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BAREBOAT YACHT CHARTER: Explore one of these glorious holiday destinations in your own sailing yacht.
FLOTILLA SAILING HOLIDAYS: Sail your own yacht with the added support of a lead boat crew.
LEARN TO SAIL HOLIDAYS: Start from scratch or brush up your skills.
MOTORYACHT CHARTER: Do you prefer power to sail?
CREWED YACHTS: Relax, let the crew do the work.
SAIL AND STAY HOLIDAYS: Why not add a few days ashore in a hotel?
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BAREBOAT YACHT CHARTER: Sail your yacht in any one of our glorious holiday destinations and explore at your own pace.
MOTORYACHT CHARTER: Do you prefer power to sail?
CREWED YACHTS: Relax, let the crew do the work.
SAIL AND STAY HOLIDAYS: Why not add a few days ashore in a hotel?
- PLAN YOUR TRIP
AIRPORT PARKING & HOTELS: Save up to 60% when you book airport parking & hotels in advance.
BOOKING CONDITIONS: Check our Booking Conditions.
CAR RENTAL: Rent a car instead of an airport transfer or if you add a week ashore.
CRUISING GUIDES: Start planning before you travel with a cruising guide or chart to your sailing destination.
PASSPORTS & VISAS: Check the passport & visa requirements of your sailing destination.
SAILING LOGS: Read our reports on sailing holidays we've been on.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: Don't travel without adequate insurance. We offer single trip or Annual multi-trip travel insurance.
TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN: Read our handy hints on taking small children on a sailing holiday.
USEFUL LINKS: Check these websites for more information on your sailing destination.
WHAT'S ONBOARD: Standard inventory for all charter yachts.
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CONTACT: Check our details and opening hours.
REQUEST A BROCHURE: Order our latest brochure.
WHO WE ARE: Meet the Nautilus team.
WHY BOOK WITH US: How do you benefit?
- OWNERSHIP
Are you thinking of buying a new yacht and putting her with a charter fleet? Speak to us about the best deal for you. Nautilus Yachting has been arranging sailing holidays throughout the Mediterranean & Caribbean since 1992 so we are ideally qualified to advise you on yacht charter management. Find out more
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Sailing Holidays in Martinique
Martinique is a delightful island with a distinctly French flavour, with many pretty seaside villages, unspoilt beaches and good snorkelling.
Like Guadeloupe and St Martin, Martinique is a French departement and is popular as a centre for Caribbean yacht charter. The isalnd is more relaxed than the islands to the north and more sophisticated than the islands to the south.
The French influence gives well-stocked supermarkets, boulangeries and excellent Creole restaurants. The smell of fresh croissants and pastries mixes everywhere with the spicy aromas of West Indian cooking. Small cafés and charming bistros add a decidedly cosmopolitan flair to the place.
The rugged mountainous landscape in the north has dense tropical rain forests, rivers and waterfalls. The southern coast is dotted with many picturesque bays and coves. If your idea of a great vacation involves picture perfect beaches, then the island of Martinique is for you. In the south, a plethora of white sand beaches dots the entire south coast. In the north, enjoy the unique and lush setting of black sand beaches near Le Carbet and Le Prêcheur.
Sailing in Martinique
You can spend a whole week exploring the coast of Martinique on your charter yacht, from Sainte-Anne, the southernmost village, to Saint-Pierre, famous for the 1902 volcanic eruption of Mount Pelée. Sail near HMS Diamond Rock and explore the many delightful harbours and anchorages along the way.
For a 2 week sailing itinerary head north to undiscovered Dominica or south to St Lucia. More experienced skippers can plan a longer itinerary south to St Vincent and the Grenadines.
DAY 1 : Embark at Marina Le Marin, a full service marina on the south coast.
DAY 2 : Anse d'Arlet (15 miles) is a lovely relaxed beach where you can anchor for the night.
DAY 3 : St Pierre (10 miles). Head for Fort de France to shop the boutiques or the bustling local market. Clear customs and then hug the coast up to St. Pierre, site of the 1902 volcano tragedy.
DAY 4 : Rodney Bay, St Lucia (35 miles). Full day's sail down to St Lucia. Customs clearance (entry). Visit Pigeon Island, Reduit Beach and maybe the "Jump up" at Gros Ilet every Friday night.
DAY 5 : The Pitons, St Lucia (13nm). Explore Soufriere Bay and the Pitons and discover the volcano, the waterfalls and sulphur springs. Good snorkeling here.
DAY 6 : Ste. Anne (35nm) Full day's sail back to Martinique. Ste. Anne on the south coast is a charming village with its boutiques, restaurants and local market.
DAY 7 : Return to Marina Le Marin.
Sailing Conditions
Temperatures in Martinique remain around 30°C all year with short tropical rain showers. Steady trade winds blow from the north-east at 20-25 knots during the peak winter months December to June. Experience Level 2-3 depending on itinerary.
Yacht charter in Martinique
Yachts are based at Marina Le Marin on the south coast of martinique. Charters start and finish any day, giving you total flexibility over your holiday dates. Minimum charter is 7 nights but over Christmas and New Year period 10 nights.
Click on the yacht names below to view yacht layout & specification
3 cabin
4+ cabin
Catamarans
Yacht charter rates are shown WITHOUT flights giving you the flexibility to book your own flights.
If you want a flight-inclusive holiday Nautilus Yachting is a fully bonded ATOL tour operator and can book flights from the UK to fit your sailing holiday. Choose from a wide choice of airlines - we are not tied to any particular airline. All flight-inclusive holidays are fully bonded for your financial protection under our ATOL 3016. Airport transfers can also be pre-arranged.
FLIGHTS TO MARTINIQUE:
Air France have flights to Martinique from the UK via Paris. Transfer time to Marina Le Marin 30 minutes.
Whether you are an experienced sailor or setting foot on a yacht for the first time, we can offer you a holiday afloat to suit you. We have given all the sailing areas a level with 'Experience Level 1' suitable for less experienced crews and 'Experience Level 3' for the experts.
This takes into account the wind strength, tidal range and currents, distances between stops and ease of mooring. Of course even experts may choose to sail in Level 1 areas as they still offer stunning scenery and great sailing.
Experience Level 1: BVI, Bahamas, Florida Keys
Generally light winds Force 2-4, line of sight navigation, shorter sailing distances under 20nm. You will be Day Skipper standard having sailed at least 1 week or 100nm as skipper
Experience Level 2: Antigua, St Martin, St Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Belize
Stronger winds up to Force 3-5 with some longer passages up to 30nm. You will be Day Skipper standard having sailed at least 2 weeks or 200nm as skipper
Experience Level 3: Cuba. One way itineraries, eg Antigua to St Martin, St Lucia to Grenadines
Stronger winds up to Force 4-7 which can lead to bigger seas on long passages between the islands. You will be Coastal Skipper standard with experience to a higher level having sailed at least 4 weeks or 400nm as skipper.
To charter a yacht bareboat or on flotilla you should be Day Skipper standard and be assisted by at least one competent crew.
At present you need an RYA Day Skipper qualification or RYA International Certificate of Competence (ICC) for charters in Croatia, Montenegro, Mallorca, Tenerife and Malta.
The RYA ICC will be ever more required by overseas port authorities but if you have skipper experience it is easily obtained in a day from RYA sailing schools in the UK such as Hamilton Sailing or Brixham Sea School
Yacht charter rates are shown WITHOUT flights giving you the flexibility to book your own flights.
If you want a flight-inclusive holiday Nautilus Yachting is a fully bonded ATOL tour operator and can book flights from the UK to fit your sailing holiday. Choose from a wide choice of airlines - we are not tied to any particular airline. All flight-inclusive holidays are fully bonded for your financial protection under our ATOL 3016. Airport transfers can also be pre-arranged.
FLIGHTS TO MARTINIQUE:
Air France have flights to Martinique from the UK via Paris. Transfer time to Marina Le Marin 30 minutes.
Before its destruction during the 1902 Mount Pelée volcanic eruption, Saint-Pierre was the most important city of Martinique, known as "the Paris of the Caribbean". Today, the town has been rebuilt and is officially recognized as a city of Art and History. There are many historic remains and a Volcanological Museum.
Les Trois Islets is an idyllic spot near the capital Fort de France. The Pagerie Museum is set up on the spot where Empress Josephine was born. Musical and cultural events are organized in the Park of the Trois-Ilets close to the island's magnificent golf club. Don't miss the Market or the Sugar Cane Museum.
Food sets Martinique apart from the other Caribbean islands. Martinique shows its Frenchness very noticeably through its love affair with good food. Many shops close from 12 noon to 2:30 for a leisurely lunch and dinner often is a gastronomic adventure lasting all evening. Since local people dine out as a matter of course, visitors to Martinique have one of the widest choices of restaurants in the Caribbean - more than 150.
"In a nutshell we had a fantastic time. The yacht was great, the cruising really enjoyable with some great highlights such as Steni Vala and Skopolos Town. I can’t praise the flotilla staff enough, they were great fun, helpful, informative and made every effort to make our trip first rate. Very happy with Nautilus Yachting and would book with you again."
Skiathos flotilla 2011 - G.P.
