Thirty-two islands and cays in a sixty-mile arc — a marine park you anchor inside, a working harbour at Bequia, and never more than a couple of hours between anchorages.
St Vincent sits at the top and the Grenadines run south from it in a loose chain — Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Union, and the Tobago Cays in the middle of them. The whole cruising ground is about sixty miles end to end, which means short days, real choice about where to stop, and no passage long enough to lose an afternoon to.
The Tobago Cays are the reason most people come. Five uninhabited islands inside a horseshoe reef, protected as a marine park, with turtles grazing the seagrass and the swell breaking a quarter of a mile off your stern. You anchor in it rather than visiting it.
The islands themselves are unalike in a way that keeps a week interesting. Bequia is a working boatbuilding harbour with a market and a turtle sanctuary. Mustique is private and quiet and expensive. Mayreau has one hill, one village and Salt Whistle Bay. St Vincent has rainforest, waterfalls and an active volcano.
Five uninhabited islands behind Horseshoe Reef, protected as a marine park. Turtles on the seagrass, the reef taking the swell, and one of the few anchorages in the Caribbean that genuinely lives up to the photographs.
A working harbour rather than a resort — boatbuilding, a Saturday market, the Old Hegg turtle sanctuary and Princess Margaret Beach a short walk from the dinghy dock. The most useful stop in the chain.
Privately owned, deliberately quiet, and run to keep it that way. Empty beaches, a handful of villas in the trees, and Basil’s Bar for the one evening ashore.
Salt Whistle Bay at one end and the Grenadines’ kiteboarding water at the other. Union is also the practical stop for clearance, provisions and the dinghy ride to Happy Island.
The big island at the north end — rainforest, waterfalls, the Falls of Baleine by tender, and La Soufrière for anyone who wants a serious morning’s walk.
This is the cruising ground people mean when they say they want to sail the Caribbean. Short hops, reliable trade winds, and anchorages close enough together that the day is yours rather than the passage’s.
A week generally runs south from Blue Lagoon and back, with the Tobago Cays somewhere in the middle and Bequia at one end of it. Nothing about it needs to be rushed, and most crews will happily spend two nights in the Cays if the water is behaving.
December to April is the settled window — dry, sunny and breezy. May, June and November are quieter and cheaper, with the trade-off of an occasional squall.
Snorkel with turtles inside the marine park, walk up an active volcano, buy a model boat from the man who built it, and anchor off an island with nobody on it.
Anchor inside Horseshoe Reef and swim with green turtles over the seagrass beds. Visibility is excellent, the reef itself is in good condition, and the park rules — no spearfishing, no touching, boat boys licensed — are what keeps it that way. Most crews budget two nights here.
St Vincent’s active volcano, and a proper climb rather than a stroll: two to three hours up through rainforest to a crater rim with the neighbouring islands laid out below. Guided, and worth starting early.
The Saturday market, the model-boat workshops, and the Old Hegg sanctuary where hawksbill turtles are raised and released. A short walk over the hill gets you to Princess Margaret Beach with nobody on it.
A private island you can visit but not intrude on. Tour the interior if you want to see the villas, otherwise take a beach nobody else is using and finish the evening at Basil’s Bar.
Steady trade winds, flat water in the lee of the reefs and launch spots the crew already know. This is where our Kite & Wing Foil charters spend most of their time.
Eight days south from Blue Lagoon and back. A guide only — your captain will move things around for the wind, the swell and whatever you decide you want more of.
Board at Blue Lagoon in the afternoon, a short sail round to Young Island, and the first evening at anchor while the crew settle you in and the chef gets to work.
A morning swim, then the run south to Admiralty Bay. Port Elizabeth, the market and the turtle sanctuary in the afternoon, and dinner on deck with the harbour lights coming on.
A short hop to the quietest island in the chain. Empty beach in the afternoon, an island tour if you want one, and a sundowner at Basil’s before dinner aboard.
The day everyone remembers. Anchor inside the reef, snorkel with the turtles, and eat lobster on the beach at Petit Bateau if the boat boys are running a barbecue.
Barely an hour under sail. Salt Whistle Bay for the afternoon, the walk up to the village for the view, and a beach fire after dark if the crew are willing.
North again to Canouan for the beaches and, for anyone who wants it, the kiteboarding and the reef. A quieter island with good water and very little going on.
Back up the chain for a last night in Admiralty Bay — a final swim off Princess Margaret Beach and dinner ashore if you would rather not eat aboard.
A downwind sail back to St Vincent, breakfast under way, and alongside in good time for the transfer to Argyle.
December to April is the dry, sunny, reliably breezy window and the busiest. May, June and November are quieter and cheaper, with the occasional squall. The islands sit at the southern edge of the hurricane belt, so most charter activity pauses between August and October.
Distance. Thirty-two islands inside sixty miles means a week with real variety and no long passages — a marine park, a working harbour, a private island and a volcano, all within a couple of hours of each other.
Argyle International (SVD) on St Vincent takes direct flights from North America and Europe, and regional connections through Barbados, St Lucia and Grenada. Transfers to Blue Lagoon take about half an hour and we arrange them with the charter.
None. Every yacht we place here is fully crewed — captain, chef and often a deckhand — so the sailing, the anchoring and the logistics are handled. You decide what the day looks like.
The Tobago Cays, Bequia’s market and turtle sanctuary, Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau, and the dinghy ride out to Happy Island off Union. Mustique if you want one very quiet day.
Yes, and they matter. No spearfishing, no anchoring on coral, no touching the turtles, and moorings where they are provided. Your crew know the park regulations and handle the fees and the licensed boat boys.
Outside the marine park, yes — trolling under way is normal and the crew will rig for it. Some species are protected and licences apply to certain kinds of fishing; the captain will keep you the right side of it.
English is the official language. The Eastern Caribbean dollar is the currency and US dollars are widely accepted; carry some cash for the smaller islands, where cards are not always taken.
Every journey begins with a conversation. Tell us what you have in mind — dates, destinations, group size, experiences — and your Odyssea agent will craft a proposal tailored precisely to you.
An invitation-led membership for travellers who choose the ocean often. Preferred rates on yachts and villas, early access to themed departures, and bespoke journey design from our concierge — reach out to find out more.
