The Caribbean is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts. It is located southeast of Northern America, east of Central America and to the north and west of South America. The Caribbean comprises more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs and cays. The name "Caribbean" is named after the Caribs, one of the one of the dominant Amerindian groups in the region at the time of European contact during the late 15th century.
The high season for yacht charter vacations/holidays in the Caribbean in general is the winter months, during the holiday vacations of Christmas, Presidents week and Easter break. Booking well in advance is advised to get the charter boat of your choice.
There are plentiful flights to various island throughout the Caribbean. But some of the islands have several connections in order to get there. Consider a private plane charters to cut out some of the many connections and they are not very expensive. Many private air charters will pick up in San Juan Puerto Rico or St. Thomas and fly to places like Martinique or St. Vincent.
Many parts of the Caribbean have mooring systems in place and anchoring a yacht is prohibited. This measure prevents anchors damaging the coral reefs. Cynics will argue that the measures are more about revenue generation that protecting the environment and at $30 per night for a yacht mooring it is hard not to have some sympathy with this point of view. Yacht charter boats should aim to arrive early at an anchorage in order to get a mooring or spot before the crowds arrive.
The climate of the Caribbean mainly ranges between sub-tropical to tropical and depends a great deal upon location in proximity to the tradewinds that blow towards the Eastern Caribbean islands heading northwest up the chain of Windward islands. When these tradewinds arrive close to the island of Cuba they tend to be overcome by other minor jet streams across the Caribbean region. Normally hurricanes which at times effect the region usually strike northwards of Grenada and to the west of Barbados. The principal hurricane belt arcs to northwest of the island of Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean. September and October are considered the height of hurricane season, although the nominal season is June through November. Check yacht charter company policies in regards to hurricanes. During the November through January winter months; the prevailing wind is 15 - 20 knots from the northeast. On and off all winter, the famous "Christmas Winds" blow at 25 - 30 knots for several day periods. Beginning in February and finishing in June, the winds move from a northeast direction to southeast when 10 - 15 knots can be expected. Late summer through autumn is the Caribbean's rainy season. However, rain squalls can occur at any time but are usually short lived. Average high temperatures range from 85° to 90° with the highest in July through October; average low temperatures are about 10° less.
The geography in the Caribbean region varies from one place to another. Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. Such islands include Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands or Anguilla. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Antigua, the British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. The waters of the Caribbean Sea are home to large schools of fish, turtles and coral reef formations.
Most islands at some point were, or still are, colonies of European nations and the influence of these "mother countries is still very evident;
The Spanish West Indies Cuba, Hispaniola, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica until 1655, the Cayman Islands, Trinidad until 1797 and Bay Islands until 1643.
The French West Indies Anguilla briefly, Antigua and Barbuda briefly, Dominica, Dominican Republic briefly, Grenada, Haiti, Montserrat briefly, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius briefly, St Kitts briefly, Tobago briefly, Saint Croix, the current French overseas departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe, including Marie-Galante, La Désirade and Les Saintes and the current French overseas territories of Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin.
The British West Indies Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bay Islands, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica from 1655, Montserrat, Saint Croix briefly, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago from 1797 and the Turks and Caicos Islands
Danish West Indies present-day United States Virgin Islands
Dutch West Indies present-day Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, Virgin Islands, Saint Croix briefly, Tobago and Bay Islands briefly.
Swedish West Indies present-day French Saint-Barthélemy.
Portuguese West Indies present-day Barbados, known as Los Barbados in the 1500s when the Portuguese occupied the island during the same time as Brazil. However, the Portuguese abandoned Barbados in 1533, nearly a century prior to the British arrival on the island.
Anguilla and its islands;
Anguillita Island | Dog Island | East Cay |Little Scrub Island |Prickly Pear Cays | Sandy Island | Scrub Island | Seal Island | Sombrero | West Cay
Antigua and Barbuda and their islands;
Guiana Island | Great Bird Island | Lesser Bird Island | Prickly Pear Island | Long Island | Redonda
Aruba
Bahamas;
Abaco | Acklins Island | Andros | Bimini Islands | Cat Island | Crooked Island | Eleuthera | Grand Bahama | Great Abaco | Great Exuma | Great Inagua | Little San Salvador Island or Half Moon Cay | Long Island | Mayaguana | New Providence | Ragged Island | San Salvador Island
Barbados
Culpepper Island | Pelican Island
Belize and its islands
Ambergris Caye | Belize City | Big Creek | Caye Caulker | Glover's Reef | Hicks Cays | Lighthouse Reef | South Water Caye | Turneffe Islands
British Virgin Islands;
Anegada | Beef Island | Bellamy Cay | Carvel Rock | Cockroach Island | Cooper Island | Dead Chest Cay | Diamond Cay | Dog Islands | Drowned Island | East Seal Dog Island | Eustatia Island | Fallen Jerusalem Island | Frenchmans Cay | Grouge Dog Island | Ginger Island | Great Camanoe | Great Dog Island | Great Thatch | Great Tobago Island | Green Cay | Guana Island | Jost Van Dyke | Cay | Little Anegada | Little Camanoe | Little Cay | Little Jost Van Dyke | Little Seal Dog Island | Little Thatch | Little Tobago | Little Wickmans Cay | Marina Cay | Mosquito Island | Nanny Cay | Necker Island | Norman Island | Old Jerusalem Island | Oyster Rock | Pelican Island | Peter Island | Prickly Pear Island | Saba Rock | Salt Cay | Sandy Cay | Scrub Island | Spanish Island | Tortola | Virgin Gorda | West Dog Island
Cayman Islands;
Cayman Brac | Grand Cayman | Little Cayman
Colombia and its islands
Archipelago of San Andres and Providencia | Barranquilla | Cartagena | Riohacha | Santa Marta
Costa Rica
Cuba and its islands
Isla de la Juventud | Cayo Largo del Sur | Cayo Buenavista | Cayo Ines de Soto | Cayo Levisa | Cayo Cruz del Padre | Cayo Punta Arenas | Cayo Blancos del Sur | Cayo Santa Maria | Cayo Fragoso | Cayo Esquivel | Cayo Guillermo | Cayo Coco | Cayo Romano | Cayo Guajaba | Cayo Saetia
Dominica
Bird Island, lying 70 miles to the west, is a disputed territory with Venezuela
Dominican Republic and its islands
Beata Island | Catalina Island | Saona Island | Flag of Haiti Haiti | Gonave Island | Tortuga | Île à Vache | Île de Anacaona | Grande et Petite Cayemites
French Guiana
Grenada - Known as the "Isle of Spice", Grenada consists of three main islands: Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique. They are located in the Eastern Caribbean at the southern end of the Windward Islands, only 100 miles north of Venezuela. Grenada is located north of Trinidad and Tobago, and south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Grenada shares the Grenadines group with Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesThe island of Grenada is a lush green mountainous island that boasts golden beaches, crystal clear waterfalls and fragrant spice tress. Discover the "Isle of Spice" and its islands on an unforgettable yacht charter.
Guadeloupe and its islands
Basse-Terre | La Désirade | Grande-Terre | Marie-Galante | Iles de la Petite Terre | Iles des Saintes | Terre de Haut | Terre de Bas
Guatemala
Guyana and its islands;
Hog Island | Leguan Island | Wakenaam
Hispaniola
Honduras and its islands;
Guanaja | Roatán | Útila | Cayos Cochinos | Swan Islands
Jamaica and its islands
Bogue Islands | Great Goat Island | Little Goat Island | Kokomo Island | Lime Cay | Morant Cays | Navy Island | Pedro Cays | Pigeon Island
Martinique
Mexico and its islands;
Quintana Roo | Cancún | Chetumal | Isla Contoy | Isla Cozumel | Isla Mujeres | Cozumel
Montserrat
Netherlands Antilles and their islands
Bonaire | Klein Bonaire | Curaçao | Klein Curacao | Saba | Sint Eustatius
| Sint Maarten
Nicaragua and its islands
Corn Islands | Cayos Miskitos
Panama and its islands
San Blas Islands comprising of more than 1300 islands | Bocas del Toro is an archipelago with approximately 300 islands
Puerto Rico and its islands
Vieques | Culebra | Caja de Muertos | Desecheo Island | Mona | Monito
Saint Barthelemy or Saint Barts
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines;
Baliceaux | Battowia | Bequia | Canouan Island | Mayreau | Mustique | Palm Island | Petit Mustique | Petit Saint Vincent | Saint Vincent | Tobago Cays | Union Island | Young Island
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago and their islands;
Goat Island | Little Tobago | Saint Giles Island | Sisters' Rock | Caledonia Island | Carrera | Chacachacare | Craig Island | Cronstadt or Kronstadt | Farallon | Gaspar Grande | Gasparillo or Little Gasparee or Centipede Island | Huevos | Lenagan Island | Monos | Nelson Island | Pelican Island | Rock Island | Saut d'Eau | Soldado Rock
Turks and Caicos and their islands
Grand Turk | Middle Caicos | North Caicos | Parrot Cay | Pine Cay | Providenciales | Salt Cay | South Caicos
United States Virgin Islands;
Birsk Island | Buck Island | Capella | Cas Cay | Congo Cay | Cow And Calf Island | Dog Island | Dry Rock | Fish Cay | Flat Cay | Grass Cay | Great Saint James | Green Cay | Hans Lollik Island | Hassel Island | Inner Brass | Johnsons Reef | Leduck | Little Saint James | Lovango Cay | Mingo Cay | Ningo | Outer Brass | Packet Rock | Patricia Cay | Saba Island | Saint Croix | Saint John | Saint Thomas | Savana Island | South-West Rock | Stranglers Island | Thatch Cay | Turtledove Cay | Water Island | Welk Rock
Venezuela and its islands
Isla Margarita | Los Monjes Archipelago | Las Aves Archipelago | Isla de Aves | Los Hermanos Island | Los Frailes Island | Los Roques Archipelago | La Sola Island | La Tortuga Island | La Orchila Island | Los Testigos Island | La Blanquilla Island | Isla de Patos