Saint Lucia Yacht Charter

St Lucia's position in the West Indies ensures pleasant and, for the most part, predictable conditions for much of the year, ensuring idyllic days luxuriating aboard your charter yacht, helped along by the warm Trade Winds.

The peak season for tourism tends to fall in the dryest months of December to April, excellent for hiking the interior rainforests and sunbathing on the deck of your catamaran.

But the sailing season endures just beyond this into June at the beginning of the rainy season when the hot weather and pleasant Caribbean island breezes converge with just a touch of the rain of August and September, making it not only quieter (the crowds go home as soon as the first droplet of rain touches the sand), but also a slightly more exciting time to sail.

The gorgeous Deux Pitons conical spires that rise from the southwestern coast of St Lucia bless this Caribbean island with the most breathtaking skyline views. See the Pitons from aboard your luxury catamaran to truly appreciate their majesty, and if you're a hiker, arrange a guide to lead you along a wild trail to their peaks to see the world and the Caribbean Sea from their perspectives.

Afterwards, sail the winds north to Soufriére to hunt out the Sulphur Springs, a vast geothermal area with 100°C water at its core, known as the Drive-In Volcano. The slightly more palatable 45°C downstream water is said to have healing properties and proves a popular location for mud baths.

Sailing south, have your skipper head to the beguiling shores of Bequia in St Vincent and The Grenadines to see a different side of the Caribbean. Far away from the glitzy resorts of St Lucia, you'll find barely touched white sands at Princess Margaret Beach (named after Princess Margaret who stopped here for a swim in the 1950s) with a crescent bay backed by pine trees and shacks posed as bars, and can, if you wish, learn about the local boatbuilding traditions in Port Elizabeth. Snorkellers should weigh anchor and sail in the direction of the stunning Tobago Cays archipelago, one of the best snorkelling locations on the islands owing to the vibrant and extensive coral reef complexes that wrap around the windward sides of Mayreau and Union islands.

Modern comforts abound for sailors to St Lucia, with a state-of-the-art marina close to the horseshoe-shaped Rodney Bay, on the west coast. This marina in the Gros Islet region is perfect place to start and end a bareboat charter, sailing out past the legendary Pigeon Island national park and Fort Rodney. Soufriere, with its hidden beaches and direct access to the climbing route to the Pitons, is an ideal choice for sailors hoping to conquer the apex and reap the view-laden rewards of Gros Piton

Sail the Charter Winds to the western side of St Lucia to the delightful Marigot Bay, where a hillside of mangroves, punctuated with white and red rooftops watches over stunning views of the sea: a deep blue stone set amidst undulating greens. The bay is an excellent base for scuba diving but serves just as well for languid evenings enjoying a bottle of champagne on deck beneath the scene-stealing views of another Caribbean sunset.