Windward Islands Yacht Charters

Embark at Rodney Bay Marina, St Lucia. Rodney Bay has good provisioning options — Budget Marine for any final chandlery, the IGY marina's own dockside — and a protected overnight berth to settle the crew aboard. Briefing with your skipper, safety checks, and dinner ashore at one of the restaurants around the lagoon. The marina is straightforward to navigate but tidal surges can make docking in the outer berths active work.

Sail south from Rodney Bay to Marigot Bay (approximately 12 nautical miles, 2-3 hours). The lee of St Lucia's west coast keeps seas flat for this first leg. Anchor in the outer bay or take a buoy if available. Afternoon swim, dinghy exploration of the inner mangrove lagoon, and sundowners watching the hillside goats negotiate the treeline.

The signature leg: Soufrière and the Pitons. Roughly 15 nautical miles south from Marigot Bay, hugging the coast past Anse Cochon. Pick up a National Trust mooring in Soufrière Bay — do not anchor here given the depth and volcanic seabed — and spend the afternoon at the Sulphur Springs drive-in, the Diamond Botanical Gardens, and a late lunch at the Hummingbird Beach Restaurant on the waterfront. The Piton backdrop at sunset from the cockpit is the image most charterers carry home.

Depart early for the channel crossing to Bequia, approximately 25 nautical miles across the St Vincent Passage. This is the most exposed leg of the route — expect 20-25 knots from the north-east and a two-metre swell in the channel, which is perfectly manageable but a proper sea passage. Arrive at Admiralty Bay mid-afternoon. Clear customs and immigration at the Port Elizabeth customs building on the waterfront. Dinner at Mac's Pizzeria, a Bequia institution that reliably outperforms expectations.

Tobago Cays day. Depart Bequia on a south-easterly heading through the Canouan passage — stop at Canouan for a late morning coffee and a walk into the village if timing allows — then reach the Tobago Cays in early afternoon. Inside Horseshoe Reef the water is turquoise and shallow; swim with the hawksbill and green turtles at Baradal Island under the guidance of the Marine Park rangers, who board visiting yachts to explain the site properly. Overnight at anchor inside the reef — position carefully on the chart, as the reef is unforgiving at night.

Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau for the morning, then south to Union Island. Salt Whistle is a double-sided beach bay — shallow and calm on the west, a little more exposed on the north — and excellent for a final Grenadines swim before the push south. Clear out of St Vincent and the Grenadines customs at Clifton Harbour, Union Island. The crossing to Carriacou follows in the afternoon: 15 nautical miles with the wind typically aft of the beam and a reliable building afternoon breeze.

Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou. Clear Grenada customs on arrival. This is an anchorage worth spending a full day in — take the dinghy into the Hillsborough market in the morning for the extraordinary local produce (nutmeg, mace, the island's own chocolate), provision the galley, and allow the crew a slower afternoon. The Lazy Turtle's wifi is reliable enough for those who need to surface briefly. Farewell dinner aboard.

St George's, Grenada. The final 30-nautical-mile leg south to Grenada's capital typically arrives before midday. Berth at Port Louis Marina for disembarkation. If schedules allow, walk the careenage, visit the spice stalls in the market, and take the ridgeline drive past Grand Etang forest reserve — a volcanic crater lake at 530 metres elevation that has no sailing equivalent anywhere in the chain.