Fountaine Pajot Saba 50 · Good Vibrations

Four home bases cover the four cruising grounds we broker: Road Town and Nanny Cay, Tortola for the British Virgin Islands; Palm Cay Marina, Nassau for the Bahamas (Exumas); Le Marin, Martinique for the northbound Grenadines and Saintes; Port Louis Marina, St. George's, Grenada for the southbound Grenadines. Round-trip charters from each base are standard. One-way options include BVI → St. Martin, Grenada ↔ St. Vincent, and Le Marin ↔ St. Lucia on request.

This catamaran is priced on request, as its weekly rate depends on the season and the week you choose. Send us your dates and we reply in writing with the whole-week price and every mandatory and optional extra, itemised.

Licence rules differ by country. BVI and Bahamas accept a self-declared sailing résumé at check-in — no formal licence required for bareboat; the base may insist on a co-skipper if experience reads thin. Martinique follows French rules — ICC, French Permis Hauturier, or recognised equivalent. Grenada requires ICC, RYA Day Skipper or ASA 104 minimum plus a VHF SRC certificate. Always send a scan ahead of booking — we'll confirm acceptance with the home base before contracts go out.

BVI is the easiest first-time bareboat — line-of-sight navigation between Tortola, Norman Island, Cooper, Virgin Gorda and Anegada, 25-30 mooring buoys per anchorage, all passages 5-15 nm. Bahamas (Exumas) rewards longer crossings with empty sandbars, swim-with-pigs at Big Major Cay, and Thunderball Grotto — passages run 15-30 nm with the occasional 40-50 nm jump to Eleuthera. Grenadines (Martinique → Grenada) packs the densest snorkel anchorages in the Caribbean — Tobago Cays Marine Park, Bequia, Mayreau, Mustique — with 5-12 nm hops between islands and the most cultural variety: French Creole, British, independent island states all on one week.

Plan 3-4 hours under way most days and anchor by early afternoon for swimming, snorkelling and sundowners. BVI averages 5-15 nm passages — Tortola → Norman → Cooper → Virgin Gorda → Anegada → back. Bahamas Exuma chain runs 15-30 nm between cays with the Nassau-to-Eleuthera or Nassau-to-Andros crossings stretching to 40-50 nm. Grenadines packs 5-12 nm island-hops between Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Tobago Cays and Union. With 15-20 knot trades on the beam most passages are sailed not motored.

A one-time $300 USD permit on arrival at the port of entry (Nassau, Marsh Harbour, Bimini) covers a 12-month cruising and fishing licence for yachts up to 35 ft; vessels over 35 ft pay $500 USD. All foreign-flagged yachts entering Bahamian waters must clear in within 24 hours of arrival — fly the yellow Q flag until cleared. Departure clearance is also required. If you charter a Bahamian-flagged catamaran from Nassau or Palm Cay the boat is already permitted; no separate fee.

Caribbean trade winds blow east-north-east at 15-20 knots December through May, dropping to 10-15 knots June through November. The Christmas Winds reinforce trades to 20-25 knots from late December to early January — booking around that window is the trade-off between strong reaching conditions and busier anchorages. Atlantic hurricane season runs 1 June - 30 November (peak August-October). Most charter insurance excludes named-storm-zone cruising July-October, restricting BVI / Bahamas / northern Antilles charters. Grenada and Trinidad sit below 12°N — outside the main hurricane belt — so the southern Grenadines stay open year-round with minor insurance surcharges.