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Saint Barthélemy sits 12 nautical miles south of Anguilla and 16 nautical miles east of St Martin in the northern Leeward Islands, a 25 square kilometre French collectivity with approximately 10,000 residents and 22 named anchorages around a coastline that runs only 10 miles end-to-end. A 40m motor yacht working St Barths in February runs $150,000 to $200,000 per week before APA. The same yacht over the New Year's Eve week (December 28 to January 3) runs $250,000 to $400,000 per week, the highest single weekly rate in the global Caribbean charter market. Gustavia is the working harbor with 70 slips and mooring buoys in the inner basin plus a 30 to 60 yacht outer anchorage. The Rémy de Haenen airport (SBH) at the centre of the island handles regional lift from St Martin via the 15-minute hop with the famously short downhill approach over La Tourmente.
The point of St Barths on a Caribbean charter week is the on-shore product and the social calendar. The Eden Rock-St Barths at Anse de St Jean (the historic Rockefeller-era hotel rebuilt 2017 after Hurricane Irma), the Hotel le Toiny on the east coast, the Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France at the Anse des Flamands, the Christopher St Barth at Pointe Milou, and the Hotel Manapany on Anse des Cayes hold the resort base. The restaurant calendar runs Bonito (the canonical St Barths dinner), L'Isola at Gustavia, the Eden Rock Sand Bar lunch, the Nikki Beach Flamants beach club, the Shellona at Shell Beach, the Tamarin Bar at the south coast, and the Le Toiny restaurant at the east coast. The New Year's Eve concentration of the global superyacht charter fleet between December 27 and January 3 is the calendar event of the Caribbean charter market and the structure that anchors the St Barths rate calendar.
St Barths is also the working centre of the Northern Leewards charter rotation. The 12 nautical mile cross to Anguilla and the 16 nautical mile cross to St Martin absorb cleanly into a 7-day charter that boards at SXM (St Martin) or SBH (St Barths) and runs the three islands across the week.
When to charter St Barths
December 15 to December 26. Pre-NYE peak. Water 26 degrees Celsius. Trade winds 15 to 22 knots from the east-southeast. Gustavia at moderate to peak density. Resort calendar at peak. Rates at peak; book 9 to 12 months out. The pre-NYE window absorbs the lower-density side of the holiday season at full charter rates.
December 27 to January 5. The St Barths NYE week. The highest demand single window in the Caribbean charter market. Gustavia inner harbor 100 percent booked, Gustavia outer anchor at 80 to 120 yachts, Anse de Colombier and Anse du Gouverneur at 20 to 40 yachts each. Rates at 1.5 to 2x peak. Book 12 to 18 months out for the strongest inventory; book 6 to 12 months out for the standard charter market.
January (post January 5). Shoulder through January 20, returns to peak from January 25. Water 26 degrees. The cleanest January window for St Barths inventory selection with the NYE-week density dropping and the working charter product running at full strength.
February. Peak. Water 26 to 27 degrees. The St Barths Bucket regatta runs in the third week of March; the February charter window absorbs the strongest non-NYE peak weeks of the season.
March. Peak through Easter. Water 26 to 27 degrees. The St Barths Bucket regatta (the historic 1995-founded superyacht sailing regatta running the third week of March) absorbs the on-the-water calendar with 30 to 40 superyachts under sail across the week. The Voiles de St Barth (the working April sailing regatta) follows in the second week of April.
April. Peak through Easter, shoulder from the week after Easter. Water 27 degrees. Trade winds tapering. The Voiles de St Barth runs early April and absorbs the sailing-charter inventory.
May. Shoulder. Rates 25 to 35 percent below peak. Water 28 degrees. The charter fleet begins repositioning to the Mediterranean from late April.
June to November. Hurricane season. Most crewed inventory closes. The St Barths Cata Cup runs in late November (Formula 18 catamaran racing) and absorbs a small on-the-water calendar at the shoulder window.
The St Barths cruising zones
Gustavia inner harbor and the Quai General de Gaulle. The working charter base. 70 slips and moorings inside the harbor, the Quai General de Gaulle (the main town quay) absorbing 50m to 90m yachts at the Wall position, and the Quai du Wall (the outer mole) absorbing the largest charter yachts at the deepest slip. The on-shore product at Gustavia runs Bonito (the canonical dinner), L'Isola (Italian at the harbor), Hostellerie des 3 Forces, the Quay Bar at the Hotel Carl Gustaf, and the duty-free shopping street.
Gustavia outer anchor. The bay between Gustavia and Fort Karl. 30 to 60 anchored yachts on February nights, 80 to 120 yachts on NYE. 8 to 18 metres of holding ground on sand. The working overnight for 50m+ yachts that do not take inner harbor slips.
Anse de St Jean. 1.5 nautical miles east of Gustavia. The standing daytime anchor at the centre of the north coast. The Eden Rock-St Barths sits on the central rock outcrop dividing the bay, the Sand Bar lunch absorbs the working daytime calendar at Eden Rock, the Nikki Beach is 200 metres east at the Hotel Christopher beach, and the windsurfing centre runs at the east end. Anchor in 5 to 10 metres of sand. The cleanest single working daytime anchor on St Barths.
Anse des Flamands. 2 nautical miles west of Gustavia. The Cheval Blanc Isle de France sits at the west end with the 800 metre white-sand beach and the working beach lunch at the resort. La Langouste beach restaurant holds the south-coast alternative. Anchor in 8 to 12 metres at the bay.
Anse de Colombier. The northwest coast, 3 nautical miles west of Gustavia. A protected bay accessed only by boat (no road access; the on-shore approach is by hiking trail from Anse des Flamands or by tender from a yacht). 22 mooring buoys, the cleanest single quiet anchorage on St Barths, the standing alternative overnight for charter clients seeking distance from the Gustavia density. Anchor depths 5 to 18 metres.
Anse du Gouverneur. The south coast. A smaller-scale daytime anchor with the Tamarin Bar at the bay and the working south-coast swim. Anchor in 4 to 8 metres. Less density than Anse de St Jean, absorbs 5 to 15 yachts on February days.
Anse de Grand Saline. The south coast, west of Anse du Gouverneur. A protected nudist beach with no road access from the south side; the working daytime swim absorbs 3 to 8 yachts at anchor.
Anse de Lorient and the east coast. The east coast village of Lorient holds the JoJo Burger and the Cul de Sac village; the Anse du Cul de Sac at the northeast corner of the island holds the Le Toiny restaurant and a smaller-scale lunch anchor. The east coast runs at higher swell than the north or south coasts and the working east-coast charter day is daytime only.
Shell Beach (Anse du Grand Galet). The small south-Gustavia beach 300 metres south of the harbor. Shellona restaurant at the beach holds the working Greek-Mediterranean Gustavia lunch and absorbs the late-afternoon swim. Tender access from the Gustavia anchor.
A standard 7-day St Barths and Northern Leewards charter
| Day | Anchorage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Sat | Gustavia board (SBH arrival) | Boarding afternoon, evening Shellona at Shell Beach or Bonito at Gustavia, overnight Gustavia |
| Sun | Anse de St Jean and Eden Rock | Anse de St Jean morning anchor, Eden Rock Sand Bar lunch, afternoon Nikki Beach at Flamants, overnight Gustavia |
| Mon | Anse de Colombier | Run west to Anse de Colombier, swim morning, lunch on board, overnight Colombier mooring |
| Tue | Cross to Anguilla | Cross north 12 nautical miles to Sandy Ground, customs clearance, Sandy Island morning, Prickly Pear lunch, Veya dinner, overnight Sandy Ground |
| Wed | Anguilla day | Meads Bay daytime, Cap Juluca or Four Seasons beach lunch, Shoal Bay afternoon, dinner ashore, overnight Sandy Ground |
| Thu | Return St Barths | Cross south back to Gustavia, Anse du Gouverneur afternoon swim, Bonito dinner, overnight Gustavia |
| Fri | Anse des Flamands | Flamands morning at the Cheval Blanc, lunch beach, evening Gustavia town walk and L'Isola dinner, overnight Gustavia |
| Sat | Gustavia disembark (SBH or SXM cross) | Disembarkation morning or cross to SXM for outbound lift |
This is the canonical St Barths week. It works on 25m to 80m motor yachts cleanly. The Gustavia inner harbor accepts to 60m, the Wall slip to 90m, the outer anchor at 90m+. The cross to Anguilla and St Martin absorbs as 45 minute passages.
St Barths yacht size guidance
25m to 40m. The clean fit. Gustavia inner harbor and outer anchor absorb, Anse de St Jean direct, Anse de Colombier mooring inventory absorbs, Anse des Flamands and Anse du Gouverneur direct. The full St Barths product runs without size compromise.
40m to 60m. Workable. Gustavia inner harbor at the Quai General de Gaulle, outer anchor and outer pier slips. Anse de St Jean at standoff with the tender absorbing the Eden Rock product. Anse de Colombier deep-water mooring at the outer field.
60m to 80m. Gustavia Quai du Wall outer pier, outer anchor at the deep-water line, Anse de Colombier at the outer mooring field. The on-shore product runs via tender from the outer anchor positions. The standing 60m+ NYE week base is the outer anchor at Gustavia with the tender absorbing the inner harbor calendar.
80m and above. Gustavia outer anchor at the deep-water line (the SBH bay holds 90m+ at standoff cleanly), Anse de Colombier outer mooring. The on-shore product is fully tender-accessed. The 80m+ charter week at NYE absorbs the calendar from the outer anchor without compromise.
St Barths charter cost math
| Line item | Range (40m motor yacht, February peak) | Range (NYE week peak) |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly rate | $150K to $200K | $250K to $400K |
| APA (28% to 32%) | $42K to $64K | $70K to $128K |
| French Saint Barthélemy harbor fees (Gustavia, per night, 40m) | $0.4K to $1K | $0.6K to $1.5K |
| Gustavia inner slip (per night, 40m, February) | $0.6K to $1.2K | $1.5K to $3K |
| Gustavia Wall slip (per night, 80m, February) | $2K to $4K | $5K to $10K |
| Restaurant ashore at Bonito, Eden Rock, or Le Toiny (per visit) | $0.6K to $2K | $1K to $3.5K |
| Beach club access at Nikki Beach Flamants or Shellona (per person) | $0.15K to $0.5K | $0.3K to $1K |
| Gratuity (10% to 15%) | $15K to $30K | $25K to $60K |
| Full check | $210K to $300K | $350K to $600K |
The French charter VAT applies but is rebated for non-EU charter clients on commercial charter contracts. Harbor fees and slip fees at Gustavia vary by yacht LOA and the harbormaster posting. APA on a St Barths week runs 28 to 32 percent at standard peak and 30 to 35 percent over NYE given the elevated on-shore costs.
What we passed on
We pass on the Gustavia inner harbor as the working overnight for a 60m+ yacht over NYE. The inner harbor slips at 60m+ run at the Quai du Wall position with the working visibility from the town quay and the tender traffic absorbing the on-shore harbor calendar at functional rather than scenic density. The 60m+ NYE structure runs the outer anchor as the overnight base with the inner harbor reserved for the inbound and outbound passage days.
We pass on Anse de Lorient on the east coast as an overnight anchor on any week. The east coast runs at higher swell than the north or south coasts and the working east-coast charter use is daytime lunch at Le Toiny only. The standing overnight returns to Gustavia, Anse de Colombier, or Anse des Flamands.
We pass on St Barths as the working base for a charter client prioritising swimming over the on-shore product. The St Barths swimming product is functional rather than exceptional (the beaches run at small scale and the snorkel sites are limited); the destination earns its place on the social calendar and the resort and restaurant inventory, not on the water itself. Clients prioritising the swimming product should weight the BVI, the Exumas, or the Grenadines higher.
We pass on the Voiles de St Barth as the booking window for a non-sailing charter. The first two weeks of April absorb the sailing-charter and racing fleet density and the on-shore product runs at functional rather than peak quality for a motor-yacht charter client. The standing non-sailing alternative is the second half of April after Easter, or the standard February peak window.
We pass on the standalone St Barths 7-day charter as the cleanest structure. The full St Barths product (Gustavia, Anse de St Jean, Anse des Flamands, Anse de Colombier, Anse du Gouverneur, Anse de Lorient) absorbs 4 to 5 days of cruising before the structure starts repeating. The cleanest 7-day window pairs St Barths with Anguilla and St Martin to deliver the Northern Leewards spine.
Multi-region pairings
The St Barths-Anguilla-St Martin Northern Leewards 7-day charter is the canonical structure. We cover the Anguilla side on the Anguilla page and the St Martin side on the St Martin page. The St Barths days absorb 3 to 4 of the 7-day rotation.
The BVI-St Barths 10-day one-way is the standard long-form Caribbean rotation. Board at Tortola, run 5 days BVI, cross 75 nautical miles overnight to Anguilla, 1 day Anguilla, 3 days St Barths, disembark SBH or SXM. The structure delivers the full Northern Caribbean charter product. We cover the BVI side on the BVI page.
The St Barths-Antigua-down-island 10 to 14 day southern run absorbs St Barths as the boarding window with the disembarkation at Falmouth Harbour at Antigua. The structure adds St Kitts, Nevis, and Antigua to the rotation and works on 50m+ motor yachts cleanly.
The St Barths NYE-Bucket-Voiles charter calendar runs the December 27 to April 15 window as the strongest single-island charter calendar in the Caribbean. Most charter weeks at this window book 12 to 18 months out.
The cross-pillar question (villa or charter)
The St Barths villa inventory at Anse des Flamands, Anse de St Jean, Anse de Colombier, and Pointe Milou runs $10K to $250K per week with the high end at the Villa Gouverneur Estate and the Domaine du Lorient. For clients prioritising St Barths as the destination and the resort and restaurant calendar as the working product, the villa is the cleaner answer on standard weeks. A villa stay at Flamands or St Jean plus day charters from Gustavia to the Anse de Colombier, Anguilla, and St Martin works at $3K to $15K per day. The charter is the cleaner answer over NYE (the villa inventory tightens and the charter delivers the harbor product) and for the Northern Leewards rotation across multiple islands.
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers the Flamands beachfront, the Anse de St Jean hillside, the Pointe Milou estates, the Domaine du Lorient, and the Villa Gouverneur. HotelsForKings covers the Eden Rock-St Barths, the Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France, the Hotel le Toiny, the Christopher St Barth, the Manapany, and the Hotel Carl Gustaf. RestaurantsForKings covers Bonito, L'Isola, the Eden Rock Sand Bar, Le Toiny, the Shellona at Shell Beach, the JoJo Burger at Lorient, and the Tamarin Bar at Anse du Gouverneur. BarsForKings covers the Quay Bar at the Carl Gustaf, the Nikki Beach Flamants calendar, and the Gustavia evening map.
FAQ
What size yacht works best at St Barths? 40m to 80m motor yacht. The Gustavia harbor accepts to 90m at the Wall slip, the outer anchor absorbs to 90m+ cleanly, and the on-shore product runs via tender from any anchor position. Above 100m the working structure is daytime cruising into Gustavia and overnight at the outer anchor.
When is St Barths at its best? The first three weeks of February. Water 26 to 27 degrees, full resort and restaurant calendar, Gustavia at moderate rather than peak density, and the strongest non-NYE charter inventory selection.
Should I charter St Barths for New Year? If you can book 12 to 18 months out and budget the 1.5 to 2x peak rate, yes; the NYE week is the calendar event of the global Caribbean charter market and the on-shore product at Eden Rock, Nikki Beach, and Bonito runs at peak. If you cannot book the window or the budget, charter the first three weeks of February for the same on-shore product at half the rate.
Is St Barths a sailing or motor yacht charter? Both. The St Barths Bucket and Voiles de St Barth absorb the sailing-charter and superyacht-racing calendar in March and April. Most charter weeks at St Barths run motor yachts given the size of the harbor inventory and the working on-shore calendar; sailing weeks pair with the regatta dates.
How does St Barths compare with Anguilla? Different products. St Barths delivers the working on-shore social calendar and the harbor and resort inventory; Anguilla delivers the beach product and the at-anchor swimming. Most Northern Leewards charter weeks pair the two with 3 days St Barths and 2 days Anguilla on a 7-day rotation. We cover Anguilla on the Anguilla page.