Fort de France is a lovely anchorage and the town is historic and quaint. There are large malls a short bus ride away providing a selection of products unavailable elsewhere in the Caribbean.
Anchoring:
As of 1 December 2025, vessels may only anchor in Baie des Flamands in Fort-de-France for a maximum of 48 hours, with a monthly frequency of eight days per vessel. At the end of the 48-hour period, vessels are required to leave their anchorage and may not return to this area within 24 hours of their departure.
Yachts should anchor away from the ferry dock as this area, just off the town, is very busy with ferries. The anchorage under the old fort is very popular and can get crowded. It can also be quite windy here for such limited space.
There is a prohibited anchoring area in front of the southern tip of the Fort St. Louis peninsula.
Yachts can also anchor in the north-east part of the bay or at any of the villages across the bay and take a ferry into town.
It may be possible to find a free visitor's mooring.
Watch out if leaving your dinghy at the dinghy dock. The area is very popular for youngsters to dive and swim, especially after school, on weekends and holidays. Local youths are known to use unattended dinghies as diving platforms!
There is an alternative option for your dinghy in town, on the concrete wall just 50m west of the swimming dock. It has three ladders, about 2 metres high for convenient access to the concrete apron on shore. A stern anchor is recommended here as there are wake induced surges in this harbour. There are no swimmers in this area however it is recommended you secure the dinghy and outboard plus all loose objects in the dinghy and remove anything of value.
Marinas:
The new Marina Etang Z’Abricot is reported to be very reasonably priced but is a long walk from town.
Security:
Take care ashore as this port has a history of cruiser muggings (including at the dinghy dock), dinghy theft and vandalism. See the CSSN website for the latest reports.
Last updated: July 2022
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