Saint Martin is the natural starting point for the Northern Caribbean. Not for its scenery, which its neighbors can match, but for an operational reason: it is the island that is the hub for infrastructure, and the one that places Anguilla and Saint Barth within a day's reach.
This page explains what truly defines a charter here: a bridge with fixed schedules, two jurisdictions on a single island, and a short season.
Saint Martin is divided between a French collectivity to the north and Sint Maarten, a Dutch entity to the south. For a shore-based charterer, the border is invisible. For a yacht, it requires two distinct sets of formalities.
On the Dutch side are Simpson Bay Lagoon and the highest concentration of technical services, provisioning, and shipyards in the area. On the French side, Marigot and Grand Case offer anchorages and dining.
A crew familiar with the island utilizes both sides within the same week. A crew discovering it for the first time loses half a day with each passage.
Simpson Bay Lagoon is one of the largest yacht basins in the Caribbean. Entry and exit are only possible during bridge opening hours, and only if the vessel's dimensions allow.
| Published Data | Simpson Bay Bridge | Causeway Bridge |
|---|---|---|
| Passage Width | 17.0 m | 23.0 m |
| Useful Draft | 6.0 m | 6.0 m |
| Closed Bridge Height | 2.4 m depending on tide | 6.2 m |
| Openings | 8:30 AM S · 9:30 AM E · 10:30 AM S · 11:30 AM E · 2:00 PM E · 4:00 PM S · 5:00 PM E | 8:00 AM · 10:00 AM · 3:30 PM, both directions |
| Radio Watch | VHF Channel 12 | — |
S = outbound, E = inbound.
17 m passage for 6 m useful draft. Beyond the beam, the vessel remains at an outer anchorage or passes via the Causeway. This question is settled upon booking, not upon arrival.
Two concrete consequences. A vessel whose beam exceeds seventeen meters cannot enter the lagoon via the Simpson Bay Bridge — it anchors in the outer bay or passes via the Causeway. And a day departing from the lagoon is structured around the opening slots, not around breakfast time.
This follows the same logic as the distinction between yacht availability and anchorage availability, detailed in our 2027 season booking calendar. The schedules above are those published by port authorities and may be modified by notice: they are confirmed before each passage, never six months in advance.
Marigot. French capital, formalities, market, and direct access to the city. Bay open to the west, comfortable with established trade winds.
Grand Case. Long, calm bay on the French northwest coast, lined with restaurants. The most sought-after anchorage on the island for an evening ashore, and the one that fills up fastest between Christmas and New Year's.
Anse Marcel. Further north, sheltered, with a marina at the back of the bay. A practical starting point for Anguilla.
Great Bay. Dutch side, in front of Philipsburg. Useful for provisioning and crew movements, less so for tranquility.
Simpson Bay Lagoon. Total shelter, full services, and the bridge constraint described above.
On the French side, formalities are handled through the port offices in Marigot — ferry terminal and Marina Fort Louis — or through the commercial port of Galisbay, with an electronic declaration system.
On the Dutch side, entry is processed with the port authority and Sint Maarten immigration in Simpson Bay or Pointe Blanche. A vessel entering the lagoon via the Dutch bridge must report immediately to the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority dock, next to the bridge control tower.
This point is settled upstream, by the broker and the captain. It is not discovered upon arrival.
Saint Martin's appeal lies less in the island itself than in its position. Three very different destinations are within a day's reach, allowing for a week-long itinerary without any long crossings.
Anguilla, to the north, for its beaches and deserted cays. A British Overseas Territory, whose entire waters are classified as a national park — with the associated mooring constraints.
Saint Barthélemy, to the southeast, for Gustavia, dining, and Gouverneur anchorage. A French collectivity, and the most selective of the three regarding dock space during holidays.
Saint Martin itself as a technical base: provisioning, crew, repairs.
A charterer booking a week in this area is therefore not buying an island, but a triangle. This explains the format of the vessels operating there: a very fast and mobile unit provides more service than a larger but heavier unit to move. MANATEA is positioned exactly on this logic, with day charters offered from the three islands.
The Caribbean season is short, and its upper limit is meteorological. The North Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30: the US National Hurricane Center uses this window because it concentrates approximately 97% of the basin's tropical storms and hurricanes.
Vessels therefore return from the Mediterranean in late autumn and depart in spring. RILASSATA, our 49-meter Tankoa, announces Caribbean availability from December to February, with a main base in Martinique, Saint Martin, or Saint Barth depending on the chosen itinerary.
Consequence for booking: the weeks of late December and February are locked in very early. A request submitted in November for the holidays comes after allocation.
MANATEA is the only unit in our fleet based in the Caribbean year-round. A 95-foot Peri Yacht, 29 meters, eight guests, four cabins, four crew members, built in 2008 and fully refitted in 2023. Its profile offers charters from Saint Martin, Anguilla, and Saint Barthélemy, for day trips as well as weekly charters. This is the ideal format for this area: mobile enough to link three islands, compact enough for protected anchorages.
For larger units, four yachts declare Saint Martin as part of their winter cruising area: ANNA I 67 meters, BLEU DE NÎMES 72 meters, ST. DAVID 60 meters, and RILASSATA mentioned above. Two very large units also declare the Leeward Islands — the archipelago comprising Saint Martin, Anguilla, Saint Barthélemy, and Antigua — as part of their cruising area: CHAKRA 86 meters and CHRISTINA O 99 meters. These are declared areas, not fixed bases: their positioning is confirmed on a case-by-case basis depending on the season. The entire fleet is listed on our available yachts for charter.
The base rate never represents the full cost of a charter. Our APA guide details what is added, item by item.
From December to April. The North Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, which closes the area to leisure charters during the summer. The weeks of late December and February are the most requested and are booked several months in advance.
Yes. The island is divided between a French collectivity and Sint Maarten, a Dutch entity, and each side applies its own procedures — Marigot or Galisbay on the French side, Simpson Bay or Pointe Blanche on the Dutch side. The broker and captain handle this point before embarkation.
That depends on its beam. The Simpson Bay Bridge passage is 17 meters wide with a useful draft of 6 meters. Beyond that, access is via the wider Causeway Bridge, or the vessel remains at an outer anchorage.
Yes, both are accessible for day trips, making Saint Martin the logical base for the Northern Caribbean. Anguilla, however, requires a cruising permit and day-use moorings, making it a day-trip destination rather than an overnight stop.
The area requires early preparation and hinges on operational details: a bridge slot, anticipated formalities, an anchorage chosen for the day's trade wind direction. This is the broker's job, not the charterer's.
Tell us your dates and the number of guests, and we will get back to you with the units actually available for your target window and a breakdown of costs. Let's discuss your project, or first consult our Caribbean hub and the neighboring Saint Barthélemy page.
Organizing a cruise in Saint Martin
Provide us with your dates and the number of guests. We will get back to you with the units actually available for your target window, bridge slots, and a breakdown of costs.
