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A 50 to 60m yacht the US Virgin Islands through the 2026 winter (mid-December to mid-April) runs $290,000 to $440,000 per week plus 30 percent APA, takes 10 to 12 guests across 6 cabins, and carries 14 to 17 crew. The structural embarkation port is Yacht Haven Grande at Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas, with Crown Bay Marina on the south side as the upper-bracket alternative. Roughly 8 to 14 yachts in the bracket work the USVI to BVI corridor through a typical February week, with the majority running foreign-flag commercial tonnage under a current USCG cruising license. The cruising license is the regulatory mechanism that allows the charter to operate with US-resident clients on board in US waters, and its standing is the first contractual question at inquiry.
Why the bracket bases the USVI specifically
Yacht Haven Grande is one of the few Caribbean marinas with both the structural depth and the LOA capacity to handle the 50 to 60m bracket on the main commercial quay. The outer berth line takes the bracket on prior commercial agreement with the YHG dockmaster on 9 to 12 month lead time through the December and January peak weeks. Crown Bay Marina on the south face of St Thomas holds the upper-bracket alternative on the main pier with notice, primarily for yachts that miss the YHG slot or that prefer the Crown Bay provisioning and bunker chain through the Hassel Island channel.
The USVI to BVI corridor is the bracket's geography rather than the USVI itself. Drake Channel between Tortola and the southern BVI chain runs the densest concentration of charter-friendly anchorages in the eastern Caribbean and the typical 7-night week spends two to four nights on the BVI side. St John's north-shore anchorages at Maho Bay, Francis Bay, and Caneel Bay take the bracket on long anchor scope inside the Virgin Islands National Park mooring regime, with the park no-discharge rule applied through the captain's prior NPS authorisation.
The Cyril E. King airport (STT) 8 kilometres from Yacht Haven Grande handles the structural fixed-wing arrival, with the road transfer at 15 minutes on the captain-car. Helicopter shuttle from STT to the yacht's helipad runs on the bracket's upper end through prior FAA permit and ground handling at the STT general aviation apron, but the road transfer is the pattern at the LOA.
Weekly rate map for winter 2026
Rates below are peak season (mid-December 2026 to mid-April 2027), before APA at 28 to 32 percent and crew gratuity at 10 to 15 percent. Caribbean APA convention runs heavier than the Mediterranean because of fuel, provisioning, and marina cost. The USVI charter operates through the USCG cruising license and the local 5 percent gross receipts framework that applies to certain charter structures, with the broker handling the filing.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht and motor-sailor (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 to 53m | $290K to $335K per week | $235K to $280K per week |
| 53 to 57m | $325K to $385K per week | $270K to $325K per week |
| 57 to 60m | $370K to $440K per week | $310K to $370K per week |
The Christmas and New Year window (typically 21 December to 5 January) runs a 40 to 60 percent premium against the central January figure and pulls the bracket east to St Barths and Anguilla through the NYE cluster. The shoulder weeks in early December and the second half of April drop the figure by 20 to 30 percent, and the May repositioning leg to the Mediterranean runs at a delivery-leg discount worth negotiating at the broker.
What you actually get in this bracket
Cabins. Six standard. The Caribbean motor yacht pool at 50 to 60m runs a more conservative layout than the Mediterranean equivalent, with the on-deck master plus VIP plus four guest doubles dominating the bracket through the eastern winter rotation.
Crew. Fourteen to seventeen. The Caribbean crew bench draws from the South African, Eastern European, and Filipino pools, and the captain bench is strong on Drake Channel pilotage, the USCG cruising license routine, and the BVI customs clearance at West End or Soper's Hole. The chef bench is calibrated to American expectations on the YHG-based pool, with the European fine-dining bench thinner than the Mediterranean equivalent. Confirm chef provenance at inquiry.
Tenders. Primary 10 to 11m fast tender plus a 6 to 7m beach tender plus a chase boat. The St John mooring fields, the BVI mooring fields, and the Anegada outer reach are tender-heavy programmes because the yacht stays on the mooring while guests transfer to multiple landings per day.
At-rest stabilizers. Required. The St Thomas north-shore and St John roads take winter northern-swell episodes 5 to 8 times per season and the at-rest stabilizer spec is the difference between a workable and a non-workable charter night during a north-swell event. The 2018-and-newer hulls hold the structural zero-speed product at the bracket.
Helipad. Touch-and-go useful at the upper end. The STT 8 kilometre transit favours the road transfer at the bracket norm, with the Cat A helicopter leg holding for the rare upper-end embarkation pattern through the STT general aviation apron.
Trip shape that fits the bracket
The bracket's signature week is the USVI to BVI corridor seven-night. Embark Yacht Haven Grande Saturday afternoon, St John Maho or Francis Bay overnight Sunday, Drake Channel crossing to Norman Island or Peter Island on Monday, three to four nights on the BVI side at the Baths on Virgin Gorda, Cooper Island, Anegada outer reach, or Jost Van Dyke, and a return run to USVI for Friday or Saturday disembark. Customs clearance at the BVI port of entry costs roughly 90 minutes per crossing on the captain's prior filing.
A standalone USVI 7-night week reads as three nights on St John's north shore inside the national park, one night at Christmas Cove on Great St James, one night at Magens or Honeymoon Bay, and two nights on a southern leg to Buck Island and St Croix. The standalone week is a thinner experience at the bracket and we would book the paired BVI corridor instead unless the BVI side is operationally blocked.
What we passed on
Yachts marketed for the USVI corridor that do not hold a current USCG cruising license. Without it, the charter is operating outside the Coast Guard framework and the broker risk on the MYBA contract is material. Confirm the cruising license effective date and the broker's filing standing at inquiry.
Yachts that have not refit their air-conditioning, watermaker, or stabilizer systems since 2020. The Caribbean trade-wind humidity load runs the kit harder than the Mediterranean load and the failure modes show up in week three of the season, not week one. The YHG and Crown Bay provisioning chains reward yachts already running modern systems.
The standalone USVI 7-night week at the bracket's upper end. The paired BVI corridor is the genuine value of the LOA and the standalone week thins out the anchorage variety inside 36 hours. We would pass on a 57 to 60m motor yacht booked for a USVI-only week unless the BVI customs window is operationally closed.
Two we would book
For two couples, 7-night USVI to BVI corridor in mid-February with Yacht Haven Grande embarkation and Drake Channel rotation: a 52 to 54m motor yacht, 6 cabins, twin tenders plus chase boat, current USCG cruising license, captain bench on the Norman Island plus the Baths plus Anegada outer-reach calendar. Budget $340K per week, all-in roughly $455K including APA at 30 percent. Lead time 6 to 9 months.
For a family of 10, 10-night USVI to BVI extended corridor in early March with YHG embarkation, Drake Channel rotation, plus the Anegada outer-reach overnight and the St John national park lower-loop: a 56 to 58m motor yacht, 6 cabins, captain bench on the NPS authorisation and the BVI customs window, Cat A helipad useful for the STT transfer pattern. Budget $400K per week, all-in roughly $535K. Lead time 8 to 11 months.
Inventory
The live 50 to 60m USVI and Caribbean-corridor inventory updates weekly through the winter season.. For broker-side inquiry, see the brokers pillar and the Caribbean charter weekly rates report.