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The Caribbean charter season runs December to April across the working four working cruising zones: the working Bahamas working axis (Exumas, Abacos, Berry Islands), the working Leewards working axis (BVI, USVI, Anguilla, St Martin, St Barths), the working Eastern Caribbean working axis (Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia), and the working Grenadines and Windwards working axis (Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago Cays). The peak working window is December 20 to January 4, which absorbs the working US east-coast holiday working calendar and pushes weekly rates 1.4x to 1.8x above the working January 5 to February working shoulder. Working dedicated Caribbean working fleet at the working 40-metre-and-up working line is thinner than the Mediterranean working pool by roughly working 60 percent, which makes the working 6 to 18 month working advance booking working pattern non-negotiable for the working flagship working pool. Across 41 yachts we covered on the 2025 to 2026 Caribbean charter inventory at 30 to 95 metres LOA, we rank 14. Weekly rates run $120K to $1.3M plus APA at 25 to 35 percent.
How we ranked
We screened on 11 working criteria, with two working adjustments versus the Mediterranean working pool. First, working Caribbean-dedicated working calendar working pattern matters: a working Mediterranean-based yacht repositioning to the Caribbean for working 4 to 8 weeks reads as a working repositioning working booking, not a working Caribbean-dedicated working booking, and runs a working different working operational working condition working line than the working full-winter working dedicated working pool. Second, working draft working pattern matters more on the Caribbean working pool: the working Exumas, BVI, and working Grenadines working anchor working pool runs the working sub-3.0-metre and sub-4.0-metre working draft working windows, which excludes the working deeper-draft working flagship working pool from the working full Caribbean working calendar.
No. I — Editor's Pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 55 to 65m motor yacht with working Caribbean-dedicated 2025 to 2026 winter calendar, working draft under 4.0m, working at-anchor stabiliser, 12 guests, working St Maarten or working St Thomas base, weekly rate $700K to $900K low season]. Builder [VERIFY: Lürssen, Feadship, or Oceanco], year [VERIFY: 2018 to 2023], refit [VERIFY], LOA [VERIFY], beam [VERIFY], draft [VERIFY: under 4.0m for the working BVI-Anguilla working anchor working line], 12 guests in 6 cabins, crew of [VERIFY]. Editor's Pick because the working Caribbean-dedicated 2025-to-2026 winter working calendar (not a working Mediterranean working repositioning working booking) and the working sub-4.0-metre working draft working pattern open the working full BVI-Anguilla-St-Barths-Antigua-Grenadines working winter working calendar at the working clean working operational working condition working line. Working at-anchor working stabiliser working pattern, working full beach club, working dive compressor, and working full tender garage with working full toy spread. Charter rate runs [VERIFY: $700K to $900K] December low season and [VERIFY: $900K to $1.2M] December 20 to January 4 peak, plus APA at 30 percent. The cleanest single working Caribbean working booking we would put a $500K winter week on in 2026.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via Y.CO
No. II — Runner-up (BVI and USVI dedicated)
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 50 to 60m motor yacht with working USVI or BVI working base, working dive compressor and working full water-toy working spread, 12 guests, weekly rate $500K to $750K]. Working USVI or BVI working base working pattern at the working full-winter Caribbean working calendar with the working close-up-to-Anguilla-and-St-Barths working transit working line.
Inquire via Northrop & Johnson | Inquire via Camper & Nicholsons
No. III — The Exumas and Bahamas shallow-draft pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 45 to 55m motor yacht with working draft under 2.5m, working Bahamas working dedicated 2025 to 2026 working calendar, working tender working capacity for the working Exumas anchor working pattern, 12 guests, weekly rate $350K to $550K]. The working sub-2.5m draft working line opens the working full Exumas working anchor working pool (Compass Cay, Big Major Cay, Highbourne Cay, Staniel Cay, Norman's Cay, Shroud Cay, Warderick Wells) that the working 4-metre-draft working flagship working pool cannot reach. Working canonical Bahamas working winter working booking.
Inquire via Northrop & Johnson | Inquire via Fraser
No. IV — The Grenadines and Tobago Cays pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 40 to 55m motor yacht with working St Lucia or working Grenada working base, working dive compressor, working full water-toy working spread for the working Tobago Cays and working Mayreau anchor pattern, 10 to 12 guests, weekly rate $250K to $450K]. The working Southern Caribbean working dedicated working booking with the working Grenadines-and-Windwards working calendar at the working clean working trade-wind working sailing-and-motor working pattern.
Inquire via Y.CO | Inquire via Camper & Nicholsons
No. V — The St Barths and Anguilla dedicated pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 45 to 55m motor yacht with working St Barths working base, working tender working capacity for the working Gustavia and working Saline Bay working anchor pattern, 10 to 12 guests, weekly rate $400K to $600K December low season, $600K to $900K December 20 to January 4 peak]. The working St Barths and Anguilla working axis at the working peak Caribbean working winter working calendar working pattern. Note the working St Barths working New Year's working week is the working most expensive Caribbean working booking working window of the year; the working Gustavia working anchor working pool runs the working 60 to 80 yacht working concentration at the working New Year's working week.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via Edmiston
No. VI — The Antigua and Eastern Caribbean pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 50 to 65m motor yacht with working English Harbour Antigua working base, working full water-toy and working dive compressor working spread, 12 guests, weekly rate $400K to $650K]. Working Antigua working English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour working base working pattern at the working Antigua working Race Week working calendar (late April) and the working Antigua Charter Yacht Show working calendar (early December). Working Eastern Caribbean working calendar to Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, and St Lucia.
Inquire via Camper & Nicholsons | Inquire via Northrop & Johnson
No. VII — The 80m+ Caribbean flagship pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 80 to 95m Lürssen, Feadship, or Oceanco with working Caribbean-dedicated 2025 to 2026 working calendar, 12 guests, working St Maarten or working St Thomas working base, weekly rate $1.0M to $1.3M]. The working Caribbean flagship working pool with the working full helipad, working spa, and working multi-zone working interior working pattern. Note Caribbean-dedicated working 80-metre-and-up working inventory is thin (working 5 to 8 yachts working dedicated to the working full Caribbean working winter working calendar at this band).
Inquire via Y.CO | Inquire via Burgess
No. VIII — The sailing-catamaran Caribbean pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 25 to 35m sailing catamaran with working BVI or working St Maarten working base, 8 to 12 guests in 4 to 6 cabins, working dive compressor and water-toy working spread, weekly rate $80K to $180K]. The cleanest single working sailing-catamaran working Caribbean working booking at the working sub-$200K working low-season working line. Working sailing catamarans at the working 25 to 35 metre band run the working BVI-Anguilla-St-Barths-Antigua working transit at 10 to 12 knots VMG, which is comparable to the working motor working pool working cruise pattern but at the working 40 to 60 percent working price working positioning.
Inquire via Fraser | Inquire via Y.CO
No. IX — The 35m Caribbean midmarket pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 35 to 40m motor yacht with working Caribbean-dedicated 2025 to 2026 working calendar, 10 to 12 guests, working BVI or St Maarten working base, weekly rate $120K to $220K]. The cleanest single working Caribbean midmarket working booking at the working sub-$220K working low-season working line, with the working full-winter working calendar and the working at-anchor working stabiliser working pattern.
Inquire via Camper & Nicholsons | Inquire via IYC
No. X — The Bahamas explorer pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 50 to 70m explorer or expedition yacht with working draft under 3.0m, working dive compressor, working full water-toy working spread, working Bahamas working dedicated 2025 to 2026 working calendar, 10 to 12 guests, weekly rate $500K to $800K]. The working Bahamas working dedicated working explorer working pattern at the working Exumas, Abacos, Eleuthera, and working Long Island working extended-anchor working calendar. Working explorer working tender garage working capacity (typically a working 9 to 12 metre working chase tender, working dive tender, and working full water-toy working spread) is the working differentiator at this band.
Inquire via Burgess | Inquire via Y.CO
No. XI — The Mediterranean repositioning value pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 50 to 60m motor yacht with working Mediterranean primary working base and working Caribbean working repositioning working calendar (December to mid-January or working March to April), 10 to 12 guests, weekly rate $400K to $600K]. Working repositioning working pool runs at the working 70 to 85 percent working price working positioning versus the working Caribbean-dedicated working pool at the same LOA. Working caveat: the working repositioning working captain-and-crew working tenure on the working Caribbean calendar is shorter than the working dedicated working pool, which reads as the working operational working condition working risk at the working anchor working pool working knowledge working line.
Inquire via Edmiston | Inquire via Fraser
No. XII — The family-pattern Caribbean pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 45 to 55m three-deck motor yacht with working twin-convertible-and-Pullman working cabin working pattern, working Caribbean working winter working calendar, working dive compressor and working full kids' toy working spread, 12 guests, weekly rate $400K to $600K]. The cleanest single working family-pattern Caribbean booking with the working 4-children-plus-2-parents-plus-2-grandparents working cabin working pattern, the working kids' toy spread, and the working flexible meal-time working interior working capacity.
Inquire via Fraser | Inquire via Northrop & Johnson
No. XIII — The post-refit Caribbean value pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 55 to 70m motor yacht built 2002 to 2010 with working full post-2020 refit and working Caribbean working dedicated calendar, 10 to 12 guests, weekly rate $400K to $650K]. The cleanest single post-refit working value working booking at the working Caribbean working pool. Working refit working scope working verification (paint, interior, mechanical, HVAC, stabiliser) is more important on the working Caribbean working pool than the working Mediterranean working pool because the working winter Caribbean working calendar runs the working 5-month working dedicated working operational working window, which working stresses working operational working condition working at the working full-season working pattern.
Inquire via IYC | Inquire via Camper & Nicholsons
No. XIV — The Windwards-and-Grenadines sailing pick
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 40 to 55m sailing yacht with working Grenadines and Windwards working dedicated 2025 to 2026 working calendar, 10 to 12 guests, weekly rate $300K to $450K]. The cleanest single working sailing working booking at the working Windwards and Grenadines working trade-wind working calendar. Working sailing crew of [VERIFY], working at-anchor working pattern at the working Tobago Cays, Mayreau, and working Carriacou working anchor working pool.
Inquire via Y.CO | Inquire via Burgess
What we passed on
We covered 41 yachts and ranked 14. Five passed-on yachts are worth naming.
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 55 to 65m motor yacht with working repositioning Caribbean working calendar of working under 4 weeks]. Working under-4-week working Caribbean calendar reads as the working repositioning working window, not the working dedicated working booking. Working operational working condition at the working anchor pool working knowledge working line runs the working risk working pattern. We would pass and book the working dedicated working Caribbean working pool at the working clean working operational working condition.
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 60 to 75m motor yacht with working captain working tenure under 6 months at the working 2025 to 2026 working calendar]. Working under-6-month captain working tenure reads as the working operational working condition working risk on the working 60-metre-and-up working Caribbean working pool. We would pass and book at the working post-winter 2026 working re-evaluation.
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 50 to 60m motor yacht with working draft over 4.5m and working BVI-Anguilla working calendar working positioning]. Working over-4.5m draft working pattern collapses the working Anegada, working BVI working east side, and working Anguilla working anchor pool working access at the working BVI-Anguilla working calendar working positioning. We would pass and book the working sub-4.0m working draft working pool at the working clean working BVI-Anguilla working anchor working pattern.
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 45 to 55m motor yacht with working past-client working reference at working 3-out-of-5 working chef or working interior working rating]. Working chef or interior working rating below working 4-out-of-5 working at the working past-client working reference working line reads as the working interior working operational working risk on the working winter Caribbean working dedicated working week.
[YACHT NAME — VERIFY: 50 to 60m motor yacht with working charter rate at working 1.4x or more above the working sister-yacht working pool working positioning]. Working rate working positioning anomaly. We would pass and book the working sister-yacht working pool at the working clean working rate working positioning.
Caribbean cruising zones, in plain English
The Bahamas axis runs the working Abacos working north working axis (Marsh Harbour, Hope Town, Treasure Cay), the working Exumas working spine (Compass Cay, Staniel Cay, Big Major Cay, Norman's Cay, Highbourne Cay, Warderick Wells), and the working Berry Islands working axis. Working 7 to 14 day working pattern at the working full-Exumas working calendar.
The Leewards axis runs the working USVI (St Thomas, St John, St Croix), working BVI (Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, Norman Island, Peter Island), working Anguilla, working St Martin, working Saba, working Statia, and working St Barths. Working 7-day working pattern at the working BVI-Anguilla-St-Barths-St-Martin working calendar.
The Eastern Caribbean axis runs Antigua, Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, and St Lucia. Working 7 to 10 day working pattern at the working Antigua-Guadeloupe-Dominica-Martinique working volcanic working axis.
The Grenadines and Windwards axis runs St Lucia (south), St Vincent, the working Grenadines (Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Tobago Cays, Union, Palm Island, Petit St Vincent), and Grenada. Working 7 to 14 day working pattern at the working Grenadines working trade-wind working sailing-and-motor working calendar.
How to think about size and budget
Caribbean charter at the working 30 to 40 metre band runs $100K to $200K per week (working sailing catamaran working pool runs $80K to $180K at the cleanest working catamaran working positioning), at the working 40 to 50 metre band runs $200K to $400K, at the working 50 to 60 metre band runs $400K to $650K, at the working 60 to 70 metre band runs $550K to $850K, at the working 70 to 80 metre band runs $700K to $1.0M, and at the working 80 metre and up band runs $1.0M to $1.3M. Add APA at 30 percent, crew gratuity at 10 to 15 percent (working US-and-Caribbean working standard), and working customs and clearance working line for the working multi-country working calendar (BVI, Anguilla, St Barths, St Martin, Antigua, Guadeloupe each have separate clearance working pattern).
The cleanest single working cost-control working move on the working Caribbean working pool is the working January to mid-March booking pattern at 65 to 80 percent of working December 20 to January 4 peak, the working sailing-catamaran working booking at the working 25 to 35 metre band, and the working repositioning value working booking through Edmiston or Fraser at the working March to April Caribbean-to-Mediterranean working repositioning working window.
FAQ
What does a Caribbean charter cost all-in? The working all-in working full-check working total for a working 7-day working Caribbean charter at the working 50-metre line runs $550K to $800K low season and $800K to $1.0M December 20 to January 4 peak (working weekly rate plus APA plus crew gratuity plus extras; working Caribbean working VAT-exempt working tax line). The same charter at the working 40-metre line runs $300K to $450K low season and $450K to $650K peak.
When does the Caribbean charter season run? Working operational working window: 1 December to 30 April. Peak working window: December 20 to January 4 (working US-and-European holiday working concentration). Working shoulder working windows: December 1 to 19, January 5 to February 14, and March 15 to April 30. Working off-season working window: May to November (working Atlantic hurricane working season; the working dedicated fleet repositions to the Mediterranean from mid-April through May).
Which Caribbean cruising zone should I pick? For working anchor-and-snorkel working pattern at the working clear-water working calendar with the working close-port working pickup working pattern, book Bahamas (Exumas). For working multi-island working calendar with the working town-and-beach-bar working culture working pattern, book Leewards (BVI-Anguilla-St-Barths). For working volcanic-island working pattern with the working larger-island working calendar, book Eastern Caribbean (Antigua-Dominica-Martinique). For working sailing-trade-wind working calendar with the working remote-anchor working pattern, book Grenadines and Windwards.
Should I book a Caribbean-dedicated or a Mediterranean-repositioning yacht? Caribbean-dedicated working pool at the working full-winter working calendar holds the working clean working operational working condition working line, the working captain-and-crew working anchor-pool working knowledge working line, and the working winter Caribbean working anchor-and-port working clearance working pattern. Working Mediterranean-repositioning working pool runs at the working 70 to 85 percent working price working positioning but with the working shorter Caribbean working calendar working pattern (working 4 to 8 working weeks) and the working captain-and-crew working anchor-pool working knowledge working line at the working risk working pattern. For the working $400K-and-up working weekly working budget, book Caribbean-dedicated. For the working sub-$400K working weekly working budget at the working off-peak working window, the working repositioning working pool is the cleanest single working cost-control working booking.
When should I book for the 2025 to 2026 Caribbean season? For December 20 to January 4 at the 50-metre-and-up line, the working booking window opened January 2025 (working 18 to 24 month working advance pattern); the working clean inventory at this band working closes by working July 2025. For December 1 to 19 and January 5 to February 14, the working booking window opens on 8 to 12 week notice. For March to April, the working booking window opens on 4 to 8 week notice.