Chartering in the Caribbean: what papers, clearance and experience does the base want?

The Grenadines, the Virgin Islands, Antigua, Martinique: the Caribbean is a winter charter that many sailors dream about for years. The trade wind is steady and the hops are short, but the paperwork has a twist. Neighbouring islands often belong to different countries, and a border may run between two anchorages. Crossing it means clearing out of one country with customs and immigration and clearing into the next. For that you need everyone's passport, the yacht's papers, the clearance from the last country and a crew list. Fees and procedures vary from one country to the next.

The base gives you the yacht's papers and explains where to clear in. What it asks of you is its own decision, usually a certificate of competence for sea areas such as an RYA Day Skipper or Yachtmaster, a VHF licence and a sailing CV. Because so much of a Caribbean charter is spent at anchor and the channels between islands can be lively, many bases look closely at experience in a seaway and with anchoring. Ask too which islands and countries are inside the permitted cruising area, and whether night passages are allowed at all.

Hurricane season applies across the whole region. Many charter agreements restrict the cruising area or use during those months, and when a storm warning is issued the base can stop you sailing or call the boat back. Read those clauses before you book, not on the dock. Keep the whole crew's passports in a waterproof bag, note the opening hours of customs and immigration and allow time for every border. Damage you cause to someone else with the chartered yacht is your personal liability, which is why skipper liability insurance belongs in the ship's folder.

Worth remembering

Plan each border crossing like a passage of its own.