St Martin is thirty seven square miles split between France and the Netherlands, with the largest lagoon in the eastern Caribbean in the middle of it and a bridge at each end operating to a published schedule. It is also the best provisioned island in the region and the natural base for Anguilla, St Barts and the rest of the northern Leewards.
What the week costs
Read on 11 September 2026, The Moorings prices a seven day St Martin bareboat charter for two from 4,199 USD to 9,999, a power charter from 10,999 to 19,999, a skipper added to a bareboat at 310 USD a night, and a crewed yacht from 22,423 to 53,606. It states additional costs for two people from around 1,400 on top. That bareboat entry is the third highest in its Caribbean range, above the BVI and below the Bahamas.
The lagoon and its bridges
The Simpson Bay lagoon is entered through a bridge on the Dutch side and another at Sandy Ground on the French side, both of which open at published times only, a few times a day. A charter that bases inside the lagoon plans its first and last morning around a bridge opening, and missing one costs half a day. Fleets brief the schedule at handover and it changes seasonally, so confirm it rather than assume it.
Where the week goes
Anguilla is five miles north, low, dry and ringed by the best beaches in the Caribbean, and it charges a cruising permit per person per day. St Barts is fifteen miles south east on a beam reach. Saba and Statia are twenty eight and thirty five miles south, both volcanic, both with mooring fields rather than anchorages. That is a full week without a passage longer than four hours.
Two countries, one island
The French side and the Dutch side use different currencies in practice, different phone networks and different customs procedures, although the land border is unmarked. A charter clears in on the side its base sits on. Anguilla, Saba and Statia are all separate jurisdictions requiring their own clearance, so a full northern Leewards week involves more paperwork than anywhere else in the Caribbean.
Questions people ask about bareboat charter St Martin
How much is a bareboat charter in St Martin?
The Moorings prices a seven day bareboat for two from 4,199 USD to 9,999, plus additional costs from around 1,400, read on 11 September 2026. A skipper is 310 USD a night.
What are the lagoon bridges?
Two lifting bridges, one on the Dutch side at Simpson Bay and one at Sandy Ground on the French side, opening at published times a few times a day. Charters based in the lagoon plan the first and last morning around them.
Where can you sail from St Martin?
Anguilla five miles north, St Barts fifteen miles south east, and Saba and Statia twenty eight and thirty five miles south. None is longer than about four hours and all are separate jurisdictions needing clearance.