Antigua and Barbuda Yacht Charter

Antigua’s character comes from sailing. Racing yachts, classic schooners and superyachts share the same harbors, and the week’s rhythm is set by the wind rather than a timetable: a morning sail along the south coast, a beach lunch at anchor, an afternoon with the water toys, an evening in a harbor restaurant. Barbuda adds a quieter note, with long beaches and locally arranged wildlife visits.

✔ Cruising between lively harbors and peaceful anchorages
✔ Anchoring off secluded beaches and coral reefs
✔ Snorkeling, paddleboarding and water sports
✔ Dining ashore at beach restaurants and historic waterfronts
✔ Enjoying Antigua’s sailing culture and relaxed island atmosphere

The region lets guests shape each day to their mood and pace.

Antigua offers one of the widest ranges of yachts in the Caribbean, from Q72 (72.4 m, Icon), Samurai (60.3m, Alia), and Luna (90m, Oceanco) to Grand Ocean (85m, Blohm & Voss), which sleeps 24 guests. In the 40- to 75-meter range, Just Enough (42.98m, Ares Marine) and Plan B (73.07m, HDW) offer a more intimate scale for smaller groups. A few Sunreef and Lagoon catamarans between 20 and 24 meters, such as Nalani (23.87m, Sunreef) and Reve Bleu (20,5m, Lagoon), round out the selection for guests who want a lighter, more flexible yacht.

✔ Luxury motor yachts
✔ Superyachts and megayachts
✔ Sailing yachts
✔ Select crewed catamarans

All yachts operate with professional crews under MYBA or equivalent international charter standards.

Each December, Antigua hosts the charter yacht show that opens the Caribbean season. For anyone in yacht charter, it’s almost sacred: the yachts that will work the Caribbean and the Bahamas through the winter gather in English and Falmouth Harbors, and brokers, captains, owners, and crews meet in the same place for a few days. Our team is there every year to walk the yachts, meet the crews and see for ourselves what suits each guest. That first-hand knowledge lets a European broker place guests on Caribbean yachts with real confidence, not from a brochure.

English Harbor is why Antigua sits at the center of Caribbean yachting. The Georgian naval dockyard that gave the harbor its name, where Horatio Nelson once served, is now a national park and UNESCO World Heritage site, and it still functions as a marina among restored warehouses, restaurants, and old stone quays. From here, the island’s sailing tradition shows itself in regattas such as Antigua Sailing Week and the Classic Yacht Regatta, and in the Sunday evening gathering at Shirley Heights, where English and Falmouth Harbors lie below you at sunset. A charter that starts in English Harbor begins in a place that has been welcoming yachts for more than two centuries.

Barbuda rewards guests who treat it as a destination, not a stop. Its beaches stretch for miles with almost no buildings behind them; the water over the sand is shallow and clear, and the reefs around the island make navigation a careful plan for the captain. The island’s best-known visit is Codrington Lagoon, home to one of the largest frigate bird colonies in the Caribbean. Entry is arranged with licensed local guides in small boats, and the rules protect the nesting birds, so timing and conditions are confirmed locally rather than promised in advance. Most guests find that one full day here changes the feel of the whole week.

Antigua is also the natural gateway to the northern Leewards. From here, St Barts lies roughly ninety nautical miles to the north-west and St Martin a little further, distances that most yachts cover in a long day’s passage or overnight, depending on speed and weather. That makes a combined week realistic for guests who want Antigua’s harbors and Barbuda’s beaches alongside St Barts’ restaurants and shops and St Martin’s mix of cultures. Our seven-day route through Antigua, St Martin and the Leewards shows one way to connect them, and the destination pages for St Barts and St Martin go into each island in detail.

Antigua is one of the easiest Caribbean islands to reach, which is part of why the season starts here. V.C. Bird International Airport receives scheduled flights from the UK, North America, and across the Caribbean, with services that change by season, and the south-coast harbors are under an hour away by road. Most charters board in English Harbor or Falmouth Harbor, with Jolly Harbor on the west coast as an alternative depending on the yacht. The captain and a local agent handle customs and immigration, and our brokers coordinate flights, transfers, and any nights ashore before or after the charter, so guests arrive to a yacht ready for them.