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The south-Caribbean week, Rodney Bay down through Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, and the Tobago Cays, is the week most American brokers either ignore or quote at the Antigua price. It is not the Antigua price. As of May 2026, a 50m motor yacht running this route in peak winter (December 26 to January 5) is asking $230K to $290K per week before APA and gratuity. The same yacht out of English Harbour the same week is $260K to $330K. The cruising is also better. The reason most brokers skip this route is unflattering: it is harder to logistically run, requires three customs clearances, and the marina infrastructure is thinner. Those are exactly the reasons it is quieter.
This is a week we run, not a route we sell. If you want the standard Antigua-to-St Barths loop, read our Antigua and St Barths week breakdown. If you want to know what the southern Caribbean actually delivers in 2026, read on.
The route, day by day
Embarkation is Rodney Bay Marina on the northern tip of St Lucia. IGY Rodney Bay accepts yachts to 85m on the outer face; longer vessels anchor in the bay. Most charters board between 16:00 and 18:00. Captain's brief, safety drill, dinner aboard.
Day one runs south to Marigot Bay, eight nautical miles. The bay is small and the inner anchorage holds about 12 yachts on buoys (no anchoring inside). Anything over 50m anchors outside. The Marigot Bay Resort tender dock is the only practical shore landing.
Day two is the run to the Pitons. Anchorage at Sugar Beach is on permanent moorings, paid through the Soufrière Marine Management Authority (SMMA). Fee as of May 2026 is around $80 per yacht per night for yachts over 30m. The mooring field is shallow on the inshore side and 40m+ yachts often end up on the outer moorings, which is fine on a calm day and uncomfortable on a north swell.
Day three crosses to Bequia, 38 nautical miles south. This is the first crossing where the trades fill in properly. Anchorage at Admiralty Bay holds. The town is small, walkable, and free of the Mustique tax. Most chartering crews prefer Bequia for the off-yacht dinner.
Day four runs to Mustique. The Mustique Company controls every anchorage and every shore activity. Mooring is $300 per night minimum. Beach landings are restricted. The Cotton House and Basil's Bar are the two shore options. Mustique earns its reputation for being exclusive by being expensive, not by being good.
Day five is Canouan. The Glossy Bay marina accepts yachts to 100m and the fuel dock is the most reliable in the Grenadines. Sandy Lane Yacht Club is the shore option, and yes, it is a development play, and yes, the food is fine. The anchorage west of the marina holds well.
Day six is the Tobago Cays. This is the marine park. Anchorage on permanent moorings or on sand in the lagoon between Petit Rameau and Petit Bateau. Park fees are around $10 per person per night. Snorkelling on Horseshoe Reef is the reason most clients book this week. There is no shore infrastructure. The yacht boys bring lobster.
Day seven is Union Island or the run back. Some captains push back up to Bequia or Mustique for the final night to shorten the disembarkation transit. Others continue south to Carriacou and Grenada, which requires switching countries again and adds a clearance.
Disembarkation can be in Rodney Bay (the round-trip) or in Grenada (Port Louis). One-way charters add a repositioning fee, typically $8K to $15K depending on yacht size.
What it costs in 2026
Charter rates here are softer than the standard Caribbean route because supply is thinner and demand is more dispersed. As of May 2026:
A 35m sailing yacht running peak winter (Dec 26 to Jan 5) is $95K to $140K per week before APA and gratuity. Shoulder weeks (Jan 5 through mid-March) are $75K to $110K. April through May is $55K to $85K.
A 50m motor yacht in the same peak window is $230K to $290K. Shoulder is $185K to $245K. April runs $145K to $200K.
A 70m motor yacht peak is $440K to $580K. Shoulder is $360K to $480K. There are perhaps eight 70m+ yachts running this route in any given winter. Availability is the constraint, not price.
APA runs 25 to 30% for sailing and 30 to 35% for motor. Fuel is the variable. The Bequia-to-Mustique and Mustique-to-Canouan legs are short. The crossings from St Lucia to Bequia and back use more fuel than the rest of the week combined. Caribbean diesel is around $1.40 to $1.80 per litre in the Grenadines as of May 2026.
Crew gratuity is the Caribbean standard 10 to 15% of base fee. Crews on this route tend to be smaller (10 to 16 on a 50m) than equivalent Med boats, so the per-crew take is similar.
The friction about the standard pitch
Brokers selling this week sell it as "Antigua but cheaper." That is wrong. The product is different. The trades are stronger, the crossings are longer, the marinas are smaller, and the shore product is thinner. If you charter expecting Antigua, you will be disappointed. If you charter expecting a sailing-grade week with five hours of crossing time most days and one of the best snorkel anchorages in the Caribbean, you will not.
We would also push back on the Mustique stop. Half the charter weeks we have tracked through this route in 2024 and 2025 included one or two nights at Mustique. Most clients told us afterward that one was enough. The fees are high, the anchorage is exposed on a north swell, and the shore restrictions kill the spontaneity that the rest of the week trades on. We would book Mustique for lunch at Basil's and a beach day, then sleep at Bequia or Canouan.
The third change: most charters here run seven days. The route deserves ten. The Antigua-style week ends with a polite suggestion that you visit the Tobago Cays for half a day. That is not enough. The Tobago Cays deserve two nights minimum. To get two nights there and the rest of the route, you need ten days. Or you cut Marigot.
What we passed on for this route
We do not run charters into Grenada's Carriacou and Petite Martinique unless the client specifically asks. The clearance friction is real and the anchorages are less rewarding than the SVG side of the channel. The Sandy Island anchorage is fine. It is not Tobago Cays. Skip unless you have ten days and want the country count.
We do not recommend starting in Grenada and running north. The trades are nominally easterly but the practical wind is north of east in January and February, which makes the run from Grenada to Tobago Cays a beat. The St Lucia start is upwind on the only crossing that matters and downwind on the rest. Brokers who offer Grenada-start charters are doing it because their yachts are positioned in Port Louis, not because it is the better direction.
We passed on Petit St Vincent (PSV) as a regular stop. The mooring field is small, the resort is private, and the access controls make it more friction than reward. Lunch is fine. Overnighting there is not better than overnighting in the Tobago Cays.
Compared to the standard Caribbean week
The Antigua-to-St Barths route is shorter, faster, and easier to provision. The marina infrastructure in English Harbour and Falmouth is the best in the eastern Caribbean. The shore product (Le Toiny, Eden Rock, Le Sereno, the Cap Juluca) is the strongest in the region. If your charter is going to spend three or four meals ashore, the Antigua-to-St Barths week is the right answer.
The St Lucia-to-Grenadines week is for clients who plan to eat aboard five or six nights of seven. The anchorages are the product. The shore is the supporting cast. If you have a chef you trust and you want to swim more than you want to dine, this is the better route.
The BVI is its own animal: shorter crossings, no customs friction within the British chain, lighter trades. Compared to the Grenadines, the BVI is easier and busier. If you want crossings under 15 nautical miles and you do not care about Tobago Cays, the BVI is the choice. See our BVI versus USVI breakdown for the full comparison.
Yachts that work this route
The yachts that run this route well are the ones that handle the trades and have a tender programme equipped for shallow-water snorkel work. A 60m motor yacht with a 9m chase tender and a serious water-toys fleet (Seabobs, paddleboards, two RIBs, a snorkel inflatable) earns its money in the Tobago Cays in a way it cannot in Capri.
Sailing yachts work this route especially well. The crossings reward sail area, the anchorages reward shallow draft, and the rhythm of the week matches a sailing programme better than a motor programme. The 40-60m sailing fleet (the Perinis, the Vitters, the Royal Huismans) tends to run more of these weeks than the equivalent motor inventory.
For a shore-heavy charter, look at the 70m+ motor segment. The bigger yachts have better stabilisation for the crossings and better tender programmes for the shore landings. The trade-off is dockage. Most marinas here have one or two 70m+ berths. Plan ahead or anchor.
Booking timing
Peak weeks (Dec 26 to Jan 5, presidents week, Feb 15 to 22) book 10 to 12 months out. The Christmas week is fully gone by the previous March in any given year. February president's week books slightly later but still goes by July.
The window that actually has availability and rate flexibility is mid-January through mid-March on weeks that do not bracket a US holiday. Brokers will move on rate in those weeks because they need to fill the yacht. Late March through mid-April is the post-Easter window, which has its own logic.
The post-Thanksgiving week is the November opportunity. Read our Caribbean Thanksgiving week breakdown for that.
Pre and post-charter shore stay
If you want to add a shore night before or after, St Lucia has the better hotel inventory on the south Caribbean side. The Jade Mountain and Sugar Beach are the obvious picks for a pre-charter night. We have a breakdown of the St Lucia shore stays on HotelsForKings if you want the full ranking. The Pitons are 45 minutes from Rodney Bay by helicopter or two hours by car. Most clients fly into UVF, helicopter to Soufrière, and reverse on the way home.
For longer pre or post-charter villa stays, the VillasForKings St Lucia inventory covers the four properties we would actually book. The rest is fine. Fine is not the brief here.
FAQ
How long does the St Lucia to Grenadines week take? Rodney Bay to Tobago Cays is about 110 nautical miles each way. Seven days is enough if the captain pushes. Ten days is more honest if you want time at every anchorage.
Do you need to clear customs in every island? Yes. St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada are three separate jurisdictions. Each requires inbound and outbound clearance. Most captains pre-clear electronically through SailClear.
What is the best month? February. The trades are stable, the swell is consistent, and the cyclone risk is gone. December has the highest rates and the most squalls. April has the softest rates and the lightest wind.
Is the Tobago Cays overcrowded? At Christmas, yes. In February, it is busy but manageable. The mooring field holds about 25 yachts. Day-trip catamarans from Union Island add maybe another 15 boats between 11:00 and 16:00 most days, then leave.
Can you do this on a one-way charter? Yes, but the repositioning fee for the yacht to return to St Lucia is yours. Budget $8K to $15K depending on yacht size.