Bequia, Mustique and the Tobago Cays are as good as Caribbean sailing gets: 60 miles of islands, no island more than a three hour sail from the next, and a reef-protected lagoon full of turtles in the middle. The catch is that you are met by boat boys in most anchorages, the channels are open ocean, and the southern islands are still rebuilding after Hurricane Beryl.
Who a Grenadines charter suits
Skippers on their second or third charter who want wilder islands and proper sailing. You need to be relaxed about anchoring, reef entrances and people selling you things from boats.
Where you start
The bareboat base is Blue Lagoon at the south end of St. Vincent, 15 to 25 minutes from Argyle airport (SVD). Only a couple of companies operate there. Plenty of people reach the Grenadines one way from St. Lucia, Martinique or Grenada instead, which avoids doubling back but adds a customs stop and a one-way fee.
The 7 night route on a map
Gold pins are the nights, numbered in order. Light blue pins are day stops on the way. The longer passages are marked in nautical miles.
- Charter base: Blue Lagoon, St. Vincent
- With more time: Cumberland Bay
- With more time: Wallilabou
- Admiralty Bay, Bequia
- Britannia Bay, Mustique
- Charlestown, Canouan
- Tobago Cays
- Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau
- Day stop: Clifton, Union Island
- Chatham Bay, Union Island
- With more time: Petit St. Vincent
Not for navigational purposes. Positions are approximate and the route line is a sketch that keeps off the land. It ignores depth, reefs and shoals.
- Charter base
- Night stop, numbered in order
- Day stop
- With more time
- Typical route
7 nights from Blue Lagoon: day by day
South with the wind behind you, then back north in shorter hops. This stays inside St. Vincent and the Grenadines, so there is one clearance, done by the base before you leave.
Blue Lagoon, St. Vincent to Admiralty Bay, Bequia
Nine miles across the Bequia Channel, which is rougher than it looks on the chart. Moorings or anchor off Princess Margaret Beach. Bequia is the friendliest island in the chain.
Admiralty Bay, Bequia to Britannia Bay, Mustique
A beam reach to Mustique. Moorings are compulsory and the fee covers three nights. Dinner or a drink at Basil’s.
Britannia Bay, Mustique to Tobago Cays
About 18 miles south past Canouan to the reason you came. Enter from the north-west in good light, take a park mooring or anchor in sand, and swim with the turtles off Baradal.
Tobago Cays to Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau
Spend the morning on the reef, then motor two miles to Mayreau. The bay is small and fills early, so be in by lunchtime.
Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau to Chatham Bay, Union Island
On the way: Clifton, Union Island
Stop at Clifton for provisions, water and ice, then round to Chatham Bay: wide, empty, good holding, and beach shacks that will grill you a lobster.
Chatham Bay, Union Island to Charlestown, Canouan
The first day north, close-hauled. Breaking the trip at Canouan keeps it to a sensible length.
Charlestown, Canouan to Admiralty Bay, Bequia
The long one: about 20 miles to windward. Leave early, expect to motor-sail some of it, and reward the crew in Port Elizabeth.
Admiralty Bay, Bequia to Blue Lagoon, St. Vincent
Back across the channel to Blue Lagoon. Wait for the base to guide you in over the reef. Most bases want the boat back on the dock by mid morning.
The stops in more detail
Bequia: Admiralty Bay
Seven to nine miles across the Bequia Channel. The yachting capital of the Grenadines: moorings, provisioning, waterfront restaurants and Princess Margaret Beach round the corner.
Mustique: Britannia Bay
Moorings are compulsory and the fee covers three nights. Basil’s Bar, flattened by Beryl, has been rebuilt. Shore access is limited around Christmas, Easter and August.
Canouan
Moorings at Charlestown and a full marina at Glossy Bay on the south end.
Mayreau: Salt Whistle Bay and Saline Bay
Salt Whistle is tiny, beautiful and crowded, and its palms are growing back. Saline Bay has more room.
Tobago Cays Marine Park
The reason to come. Park fees per person per day, plus moorings if you take one. Anchor only in sand, five knot limit, turtles off Baradal and lobster barbecues on the beach in season. Enter from the north-west in good light. The southern entrance is off limits to bareboats.
Union Island: Clifton and Chatham Bay
Clifton took the worst of Beryl and is the slowest to recover, though customs, groceries and yacht services are open. Chatham Bay’s beach bars are rebuilding.
Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent
Usable anchorages, but both resorts were still closed at our last check.
Wallilabou and Cumberland Bay, St. Vincent
Deep bays on the leeward coast where you drop the anchor and take a stern line to a palm tree, with help whether you asked for it or not.
Where the work is
Boat boys
In Bequia, the Tobago Cays, Union and the St. Vincent bays, someone will motor out to meet you, offering a mooring, a stern line, ice, bread, fish or a beach barbecue. Most are courteous and leave if you say no thanks. Pick one person, agree the price and whether it is EC or US dollars before he touches a line, and be polite and firm with the rest.
Private moorings
Official moorings in Mustique and the Tobago Cays are maintained. Many others are not. If you take one, dive on it or back down hard on it. If in doubt, anchor.
The channels
The Bequia Channel and the gaps further south are open to the Atlantic, with current setting west. With wind against tide the Bequia Channel can be the roughest water of the week. Reef early.
Clearing in and out
A charter that starts and ends in St. Vincent needs no clearance. Carriacou and Petite Martinique belong to Grenada, so going there means clearing out at Union or Canouan and in at Tyrell Bay, then the same in reverse.
Security
Reported yacht crime is low in absolute numbers but higher than in the BVI, mostly theft from unlocked boats and dinghies, and St. Vincent’s leeward coast has the longer record. Lock up, lift the dinghy, and ask your base where they would not stay overnight.
When to go
December to April brings east-north-east trades of 15 to 25 knots, with Christmas winds to 30. May, June and November are lighter and cheaper. Some websites still say the hurricane risk this far south is minimal. Beryl crossed Union, Mayreau and Canouan as a major hurricane on 1 July 2024, so treat June to November with respect.
How The Grenadines compares with the BVI
| BVI | The Grenadines | |
|---|---|---|
| Sailing | Sheltered channel | Open ocean between islands |
| Charter companies | Dozens | A couple |
| Overnight moorings | In most anchorages | Some, of mixed quality |
| People selling from boats | Rare | In most anchorages |
| Standout stop | The Baths | The Tobago Cays |
New to all of this? Start with the BVI bareboat basics and see why most people start in the BVI.
The Grenadines charter questions
What are boat boys in the Grenadines?
Local vendors who come out to arriving yachts by boat to offer moorings, line handling, ice, bread, fish, lobster barbecues and water taxis. Choose one, agree the price and currency first, and decline the others politely.
Have the Grenadines recovered from Hurricane Beryl?
Mostly. Bequia and Mustique were largely unaffected, Canouan, Mayreau and the Tobago Cays are operating, and Union Island is open but still rebuilding. The Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent resorts were still closed at our last check in September 2026.
Do you need to clear customs in the Grenadines?
Not if you start and finish in St. Vincent and stay in its waters. Visiting Carriacou or Petite Martinique means clearing out of St. Vincent and into Grenada, and back again.
Is the Grenadines a good first bareboat charter?
No. The sailing is open water with current, there is more anchoring and reef pilotage, and there is far less support than in the BVI. It is an excellent second or third charter.
Thinking about The Grenadines?
Tell us your dates, crew and experience and we will tell you straight whether it suits you, or whether another island would suit you better. Same price as booking direct.