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A 30 to 40m charter yacht Bequia in the 2026 winter season prices at $92,000 to $135,000 per week peak (mid-December through mid-April), plus a 25 percent APA, takes 8 to 10 guests, and bases out of Admiralty Bay at Port Elizabeth. Bequia is the second-largest island in the Grenadines (18 square kilometres) and the practical hub for the entire central and southern Grenadines: Mustique, Canouan, the Tobago Cays, Mayreau, Union, Petit St Vincent, and Petit Tabac all fall within a 35 nautical mile arc south of Admiralty Bay. The bracket holds 6 to 10 yachts in Admiralty Bay on a peak-season Saturday. There is no commercial marina for the bracket; the anchorage uses mooring buoys managed by the Friendship Bay Moorings cooperative and direct anchoring on the sand bottom in 5m to 18m.
Why Bequia is the Grenadines hub
Admiralty Bay is the best-protected deep-water anchorage in the central Grenadines: 1.8 kilometres long, 800m wide, open to the west but sheltered from the eastern trade winds by Bequia's central spine. Port Elizabeth at the head of the bay has the customs and immigration office for the entire Grenadines (St Vincent and the Grenadines is a single jurisdiction; clearance done at Port Elizabeth covers the whole rotation), the fuel quay, the chandlery, the provisioning network at Doris Fresh Food and the Belmont market, and the yacht boys who run the Bequia hospitality network. It is the only harbour in the Grenadines below St Vincent and above Grenada.
Bequia is the practical embarkation alternative to St Lucia or Canouan for clients who want to skip the long Caribbean Sea push and start the trip already in the Grenadines. The J F Mitchell airport (BQU) handles light aircraft connecting through Barbados (BGI), St Lucia (SLU), or St Vincent (SVD). The bracket typically lands clients at Barbados and uses the 20 minute charter flight or the 45 minute ferry from Kingstown to reach Bequia.
What the Bequia cruising area offers
Admiralty Bay anchorage. The main overnight. The southern shore at Princess Margaret Beach (the standard swim and snorkel stop), the central anchorage off the town quay (the tender-walking distance to the customs office and the Whaleboner restaurant), and Lower Bay at the southwestern corner (the quieter family anchorage). The 30 to 40m bracket sits in 10m to 18m of water in the central or southern part of the bay.
Mustique. 13 nautical miles east of Bequia. The standard one-night or two-night excursion from the Bequia base. See the 30-40m Mustique page for the booking framework.
Tobago Cays. 23 nautical miles south of Bequia. The marine park of five uninhabited islands with the marquee turtle snorkel anchorage. The single best 36 hours on a Grenadines week. The bracket anchors inside the Horseshoe Reef in 5m to 8m of sand.
Mayreau and Union. The two inhabited islands south of the Tobago Cays. Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau is the marquee small-island anchorage; Clifton Harbour on Union is the southern Grenadines clearance port and the Happy Island bar.
Petit St Vincent and Petit Tabac. The southern extreme of the cruising area. Petit St Vincent is a private-island resort with a charter-visitor framework; Petit Tabac is the tiny sandbar where the Pirates of the Caribbean Pearl scene was filmed.
Weekly rates from Bequia in 2026 winter
Ranges below are for peak season (mid-December through mid-April) before APA at 25 percent and gratuity at 15 percent. The bracket charters through standard MYBA terms; St Vincent and the Grenadines applies a 2 percent cruising-permit fee on charter fees, settled at Port Elizabeth on clearance.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht and motor-sailor (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 30 to 33m | $92K to $110K per week | $68K to $90K per week |
| 33 to 36m | $106K to $122K per week | $80K to $108K per week |
| 36 to 40m | $120K to $135K per week | $98K to $128K per week |
Bequia rates run 8 to 12 percent below Mustique for the same yacht and the same week, and roughly even with Canouan. The base premium is in Mustique, not Bequia. Christmas-New Year prices at 1.5 to 1.8 times the published peak; the Bequia New Year is busy but materially less contested than Mustique or Antigua New Year.
What this bracket does in Bequia
Anchorages. Admiralty Bay's central and southern segments are the standard. Friendship Bay on the southern coast of the island is a quieter alternative for the second overnight. Industry Bay on the northern coast is a daytime stop, not an overnight; the swell wraps from the eastern Atlantic on most nights.
Mooring buoys. Friendship Bay Moorings has roughly 30 buoys in Admiralty Bay. The bracket can take the larger moorings or anchor in the sand. Mooring fees are roughly $30 to $50 per night.
Tenders. Two tenders is standard. The Admiralty Bay tender ops reward a fast tender for the Princess Margaret Beach lunch and a comfortable tender for the Port Elizabeth town quay dinner.
At-anchor stabilizers. Required. Admiralty Bay is well-protected but the central anchorage takes 0.5m to 1m of westerly swell most nights; the Tobago Cays Horseshoe Reef anchorage is open to the eastern Atlantic and takes 1m to 1.5m on a normal day.
Provisioning. Bequia is the best provisioning stop in the Grenadines, though materially below Pointe-a-Pitre, Fort-de-France, or Antigua. Doris Fresh Food is the bracket's standard fresh-and-frozen stop; the Belmont market is the local fish and produce stop on Saturday morning. Wine and dry-store provisioning is functional, not deep; serious chefs work the Antigua or Pointe-a-Pitre re-supply on a multi-week rotation.
Trip shapes that work
The 7-night Bequia round-trip with the southern Grenadines arc. Embark Bequia, push south to Tobago Cays for two nights, one night Mayreau, one night Union and Petit St Vincent, two nights return through Canouan, one night Bequia. The standard southern Grenadines week.
The 7-night Bequia round-trip with Mustique. Two nights Mustique, two nights Tobago Cays, one night Canouan, two nights Bequia. The mixed Grenadines week with the Mustique inclusion.
The 10-night St Lucia to Bequia one-way. Embark St Lucia for two nights at Marigot and Soufriere, push south through St Vincent for one night, three nights Bequia and Mustique, three nights Tobago Cays and Union, one night Bequia disembark. The case for the longer southern arc.
Where the bracket struggles in Bequia
The English-only restaurant week. Bequia's restaurants are local and unpolished; the Whaleboner, the Fig Tree, and Mac's Pizzeria are the institutions, not the chef's-table experience. Charter clients who want the dressed dinner ashore should book the St Barths week, not the Bequia week.
The shopping week. Bequia has the model boat workshops (Mauvin's, Sargeant Brothers) and a few craft shops; it does not have a duty-free retail offer. The shopping Caribbean week is St Barths or St Martin.
The deep-water diving week. Bequia diving is good but not specialist; the bracket goes to the Tobago Cays for the marine park and the leeward St Vincent dive sites at Bat Cave and the Wall for the deeper diving. The serious diving Caribbean is Saba or Dominica, not Bequia.
Our pick
For a couples-only 7-night Bequia round-trip in late February with Tobago Cays and Mustique: a 33m motor yacht with at-anchor stabilizers, a captain with a Mustique harbour-office relationship, and a strong tender complement for the Tobago Cays turtle anchorage. Budget: $115K plus APA, all-in roughly $166K. Booking lead time: 6 months.
For a family of 10, a 10-night St Lucia to Bequia one-way in mid-January: a 38m motor yacht with full tender complement, a chef who provisions through Antigua before the Bequia pickup, and a captain who has worked the southern Grenadines arc for at least three seasons. Budget: $200K plus APA, all-in roughly $290K. Booking lead time: 7 months.
What sits next to this page
The neighbouring siblings are 30-40m Mustique, 30-40m Canouan, 30-40m Grenadines, and 30-40m St Lucia. For destination editorial, see Charter Grenadines and Charter Caribbean. For the Grenadines logic, see Best Grenadines charters and Caribbean charter weekly rates.
Land-side context is on VillasForKings Bequia and HotelsForKings Bequia.