, with the anchor dropped off the bow. Any maneuver inside the port needs clearance from the harbor master first, on VHF channel 12.

Entry paperwork can be filled out online up to 24 hours before arrival, then validated at the port office once you are alongside.

We plan your day on the water

Tell us what you want to see and we take care of the boat and the itinerary. Our concierge services handle the rest of the trip, and our luxury seasonal rentals in St Barts put you minutes from Gustavia. If the island makes you want to stay for good, our real estate agency in St Barts can show you the properties for sale here.