Basseterre - Docking
Anchorages:
Due to the rolly nature of the anchorage in Basseterre, more shelter and good holding can be found at Whitehouse Bay or Ballast Bay. WiFi is available at the beach bar in Whitehouse Bay. Entrance to Christophe Harbour Marina is at Ballast Bay. Yachts at anchor are welcome to use the tender dock here.
Other good anchorages on St Kitts include Friar Bay, Shitten Bay (good snorkelling), Old Road Bay, Majors Bay, Cockleshell Bay and Frigate Bay.
There is also space inside the breakwater at Sandy Point for four to five sail boats if hauling out at the boatyard here.
Marinas:
Port Zante Marina is located west of the deep water dock. Care must be taken on approaching the marina at night as many of the pilings from the original cruise ship dock are still there. Contact the marina manager on VHF CH 16 or 68 to arrange a berth.
Following its virtual destruction by hurricanes George and Lenny in 2003, the entrance and protective breakwater of the marina were redesigned so to render it calm and safe from the surge. However that said, cruisers have reported a 20-degree roll here which makes it unsafe for yachts in certain weather conditions.
The marina is very small and only has a few berths available for visiting yachts, all the others are occupied with local boats. There are plans for expansion. There is no dedicated dinghy dock.
There is a marina specifically for superyachts at Christophe Harbour. It has a wide access channel, 24 alongside berths from 45-65 meters and duty-free in-slip fueling. Yachts at anchor are permitted to use the marina’s dinghy dock and it’s a short taxi ride from here to Basseterre centre.
Last updated: July 2023
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Related to following destinations: Basseterre, St Kitts, St. Kitts & Nevis
Port Navigation
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Jason Ball says:
We cleared into St Kitts via Basseterre at the end of March 2019. The eAPIS spreadsheet was a nightmare to complete as it asks for ISO Country Codes and UNLOCode Seaport Codes without any guidance on how to find these – we eventually found them on Wikipedia, or you can download ZIP files from the eAPIS website http://www.caricomeapis.org. We then discovered that Immigration are not currently using eAPIS as their internet connection is apparently not reliable enough, so we had to complete all the information again on paper. Customs then announced that they are still using SailClear, which we hadn’t completed, so we had to fill in all the customs paperwork too. I have better things to do with my time, but Brimstone Hill Fortress made it worthwhile visiting St Kitts.
This comment posted on main St. Kitts page:
If you consider to drydock the boat during hurricane season I can recommend St Kitts Marine Work near Brimstone Hill on the southwestern coast of St Kitts. The boatyard is located on a field and is very simple. Not much facilities. But I must say it is the cheapest boatyard in the whole Caribbean.
I have compared boatyards between Trinidad and Antigua. The solution to do a safe hurricane safe choking is to dig a hole for the keel and put the boat there and put some truck tires around the hull.
Easy and hurricane safe. Google on St Kitts Marine Works. The disadvantage is that there is no boat chandleries on the Island. You have to bring all stuff you need. Close to the boatyard (which is very remote located) is some good apartments for rent while you are working with shut down or the opposite.
St Kitts & Nevis has daily flights to Miami. I have more info of my experience if somebody is interested. Give me a mail [email protected]
Update on clearing into St Kitts and Nevis: Customs now have an office in the Port Zante marina office (on the second floor of the yellow building). Customs fees were USD $12. There doesn’t seem to be a “cruising permit” anymore and they checked us in for both St Kitts and Nevis. As we were only staying a week, they also cleared us out at the same time.
You also need to stop at the immigration office and the port authority office. Both are located in the cruise ship “welcome building”, immigration on one side the port authority on the other. Port authority charged USD $13. No immigration fees. I asked about any need to check in at Charlestown in Nevis and was told that there was no need.
Cheers- SV Perry
http://www.svperry.com
Anchored off the marina. Marina did not charge for dinghy tie up. Customs/Immigration is at the cruise ship dock in the green building with the round roof, about 1 block from the marina. Customs/Immigration is in the second door on left.
Port Control is the first door on the right. $12US for customs/immigration and $12US for Port control. This covered Kitts and Nevis — no list of anchorages was asked for, nor was there any place to fill them in.