Yes, and there are more of them than the rest of the internet thinks.
About fourteen crewed yachts are home-ported in St Vincent and the Grenadines, from a 43 foot catamaran at US$13,950 a week up to an 80 foot all-inclusive boat based in Canouan at US$94,000.
The catch is not that the chain is empty. It is that half of those boats split their season with the British Virgin Islands, so “based in the Grenadines” means something looser here than it does in Tortola, and that is the thing worth asking about before you fix your dates.
Broker insight
Ask one question about any Grenadines boat: is she here for the whole season, or splitting it with the BVI. The answer changes your dates more than anything else will. A yacht that was in Tortola the week before yours has a delivery leg to make first, and tight turnarounds are where weeks go wrong. The ones that stay put all winter are the ones I hold for Christmas and Easter.
John Boullin
Charter Broker
Quick answer
- About fourteen crewed yachts are based in the chain, spanning US$9,000 to US$94,000 a week.
- Half of them share the season with the BVI, running up and down rather than staying put.
- The year-round locals are the smaller catamarans, in the 40 to 55 foot range.
- The premium end is here too, but it is a handful of boats rather than a fleet to choose from.
- So book earlier than you would for the BVI, and stay flexible on the boarding island.
Fourteen Boats, From US$9,000 to US$94,000 a Week
The resident fleet is small and it covers the whole range.
At the top, ENTRE4 is an 80 foot catamaran based at Canouan, eight guests, four crew, all-inclusive at US$94,000. LADY ROSE and Sapphire sit in the fifties and sixties of thousands.
In the middle are the 54 to 67 footers between US$28,500 and US$55,000, which is where most Grenadines weeks are actually booked.
At the entry end, Groovy is a 43 foot catamaran at US$13,950, and two smaller boats work out of Blue Lagoon on St Vincent.
Fourteen is not a lot. The BVI publishes that many in a single size band, which is the real difference between the two destinations.
Half of Them Split the Season With the BVI
Seven of the fourteen give their home port as some version of “BVI, St Vincent”.
That is the pattern that matters, and it is the opposite of what you would guess. The feeder for this chain is not Grenada or St Lucia a few miles south. It is Tortola, 300 miles north.
Those boats work the Virgin Islands for part of the winter and come down the island line for the rest of it. A few, like STAND BY ONE, publish the months outright.
What it means for you is simple. Ask where the yacht was the week before yours, because a delivery leg between two charters is where a boarding day gets tight.
Blue Lagoon and Sandy Lane Are the Two Real Bases
There are only two proper marinas in forty miles of islands, and both are working bases rather than fuel stops.
Blue Lagoon, on St Vincent’s south coast, is about twenty minutes from Argyle International and it is where the smaller year-round boats sit.
Sandy Lane Yacht Club on Canouan is the deep-water end, and it is where the larger boats base, ENTRE4 among them.
Everything else in the chain is an anchorage. That shapes the week more than the fleet size does: you are on the hook almost every night, which is the appeal.
Three Boats That Are Genuinely Here
All three give a Grenadines home port on their own record, which is not true of most boats you will find advertised for the chain.
ENTRE4 is the all-inclusive 80 footer at Canouan. LYRA is a 67 foot catamaran for ten, based in the chain. CRYSTAL DREAMS is a 54 footer for ten and one of the boats that works the Virgins as well.
Availability moves week to week, so treat any three boats as a snapshot. Tell us the dates and we will say what is really free.
Book Earlier Here Than You Would for the BVI
Four things follow from a fourteen-boat fleet, in the order they matter.
Start nine to twelve months out for the festive weeks. Christmas, New Year and Easter are decided early, because there is no second tier of boats to fall back on.
Come to us with the week, not the boat. A yacht you found elsewhere may be in the Virgins for your dates.
Let the yacht choose the start point. Boarding at Bequia or Clifton instead of Blue Lagoon often opens a better boat, and the travel side works either way.
Ask what the boat does before and after you. One finishing in Tortola on the Friday is a different proposition to one already in Admiralty Bay.
People also ask
Are any crewed yachts based in the Grenadines?
Yes. About fourteen crewed yachts give a St Vincent or Grenadines home port, from a 43 foot catamaran at US$13,950 a week to an 80 foot all-inclusive boat at Canouan at US$94,000. Roughly half of them split the season with the British Virgin Islands rather than staying in the chain all winter.
Where do Grenadines charter yachts actually come from?
Mostly the British Virgin Islands. Seven of the fourteen resident boats list a home port combining the BVI and St Vincent, so they work the Virgins for part of the winter and run down the chain for the rest. Grenada, St Lucia and Martinique supply far fewer boats than their closeness suggests.
How far ahead should I book a Grenadines charter?
Earlier than for the BVI, because the resident fleet is about fourteen boats rather than hundreds. Nine to twelve months is sensible for Christmas, New Year and Easter. Outside the festive weeks, four to six months usually still gives a real choice.
Can I pick the island I board on?
Within reason. Blue Lagoon on St Vincent, Bequia and Clifton on Union Island all work, and which is easiest depends on where the yacht already is. Staying flexible on the boarding island is often what unlocks the better boat.
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