Chartering a boat from St Maarten to St Barthes?

What is the cheapest option to go from St Maarten to St Barthes? I’m a certified skipper and ideally would like to charter a sailboat from one to the other. What I’ve seen so far cost 4 times as much as the plane ticket to go to the isles from San Francisco in the first place!
Also for locals: the best time to come… and other islands I could sail to. I speak French, English and Spanish fluently… any other islands where I could fit in? It’s hard to find that info on the net…
If you have the kindness… places to visit, cheap places to stay, specialty foods. I’ve been around the world but that’s my next stop, and there’s nothing like local knowledge…
Thank you very much for the info!

I’ve chartered in St. Martin once before and will again soon. I use the Moorings. Sunsail also has a base there. I know there are some small companies which may be cheaper. Chartering just isn’t cheap, but then remember you don’t have the yearly insurance, dockage, mainteance costs or heachaches you would have with your own boat.

I strongly disagree with the previous statement that you should wait until you get to the islands to look for a charter. Many are booked months in advance, so you run the risk of finding nothing or having to pay more for a larger boat than you need. However, some companies offer a discount on charter booked 2 weeks out if there is still availability.

Winds are stongest in the winter beginning around November and tend to be northeasterly at around 15-20 (knots) , with periods of stronger 25-30 likely around x-mas. As summer appraches winds die to 10-15 and shift to the SE. Of course as you get more into summer and Autumn, the hurricane chances increase.

Compared to the Virgin Islands, I found St. Martin and St. Barths less expensive to sail. It’s easy to anchor out and most moorings are free. While one can spend a lot eating out, there are less expensive options. I save a fair bit of money provisioning myself instead of using the charter companies provisioning service. French wine is very affordably priced.

Some suggestions: Orient bay has the main beach, but also several several small islands in the area to explore. Make sure you know where the reefs are before entering orient bay. Isle Fourche between St. Martin and St. Barths is unpopulated and a nice evening stop. You can stop at Columbier bay at the west end of St. Barths without checking into customs. To visit the rest of the island, you must first stop at Gustavia to clear in. The north side of the St. Barths is off limits to cruising boats. Anguilla (english) is another island that many charter cruisers out of St. Martin visit.

If you don’t need to charter, and just want to get out on the water for the day, you can take the catamaran ferry from St. Martin to St. Barths, but you’d be a passanger, not a skipper.

Check out the Cruising Guide to the Leeward Islands by Chris Doyle for more about cruising in this beautiful area.

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