Sail St. Martin.

St. Martin is two countries on one small island, and a short hop from some of the best day-sailing anchorages in the north-east Caribbean. From Simpson Bay you can be at anchor off Tintamarre by lunch, or across the channel to Anguilla's sand cays by early afternoon. The trades blow steady, the water sits around 27C most of the year, and you're never far from a lee shore if the wind picks up. It's a working sailors' base too: chandleries, sailmakers and provisioning are all within a dinghy ride, which matters when you want gear sorted before you leave the dock.

What we like about basing here is the range without the distance. You get open-water passages across to Anguilla and St. Barths for the sailors who want them, and sheltered lunch stops for the days when nobody wants to work hard. Fewer boats than the Virgins, and the French side's food is genuinely good.

Simpson Bay is home. It's a wide lagoon-and-bay setup shared between the Dutch and French sides, with the marina inside the lagoon reached via lifting bridges on a fixed schedule. Outside, the anchorage off Simpson Bay beach is the usual overnight before an early start.

Head east and you reach Grand Case and Anse Marcel on the French north coast, then Tintamarre, a low uninhabited island with clear water and a good lunch anchorage in settled trades. Off the north-east corner sits Orient Bay, open and rolly in a fresh easterly, so pick your day.

Across the channel, Anguilla is the standout: Road Bay, Sandy Ground, Prickly Pear and the sand cays. You'll want to clear in with Anguillian customs and pay the day fees, but the reward is turquoise over white sand and very few boats. St. Barths, roughly 15 nautical miles south-east, gives you Gustavia harbour and Colombier's protected anchorage, a proper sail to windward on the way out and an easy reach home.

The reliable season runs December to April. Trades sit north-east to east, typically 15-20 knots, occasionally more in the January-February "Christmas winds" when 25 knots for days on end is normal. Seas outside the lee run 1.5-2.5m, so the Anguilla and St. Barths crossings ask for a settled forecast if you've less-experienced crew aboard.

May and November are shoulder months: lighter, warmer, fewer boats, and generally kinder crossings. June through November is hurricane season and we don't run charters in the peak of it. We'll be honest here: if you're set on August, this isn't the island for it.

Water temperature barely moves off 27C. Rain comes in short squalls rather than settled fronts, and visibility underwater is best when the trades ease.

Out of Simpson Bay we run crewed charters. That means skipper and, depending on the boat and party size, a hostess or cook aboard, so you sail without paperwork or provisioning stress and someone who knows the Anguilla clearances handles them. It suits people who want the sailing without the logistics, and families who'd rather be swimming than plotting.

We don't offer bareboat from this base. If you hold your own qualifications and want a bareboat week, tell us on WhatsApp and we'll be straight about what's realistic and where else in the Caribbean makes more sense.

Crewed charters here are typically taken by the week, though shorter tailored trips are possible in the shoulder season. Half-day and day-sail options exist for guests already on the island.

Crewed charter pricing depends on boat size, crew, the week you pick and how far you range. High season over the Christmas and New Year windows sits at the top of the range; shoulder-season weeks in May or November are meaningfully softer. As a guide, a crewed week for a small party runs into the several-thousand-EUR bracket, with larger boats and peak dates well above that.

Budget separately for fuel, provisioning, marina fees away from base, and the Anguilla day fees and clearance charges, which add up if you cross often. Restaurants on the French side and in Gustavia are not cheap. For a firm quote on specific dates and party size, message us on WhatsApp: Price on request beats a made-up figure.

Day 1 — Board in Simpson Bay, settle in, provisions checked, short sail and overnight in the bay to catch tomorrow's early bridge or an early start east.

Day 2 — Reach east along the French coast to Tintamarre. Lunch at anchor, swim, snorkel the clear water, then tuck into Anse Marcel or back toward Grand Case for dinner ashore.

Day 3 — Grand Case day: the village is a run of good beach restaurants. Easy morning sail, afternoon on the hook.

Day 4 — Cross to Anguilla. Clear in at Road Bay, then run the sand cays: Prickly Pear or Sandy Island for lunch, white sand and turquoise. Overnight Road Bay.

Day 5 — Second Anguilla day if the weather holds, or start back. The crossing home is often an easier point of sail.

Day 6 — Weather-dependent option south-east to St. Barths: a windward sail out, Gustavia or Colombier, harbour dinner, then an easy reach back.

Day 7 — Return toward Simpson Bay, final swim, back to base. Times flex around the bridge schedule and the forecast; the crew builds the week around the wind you actually get.