Anguilla by boat from St Martin
Half an hour across and you are there. Our photos carry no filter and no retouching: the water really is that calm and that clear, the sand really is that white. It is the trip our customers talk about most.
What the day looks like
- Road BayThe port of entry, and the only one. Clearance happens here, on arrival.
- Crocus BayTen minutes on, a sheltered bay under the cliffs, with tables at the water's edge.
- Shoal Bay EastUp along the north coast. Two miles of white sand, a regular on the lists of the world's best beaches.
- Meads Bay or Rendezvous BayOn the way back, round the south. Soft sand, beach restaurants, St Martin in front of you.
Fuel: about €70 to €100
Longer version: Little Bay, a cove under the cliffs you can only reach from the sea, sits between Crocus and Shoal Bay. Sandy Island, the sandbar with a bar on it, needs a buoy and a professional captain at the helm.
The crossing
You leave from Marina Boat'On, in Nettle Bay. Road Bay is thirty to forty minutes away.
The channel between the two islands is open to the Atlantic. When the trade wind builds, the sea there gets up and the crossing is a rough ride. With children aboard, or anyone prone to seasickness, take something for it before you board, not once you are out there. Call us the day before and we will give you the sea state forecast. If the channel is bad, the day stays around St Martin: Pinel, Tintamarre and the west coast beaches are well worth it.
Clearance, plainly
Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory. Even for a day, this is a border crossing: a passport for everyone aboard, children included. A national ID card is not enough.
It all happens at Road Bay, the only port of entry by sea, through a local yacht agent. Budget around US $50 to $60 per person, in cash, entry charges and departure tax together. Anguilla sets these amounts, they do change, and they are yours to pay.
What the day costs
€650 for ONE LIFE 29, €750 for PALOMA, 9:30 to 16:30. That is the price of the boat, whether you are two or ten. Fuel is extra, read off the engine meter and billed at €1.60 per litre, so €70 to €100 for Anguilla.
Two rules to know
Sandy Island and Prickly Pear are coral shoals. Anchoring is prohibited, you moor on a buoy, and only with a professional captain at the helm, one you hire and pay yourself. We take no part in that choice.
The crossing is chosen when you book and confirmed on the weather. Back before dark; night navigation is barred by the contract.