Yacht Charter Antigua

Yacht Charter in Antigua

Antigua is one of the great sailing islands of the Caribbean — a fact recognised since the days of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who used English Harbour as the base for the British Royal Navy's operations in the eastern Caribbean. The island's deeply indented southern coastline, with its natural harbours and sheltered bays, makes it an ideal charter destination, and its position at the northern end of the Leeward Islands places it within easy reach of some of the finest sailing grounds in the eastern Caribbean. Antigua Sailing Week, held every April at English Harbour, is one of the world's premier offshore regattas and attracts over 200 yachts from more than 30 nations.

English Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard

English Harbour is arguably the most historically significant natural harbour in the Caribbean. The perfectly preserved Georgian naval dockyard — Nelson's Dockyard — operated continuously from 1745 to 1889 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its restored warehouses, officer's quarters, and sail loft have been converted into hotels, restaurants, boutiques, and the excellent Dockyard Museum. The surrounding Shirley Heights lookout provides one of the great panoramic views in the Caribbean, and the Sunday evening barbecue and steel band at Shirley Heights is a Caribbean institution.

Sailing and Anchorages

Antigua's coastline is indented with dozens of natural harbours and anchorages, and exploring them by yacht is the best way to experience the island. Falmouth Harbour, the main charter base and marina, is large, well-equipped, and buzzing with yachting activity throughout the season. The Five Islands area on the west coast offers five beautiful bays accessible only by boat. Nonsuch Bay on the east coast is a large, sheltered anchorage flanked by Green Island — a nature reserve with excellent snorkelling. Rendezvous Bay and Cades Reef on the south coast are popular with divers and snorkellers.

365 Beaches

Antigua famously claims to have 365 beaches — one for every day of the year. While this may be a slight exaggeration, the island does have an extraordinary number of beautiful beaches, ranging from the famous Dickenson Bay in the north — a long, calm, reef-protected strand popular with families — to the more secluded Half Moon Bay in the southeast, consistently rated among the finest beaches in the Caribbean. Many of the best beaches are accessible only by yacht, adding considerably to their appeal for charterers.

Food, Rum and Culture

Antigua's culinary scene has evolved considerably in recent years, with a new generation of chefs bringing sophisticated Caribbean cooking to English Harbour and St. John's restaurants. Local specialities include ducana (sweet potato dumplings), fungi (cornmeal porridge), saltfish, and the famous black pineapple grown only in Antigua. Rum is the spirit of choice throughout the island — English Harbour Rum, produced locally since 1953, is one of the Caribbean's finest and most distinctive rums. The local culture is deeply tied to sailing, cricket, and the sea, and the warmth of Antiguan hospitality is widely acknowledged as among the finest in the Caribbean.