TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Sailing out of SXM

Hi All,
Chartering for the first time out of SXM and want to head south, St. Kitts, St Barts, St Eustasia, Nevis, etc. I have my charts and guide book but any insight, places to moor/anchor, must sees or places to avoid would be appreciated.
Thanks
Thanks

Just a quick response...
from my experience St. Kitts is not friendly to sailboats,
and their Customs and Immigration can be a nightmare for small boats. Plan on dealing with them taking two days!
Customs and Immigration is two different departments, and when one is there the other one usually isn't, so you have to come back the next day! (Unless you are a Cruise Ship)
This can also complicate things for Nevis.
If you go to Nevis, they probably will make you return to St. Kitts to check out, and that can take another two days!

On a better note, spend a night in Columbier in St. Barths, a special place usually only seen by boaters; it is a good snorkeling spot.

St Kitts and Nevis have become somewhat friendlier to cruising yachts. Somewhat.

Your itinerary as above covers a lot of moving around and the daily hassle of checking in and out. The big boats use a shore agent to ease the whole operation. (Up to $1,000 per island with fees)

How long do you plan on sailing? Breaking up the daily check in and out would be nice if it were every two or three days

Have fun. Hope this helps

I can only speak to St. Barts but I agree with the other response about stopping at Columbier at the northern tip. Very peaceful (at least in the summer when we go).

Clearing in at Gustavia is a bit of a pain. Each time we've called in, they told us to anchor out and dinghy in. I suspect if you are not a mega yacht, you are not worth the dock space. The anchor spots are somewhat crowded and semi deep so it's just a little more effort and time to go through the process. I might try anchoring at Shell Beach next time, which is a little cove just south of the harbor, and walking over.

The actual clearing in process is very easy. You just fill out your info on a computer and pay your money. Takes about 10 minutes.

Have fun!

I can't provide specific plans for you other than to say that I'd agree that all of those islands are great stops, though I'd agree it depends largely on your time available. We'll be in the leewards for 8 weeks this May-June, including all of the islands you've mentioned. We'll be starting and ending in Tortola. So, we've planned to passage from BVI to Saba and then Statia, St Kitts, Nevis and further south before returning back north. At the risk of hijacking someone else's thread, I'm wondering if anyone can confirm that Anguilla cruising permit is required other than staying in Road Bay. And, is this enforced? It's a bit hard to stomach paying $60+ a day, even if it does apparently include free mooring use (assuming, I suppose, that they're available). Any thoughts would be helpful.

We are sailing out of Moorings for about 7 nights. All of this sounds like an incredible hassle as opposed to further south, St. L etc. We've sailed down there on numerous occasions with no difficulties checking in or out .

We used to go over to Anguilla on Sundays. No check in or out.
That was always same day in and out though.

The one time we got stopped,it was to check the ladies out, and firmly remind us of the no-topless rules of Anguilla

I've got to disagree with Rasputin regarding St. Kitts and Nevis, I've cleared in and out of there several times and they have always been polite and are now much more efficient. If clearing in at Nevis everything is done right at the offices at the end of the dock, no more walking to the other side of town to the police station. Clearing in at St. Kitts is done at the cruise ship dock and is quite fast and efficient; but the anchorage is quite rolly there. You can clear out on either island now.

Statia is a nice place to visit and quaint. The anchorage is a bit open so it can be rolly when the seas/winds are up. The volcano hike is an easy one and well worth it. I rented a moped last time there to explore the island.

St. Barths is worth going to. A night at uninhabited Ile Fourchue is an experience, and the anchorage at Anse Colombier is one of my favorites. I tend to only anchor off Gustavia to clear in and out since I'm not going shopping or dining ashore. There are one or two places in town where one can eat/drink without having to put a second mortgage on the house and window shopping in town is an experience.

If the weather is settled then I'd suggest Saba, I've never had a chance to go ashore but have sailed by a couple of times (with 2m waves and 15 knots of wind, so I wasn't going to stay around).

I've never been to Anguilla as I've heard it is expensive to get a cruising permit, but I gather that Road Bay is cheap to clear in/out and is worth a visit so I might do that this season.

I also like Ile Tintamarre off St. Martin, especially if there's no big swell it is nice overnight stay.

see section on fees:

http://www.noonsite.com/Countries/Anguilla?rc=Formalities

Have people cheated and gotten away with it? Yes
Would I try it? No

Failure to properly check in, even on a Sunday, can result in the confiscation of your boat.
http://www.noonsite.com/Countries/Anguilla/Countries/Anguilla/RoadBay

If you stay anywhere besides Road Bay on Anguilla (no charge) you will pay significant fees and the regulations are strictly enforced. There are heavy fines if you go anywhere else besides Road Bay without paying for a permit.

Saba is very rolly nearly all the time and you must take a mooring because it is super deep. The island is worth visiting and the hike to the top of the island is spectacular.

Statia tends to always be rolly and uncomfortable but it is an interesting waterfront to explore, as is the volcano.

The Noonsite information tends to be inaccurate and dated so rely on local information and fellow sailors for the best tips and accurate info.

Have a great trip!

Thanks to those comments regarding Anguilla and anchorages/fees there.

Funny, Maria/Steve, I live in Denver - very much looking forward to our trip this May-June.

DaveZ - have a great trip - don't know when you're doing yours, but I'd certainly try each of the other islands you've mentioned, weather and condition dependent, and would "generally" plan but would make gametime decisions down there - that's how I'm approaching our trip.

One thing is certain - Columbier in St Barts is absolutely going to happen for us - it seems amazing!

We live on our sailboat in the Caribbean for 6 months and are here now so we kind of know the area <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Colombier is ok but avoid the place if there are northerly swells and northerly winds. There are a few moorings but those are usually full so you might have to wait a day or so for a free one. However in May June you should have better luck. You can run/walk to a bakery from the Colombier anchorage if you like a long hot journey.

There are lots of places to explore on St. Maarten and St. Martin too so you won't run out of places to visit!

Have a great trip.

I, too, live aboard and sail the Caribbean half the year. If the mooring balls at Colombier are full you are allowed to anchor between the two fields (in about 15 feet with good holding). The balls tucked in on the north side, the one furthest away from the A-Frame house, are much calmer than the others.

Does your charter company have any restrictions on where you can and cannot go? Might be different from owning your own boat.