Visiting St Barths by yacht
The yacht season runs from December to April, and New Year is the busiest week. The 2027 St Barths Bucket starts on 17 March.
Picture made with AI. It shows the place but is not a photograph.
When to come
| Months | Season | Mean daily high | Rain each month |
|---|---|---|---|
| December to April | Winter season (our estimate) | 28.6 to 29.6 C | 47 to 101 mm |
| May | Shoulder | 30.4 C | 98 mm |
| June to October | Hurricane season | 31.2 to 31.8 C | 55 to 157 mm |
| November | Hurricane season ends 30 November | 30.3 C | 162 mm |
WMO climate normals 1991 to 2020 for Princess Juliana International Airport, Sint Maarten, about 30 km from Gustavia. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with the peak on 10 September (US National Hurricane Center).
Events
St Barths Bucket 2027
17 to 21 March 2027. Registration and the captains' briefing are on 17 March. The first signal for each of four races is at 11:25, from 18 to 21 March. The race office is in the Bucket Marquee on the quay. Dates are the organiser's preliminary schedule, updated 13 September 2026.
New Year's Eve Regatta
A regatta around the island on 31 December each year, according to the Gustavia port website. The Saint Barth Yacht Club is the contact.
New Year at anchor
YachtBuyer counted 226 superyachts over 78 ft on location at New Year 2025 and 170 in 2024. In 2025 the average length was 56.82 m and 155 yachts were available for charter.
Sources: St Barths Bucket organiser, Gustavia port website and YachtBuyer.
Where yachts anchor
Anchoring is prohibited across the Nature Reserve except in set areas of Fourchue and Colombier bays, according to the Territorial Environment Agency.
Gustavia port area
The port area has a marina, a commercial port and a mooring area for anchoring or mooring buoys. Call the harbour master on VHF 12 before you move. Use the access channel and keep to 5 knots.
Colombier and Fourchue bays
Vessels over 25 m are not authorised. Any vessel that anchors needs insurance with a removal and destruction clause. Ecological buoys take vessels up to 20 tonnes and 25 m, for no more than 96 hours at a time. After 96 hours the vessel leaves the Reserve and may return only after 96 hours outside it.
Petits Saints and Pointe Milou
Anchoring is prohibited. Petits Saints is a marine educational area with six white buoys.
Other bays
The DONIA application shows reefs and seagrass beds from 0 to 18 m, so a skipper can avoid anchoring on them.
Source: Territorial Environment Agency (Agence Territoriale de l'Environnement), on the water and regulatory zones pages.
Getting here and local rules
Ferries
Several ferries a day cross between Saint Martin and Gustavia, according to the Gustavia port website.
Currency
The official currency is the euro, and French is the official language (Noonsite). The population is just under 10,000.
Whales and dolphins
The waters are part of the AGOA marine mammal sanctuary. Vessels must stay 300 m from marine mammals.
Sources. Checked 7 November 2026.
- Port de Gustavia, official port website
- Port de Gustavia, entry and exit formalities
- Port de Gustavia, services
- Port de Gustavia, contacts
- Port de Gustavia, opening hours
- Port de Gustavia, useful information (ferries)
- Port de Gustavia, New Year's Eve Regatta
- Territorial Environment Agency, on the water
- Territorial Environment Agency, regulatory zones
- St Barths Bucket, schedule of events
- Superyacht Services Guide, Port de Gustavia
- Noonsite, Gustavia clearance
- Noonsite, St Barts
- YachtBuyer, St Barts New Year's Eve 2025
- Dockwalk, Papers Please, 2011
- WMO climate normals 1991 to 2020, Princess Juliana International Airport
- US National Hurricane Center, climatology
- UKSA salary guide 2025
- OpenStreetMap Nominatim, coordinates
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