Navily
Anchorages & marinas
The community guide to anchorages and marinas: depth, seabed, shelter from wind and swell, recent reviews and photos. Very useful for choosing your overnight anchorage. Offline mode available.
Marina du Marin · Martinique
Practical info
Useful apps, customs formalities, shopping, accommodation before or after your cruise and handy tips: everything we usually tell our clients before they arrive.
On your phone
Useful apps in the Caribbean
NoForeignLand
Ports of call & community
Sailors’ reports on ports of call, formalities and shore services. You can also track your route and share it with family and friends ashore.
Download them before departure and save offline areas: the signal is sometimes weak at anchor.
Before leaving Martinique
Customs formalities
As soon as you leave French waters for another island (Saint Lucia, the Grenadines, Dominica…), the skipper must complete exit formalities with French customs, then the entry (and later exit) formalities in each country visited. This is the responsibility of the skipper in charge.
Leaving Martinique — French customs
Exit clearance for the French West Indies is done online, on a computer, using the official customs form (Démarches simplifiées). Once your application is approved, you receive a digitally stamped clearance certificate.
In practice, print this certificate and have it stamped at an approved clearance point (listed in the customs “Guide Boat”) before presenting the document to the authorities of the next islands.
Other Caribbean islands — SailClear
For entry and exit in most other Caribbean islands, formalities are completed online on SailClear. Have the boat’s papers and the whole crew’s passports ready: every stop (entry and exit) must be declared.
Keep the confirmations you receive safe: you’ll often be asked for them on the dock or at anchor.
Key points
A valid passport for every crew member. French exit formalities online before departure, then SailClear (or the local procedure) at each island. If in doubt, ask us: we’ll point you to the right clearance point in Le Marin.
Provisioning in Le Marin
Doing your shopping
Food goes a long way towards a successful cruise. Our advice: plan your menus and quantities in advance according to the number of crew, then your shopping list. You’ll save time and have more peace of mind. You’ll find everything in Martinique; on the other islands, mainly fruit, vegetables and fish.
Auchan — ~150 m from the boats
The most convenient supermarket: opposite the marina (Mondésir district), a stone’s throw from our pontoon.
We lend you a trolley to bring your shopping back to the boat — very handy.
Other shops in Le Marin
- Carrefour Market (Montgérald): wide choice, delivery available; a small Carrefour at the marina is handy for last-minute shopping.
- Pli Bel Price (Mongérald): discount store, handy for large quantities.
- Fruit and vegetable market: Tuesday to Sunday mornings.
Several shops can prepare your order in advance: ask them directly.
Appro Zagaya — delivery on board
The boat provisioning specialist in Le Marin. Order before you arrive: shopping delivered on board, drinks chilled, or delivered near the dock.
Captain 123 Click — delivery to the dock
Online shopping delivered to the dock of your choice in Martinique, including Le Marin, in 2-hour slots.
Already on board
Saucepans, frying pans, pressure cooker, crockery, coffee maker… Our catamarans have a fridge and a freezer. No need to bring sheets or bath towels.
Before or after your cruise
Staying in Le Marin
A few ideas if you arrive early or extend your stay. These are places we know, with no partnership: book directly with them.
Résidence des Îles
Equipped apartments with a pool on Morne Mondésir, less than 300 m from the pontoons, overlooking the bay of Le Marin.
Hôtel Sable Bleu
Boutique hotel facing the bay, a few hundred metres from the marina, with a rooftop.
La Dunette — Sainte-Anne
Waterfront hotel and restaurant in Sainte-Anne, about 10 minutes from Le Marin.
Airbnb rentals
Plenty of rentals in Le Marin and Sainte-Anne, handy for families and large crews.
Good to know
Practical tips
Times
Embarkation at 5 pm. Boat handover the next day from 8:15 am (about 2 hours). Disembarkation at 10 am: plan your last night at Sainte-Anne. Departures are not necessarily on Saturdays.
Getting to the marina
About 40 minutes from Aimé Césaire airport. Taxi or hire car (more freedom for shopping). We can arrange your transfer.
Grenadines formalities
One passport per crew member. Online exit clearance (French customs), then entry/exit in each country visited via SailClear. See the details in Customs formalities.
Soft luggage
Soft bags are best, as they’re easier to stow on board. Bed linen and towels provided.
What to pack
Hat, sunscreen (ideally reef-safe), swimsuit, beach towel, closed shoes and a sweatshirt for the evening: the wind cools things down.
First-aid kit
We recommend bringing your own first-aid kit (plasters, antiseptic, painkillers, after-sun cream, personal medication…) to deal with the minor everyday knocks and scrapes on board.
Internet on board
Internet access is widely available in the Grenadines and along the way, thanks to the 4G network covering the whole cruising area. If your mobile plan isn’t suitable, we offer an optional 4G router at €10 per day.
Daytime sailing
As a rule, no night sailing. See our cruise ideas for legs planned for daylight.
Tender & boat licence
Under current regulations, driving a tender with an outboard engine of more than 6 hp (4.5 kW) requires a boat licence. Remember to bring it if you have one, and mention it in your request.
Damage deposit (excess) waiver insurance
If you wish, you can optionally insure your security deposit with a specialist insurer, for example Ouest Assurances Plaisance (Force 9 policy) or Pantaenius (Bond Insurance). Policies are taken out directly with the insurer, usually up to the day of departure; Martinique Yacht Charter is not the insurer and is not involved in managing the policy. Compare the cover and excesses carefully.
Departure & return to base
Access to the Le Marin channel
The entrance to the Cul-de-sac du Marin winds between reefs and shoals. The channel is well marked, but it requires attention, both when leaving and returning from your cruise.
IALA B buoyage
The Caribbean uses system B: when entering, keep the red buoys to starboard and the green ones to port (the opposite of Europe). When leaving, it’s the other way round.
In the harbour
Speed limited to 2 knots, with no wash. Anchoring is prohibited within the harbour basin: berths are allocated by the harbour master’s office.
Our berths
During your cruise, our clients can use our berths on the Le Marin pontoon on request. Handy for restocking or for picking up friends arriving by plane, for example.
Our base in Le Marin
Welcome to the Marina du Marin
Everything is in one place, a few steps from your boat — which makes embarkation and return easy.
Our office
On the ground floor, between the main car park and the entrance to dock 5: easy to find, with direct access from the car park.
Boats right opposite
Our boats are moored right opposite the office, in the inner corner of docks 5 and 6.
Reception area
A dedicated reception area where a member of the team welcomes you and handles the paperwork.
Trolleys available
Trolleys to carry your luggage and provisions to the boat.
Bed linen & towels
Bed linen and towels are washed by a professional laundry service, then prepared by our team for each cruise.
Customs and shopping close by
The customs office and a supermarket for your provisioning are less than 100 metres from the boats, as shown on the marina plan above.
Ready for your cruise?
Tell us your dates, crew and preferred package: we’ll reply with a tailored quote.