17°54'N 62°51'W · Caribbean
St. Barths Yacht Guide
St. Barths is the Caribbean's marquee stop and Gustavia is the smallest stage it could possibly play out on: a pocket harbor with a few dozen stern-to berths and an outer anchorage that hosts more yacht value per square mile than anywhere outside Monaco. The operating reality is anchorage-based for anything large, with tenders doing the real work. Festive week between Christmas and New Year is its own logistics discipline, plan it like an event, not a cruise.
Season & Arrival
Season runs November through April with the absolute peak from December 20 through January 3; the Bucket regatta in late March gives the season a second crescendo before Easter winds it down.
The Guide
Moorings & Anchorages
The Gustavia outer anchorage is the main parking lot: sand patches in 10 to 20 meters west of the harbor entrance, exposed to winter ground swell from the north. Corossol is the slightly calmer pocket north of town. Colombier on the northwest tip is a marine reserve with mooring buoys for yachts under 25 meters and no anchoring, and it is the best lunch stop on the island. Holding off Gustavia is decent in sand but cluttered; dive the anchor at festive week densities.
Operating Data
- Gustavia outer anchorage
- 10m to 20m, sand, north swell exposure
- Colombier
- mooring buoys, max 25m LOA, no anchoring
Operating data is updated each season. Confirm critical figures with the operator before arrival.
Captain Notes
- Winter ground swell from North Atlantic storms arrives with no local wind to warn you. Watch the long-period forecast; a 3 meter 16 second northerly swell makes the Gustavia anchorage untenable and the quay dangerous.
- Festive week tender operations are the whole job: dinner landings at the commercial quay stack up, so brief crew on the rotation and stage guest movements early.
- New Year's Eve at anchor off Gustavia is the best seat in yachting, and also the most crowded anchorage maneuvering you will do all year. Anchor early on the 30th and do not move.
Local Red Flags
- Quay berths at festive week are reallocated at the port's discretion and rates are eye-watering; never promise an owner the quay until the port confirms in writing.
- The anchorage at peak week has boats swinging on short scope over crossed chains. Expect to re-anchor and budget watch crew for it.
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Downloadable edition planned for a later phase.