The Grenadines are a chain of about 32 islands and cays, running roughly 40 miles south from St Vincent.
A charter week sails that line, normally south and back. The islands sit close enough together that most days are an hour or two under way and the rest of the day at anchor.
That is the appeal: short hops, steady trade winds, and somewhere new every night without a passage to reach it.
It is also the corner of the Caribbean where access rules matter most.
Mustique sells no day pass and charges the yacht a conservation fee instead. The Tobago Cays are a marine park charging per person and per mooring. Two private-island resorts are still shut after Hurricane Beryl.
None of that spoils a week here. All of it changes the planning, which is why this page says what each island costs to visit.
Broker insight
No crewed yachts are permanently based in the Grenadines, so the boat comes first and the itinerary second. Tell us the week and the group size and we will find what is cruising the chain or can reposition for you. Once the yacht is settled, the route almost plans itself, because everything is within a short sail of everything else.
John Boullin
Charter Broker
Forty Miles, and No Day Over Two Hours Under Way
- The sailing is short and predictable. St Vincent to Bequia is about nine miles. Bequia to Mustique is another twelve. The longest ordinary hop in the chain is under twenty.
- The trade winds are reliable from December to May, which makes this a sailing destination first and a motor-yacht destination second.
- You anchor rather than berth. There are only two real marinas in the whole chain, so nights are spent on the hook or on a mooring.
- The snorkeling is the draw, not an extra. Horseshoe Reef in the Tobago Cays is the single best thing in the destination and you reach it by boat only.
Nine Islands, Running South From St Vincent
Running north to south from St Vincent:
- Bequia, the first stop and the one most weeks start or finish on.
- Mustique, private, expensive to visit and strictly controlled.
- Canouan, the marina island, with the Mandarin Oriental and Sandy Lane Yacht Club.
- Mayreau, tiny, with Saltwhistle Bay on one side and Salt Whistle village above it.
- The Tobago Cays, five uninhabited cays inside a reef, and a marine park.
- Union Island, the southern base, with Clifton harbour and the kitesurfing centre.
- Palm Island and Petit St Vincent, both private resort islands, both currently closed.
St Vincent itself sits at the top of the chain. It holds the airport and the charter base, and most weeks leave it within a few hours of boarding.
Three Places a Week Can Start, and the Flights Decide
Three realistic start points, and the choice usually follows the flights rather than the sailing. The routes themselves are in how to get here for your charter.
- Blue Lagoon or Young Island Cut, St Vincent. The main base, about twenty minutes from Argyle International.
- Bequia. A short ferry from Kingstown and a common rendezvous when guests want to skip St Vincent entirely.
- Clifton, Union Island. The southern end, which turns the week around and works well if you want the Tobago Cays on day one.
Only Mustique and the Tobago Cays Charge the Yacht
One national rule applies everywhere before any island fee: jet skis are banned throughout St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Access charges are separate from the charter fee and are usually settled by the captain. Worked through night by night for a whole week, they come to about US$200 to US$350 for the group: see a week in the Grenadines and what each stop costs.
| Island | What the yacht pays | What it covers |
| Mustique | EC$200 to EC$1,000, by length | Three consecutive nights at Britannia Bay plus access to the visitor area |
| Tobago Cays | EC$15 per person per 24 hours, plus EC$60 per mooring per 24 hours | Park entry and a mooring inside the reef |
| Canouan | Day pass at Sandy Lane Yacht Club, price not published | Pool and beach loungers, food charged separately |
| Bequia, Mayreau, Union Island | No access charge | Normal anchoring, moorings where laid |
| Palm Island, Petit St Vincent | Closed | No visitor access at present |
Two Private-Island Resorts Are Shut, Everything Else Is Back
Hurricane Beryl hit the southern Grenadines in July 2024 and the recovery has been uneven. As of October 2026:
- Palm Island is closed. A US$100 million rebuild was signed in November 2025 and it returns as Voaara Grenadines. Press reports point to December 2026, the brand’s own page says 2027, and the day-visitor policy has not been published.
- Petit St Vincent is closed. The resort says it is aiming to reopen and has not given a date.
- Union Island is largely back. The kitesurfing centre is running lessons and rentals again, though its beach bar is still shut and hoping for the 2026-27 season.
- Mayreau is fully back, and Saltwhistle Bay has a new breakwater.
- Canouan was not badly hit. The Mandarin Oriental reopened in November 2024 and two of its restaurants take non-residents.
We confirm the position with the operators before either island goes into a proposal. The dates have moved more than once.
The full picture, with the sources, is in where the Palm Island and Petit St Vincent reopenings actually stand.
The Season Runs December to May
The season runs December to May, when the trade winds are steady and the rain is light. February to May are the driest months.
Hurricane season is officially June to November and most crewed yachts leave the chain for it. Month by month sets out which weeks suit which group.
Christmas, New Year and Easter are the busiest weeks and need the most notice. They are also the weeks when Mustique closes its visitor area to anyone without a Cotton House reservation, so a festive itinerary that counts on going ashore there needs checking before it is promised.
People Also Ask About the Grenadines
Do you need a day pass for Mustique?
No, Mustique has never sold one. The yacht pays a conservation fee by length instead, covering three consecutive nights.
The fee table, the only permitted anchorage and the weeks when the visitor area closes are on our Mustique page.
What are the Tobago Cays park fees?
EC$15 per person and EC$60 per mooring, each per 24 hours, collected by the rangers or at the office in Clifton.
The redrawn zones and where the turtles actually graze are on our Tobago Cays page.
How do you get from St Vincent to Bequia?
Two ferries run from Kingstown and take about an hour, and Bequia Beach Hotel runs its own boat in winter.
The timetable, and which option actually suits a boarding day, is in how to get to St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Are any crewed yachts based in the Grenadines?
Yes, about fourteen of them, from US$9,000 to US$94,000 a week.
Roughly half split the season with the British Virgin Islands, which is the detail that decides your dates. The full list is in which crewed yachts are actually based in the Grenadines.
Is Petit St Vincent open?
No. Petit St Vincent has been closed since Hurricane Beryl in July 2024. The resort has said it intends to reopen and has not published a date, so we check directly before including it.
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