YACHT CLUB PORT DE PLAISANCE SINT MAARTEN

Winter Rendezvous for Megayachts
With nearly half of the marina’s alongside and Mediterranean-style berths available for megayachts, the Yacht Club Port de Plaisance has become a popular rendezvous for professionally-crewed yachts that migrate to Sint Maarten seeking a strategic winter base within the Lesser Antilles, extending from the Virgins to Venezuela.

Direct Air Links to North America and Europe
Sint Maarten/St. Martin enjoy direct air links to Europe, North America, and the Caribbean via the Princess Juliana International Airport, the island’s only runway capable of accommodating wide-bodied passenger jets, as well as private aircraft and cargo planes. Complete with heliport and facilities for private jets, this cosmopolitan Caribbean hub (destination code SXM) serves as a convenient FBO for passengers joining vessels throughout the region.

Gateway to Leeward Islands Cruising Grounds
Regarded by experienced yachtsmen as the finest anchorage in the Caribbean, the 12-square-mile Simpson Bay Lagoon -- that spans the Dutch-French border and is accessed via either the Simpson Bay Bridge (Dutch Side) or the Sandy Ground Bridge (French Side) -- is a convenient operational base for Leeward Island-hopping charteryachts with itineraries that include port calls on Anguilla, St. Barthèlemy, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Antigua.

Caribbean’s Finest Freeport
A major tourism destination with a reputation as the ‘Duty Free Shopping Mecca of the Caribbean’ this 37-square-mile ‘Friendly Island’ charms visitors with its spectacular beaches, tropical climate, and alluring mix of European and Caribbean cultures.

Its status as a completely duty-free and tax-free port, however, is the feature that most excites visiting yachtsmen, making it an attractive destination for megayacht provisioning, repairs and refits. In many instances, marine parts and equipment may be purchased locally for less than they would cost in the U.S., Canada, or Europe. Goods not immediately available can easily be ordered and shipped.

Sint Maarten’s excellent air and sea freight links provide daily access to gourmet provisions, marine equipment, domestic as well as foreign parts and products, without the need for paying taxes or import duties -- or experiencing the delays usually associated with their collection.

Region’s Premiere Yacht Service Center
Combined with its reputation for superior customer service and full range of modern marina facilities, the Yacht Club Port de Plaisance’s popularity among captains is attributed, in part, to its proximity to a superb array of high quality technical services for yacht maintenance, repair, and refit that have established Sint Maarten as one of the Caribbean region’s premiere service centers for professionally-crewed yachts, challenged only by major stateside yachting capitals like Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. There’s an ample supply of marine tradesmen, including technicians, electricians, refrigeration-air conditioning specialists, as well as skilled day workers.