Luxury Yacht Charters in Antigua & Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda offer exceptional cruising, because of the large number of anchorages – you could charter here for two weeks without stopping at the same anchorage twice. Shore-side highlights include English Harbour – a beautifully restored naval dockyard from Nelson’s time, once the Caribbean HQ for the British Navy. With 365 beaches this is one of the Caribbean’s most popular destinations, especially so in April when the international yachting set descend on the island for Race Week and partying vies with sailing.Barbuda is a special jewel, a wild country where donkeys and horses run free, where the beaches are longer and more beautiful than anywhere else in the Caribbean, and where you can visit a huge frigate bird colony.Cruising in Antigua & Barbuda
Antigua & Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying in the middle of the Leeward Islands. Sailing conditions around Antigua offer blue water sailing and short hops from bay to bay in warm, steady trade winds, and with an annual rainfall averaging only 45 inches, it’s one of the sunniest of the Eastern Caribbean Islands.
Known as the land of 365 beaches, Antigua’s coastline consists of miles of powdery soft sand beaches, coves and secluded anchorages – perfect for cruising and exploring by yacht, and for those wishing to party there is some serious nightlife too. The flat coral Island of Barbuda is thirty miles due North of Antigua, a refreshingly peaceful Island mostly undeveloped, and one of the few Caribbean Islands where donkeys and horses still roam free.
Activities
The reefs surrounding Antigua and Barbuda, once detrimental to enemy vessels, are now a source of pure enjoyment with excellent Snorkeling and diving amidst a wonderland of colorful marine life, including snappers, blue tangs, angelfish, grunts, parrotfish and brilliant corals.
Graceful, evocative & well worth a visit, Lord Horatio Nelson developed a natural harbour into a military HQ for the British Fleet in the 18th Century. Now known as “Nelsons Dockyard” it has been completely restored and is the only Georgian dockyard in the world.
The colonial history of Antigua left some interesting naval sites, including the ruins at the top of Shirley Heights, the site of the British artillery emplacements. The outstanding views make the hike to Shirley Heights worth the effort.
One cannot fully grasp the culture of Antigua without considering the island’s fierce devotion to cricket. The sport is played everywhere and at any time, though official matches tend to be held on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The cricket season lasts from January to July.
Activities on Barbuda are appropriately relaxed, including beachcombing on the stunning pink and white sand beaches, fishing, or simply soaking up the sun and the calm. Barbuda hosts the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, only accessible by boat and home to 170 species and 5000 frigate birds
What you need to know …
Packed with historic legend and natural beauty English Harbour is a wonderful location to meet your yacht. Bars, excellent restaurants and late night dancing at Abracadabra’s make this a popular location to start and finish your charter.
Early December each year a dazzling array of charter yachts fill the marinas for the annual charter yacht show, from classical wooden sailing yachts to mega-yachts equipped with unimaginable luxuries, it is a spectacular array of impressive yachts.
A visit to Shirley Heights is not to be missed. Located within the National Park and overlooking the stunning English & Falmouth Harbours, Shirley Heights not only has the most spectacular view in Antigua, but is also home to one of the best steel drum & BBQ nights every Sunday.
Camera’s at the ready…around the third week of April every year the classic sailing yachts in the region gather for their own regatta. Dozens of classic and vintage vessels including J Class and Tall Ships create an extraordinary spectacle.
“Antigua Race Week” is one of the world’s biggest sailing events renowned for world-class racing and all night partying. Bear in mind flights, hotels, marinas and restaurants will be very busy at this time of year as hundreds of sailors descend for this week at the end of April/beginning of May.
A short hop from Green Island, “Harmony Hall”, is a beautiful and secluded retreat of nine acres based around a historic sugar mill. The old stone plantation house has been converted into an Art Gallery, which is renowned as a regional centre of excellence for painters, sculptors and potters. The Italian restaurant is also worth a visit for the daily home-made pasta and fresh sea-food.
Antigua & Barbuda – Yacht Charter Highlights
Coral Island of Barbuda
Nelsons Dockyard
Shirley Heights
Green Island
Planning Your Yacht Charter in Antigua & Barbuda
A crewed yacht charter is the ultimate indulgence – for some a once in life-time experience, for others a yearly ritual exploring new locations and exciting destinations only accessible by boat. Along with the captain we’ll assist in planning a comprehensive itinerary prior to your charter based on your interests and requests, as well as pointing out the “must sees” in the area. Antigua is within easy reach of the UK and US / Canada with daily international flights.
Contact our charter specialists and we will guide you through the booking process including assisting with airport transfers and pre charter hotel recommendations.
Choosing A Luxury Yacht & Crew
Once we have discussed your preferences in detail we will present selections of online yacht brochures with photos, menus and crew details and will continue to do so until we find the perfect match for you in terms of size, style & budget.
If you have firm dates in mind we’ll confirm availability with the owner and place a courtesy hold on your dates whilst your charter agreement is prepared and signed. It’s a good idea to have a second choice in mind, especially for busy holiday periods when yachts book up quickly.
We recommend booking your charter at least six months in advance to ensure that we secure your preferred yacht. Some of the most sought after yachts will book one year in advance for certain weeks or events. It is always possible to accommodate last minute bookings however we do recommend booking as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Twice a year we personally inspect the yachts and spend time with the crew to ensure that we are representing only the very best.
When to go
The northeast trade winds are nearly constant year round, peaking in December/January and wavering only in September. Between December and April the best choice of yachts are available, after which most charter yachts head to the Mediterranean or USA for the summer seasons.
Antigua’s yachting events, which you may want to plan your trip around, include Antigua Yacht Charter Show early December, Superyacht Challenge at the end of Jan/early Feb, Classic sailing regatta during the third week of April, and the Antigua Sailing Week at the end of April/early May.
Antigua’s Sport Fishing Tournament takes place May/June each year.
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Hint – If you’re finding it hard to decide on a single destination why not enjoy a multi-island cruise ? Get in touch and we’ll help you plan your perfect itinerary…
LUXURY CREWED YACHT CHARTERS IN THE CARIBBEAN
“I just wanted to thank you for the greatest trip of a life time!!
This trip out did our greatest expectations! The crew was amazing, tailoring to our every wish. The food was above 5 star and it was incredible to us how this could be accomplished with such a small kitchen. Each day was better than the next and we have never been more relaxed in our lives. If anyone ever needs a reference please do not hesitate to have them call us. I hope one day we can take this trip again.