Basseterre is the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis and the island's working clearance location, operating year-round rather than seasonally. The demand it makes is geographic: the authorities sit in more than one building, and the arrangement changes at weekends. Send us the yacht, crew, route and timing details and we will introduce you to a local agent who works this port.
Basseterre is a straightforward arrival but a dispersed one. Local assistance earns its place in the sequencing: which office is staffed, in which building, on the day the yacht comes in.
An agent establishes the current requirements for the vessel and voyage and prepares the relevant submissions from the crew and passenger passport details. CARICOM advance passenger reporting in particular is built around commercial shipping conventions and is slow work from a phone at sea.
Where the authorities sit at Basseterre depends on the day of the week, and opening arrangements at the Port Zante Customs office vary. An agent has the current position before crew are sent anywhere, which is the most useful thing local support does at this port.
Visitor space at Port Zante Marina is limited and the town anchorage is exposed. An agent advises whether to hold a berth, lie off, or use the sheltered bays along the coast and travel in, then coordinates the departure side.
Prepare the applicable records before arrival or departure.
The sequence below is the standard route through a Basseterre clearance. Authority attendance varies by day of the week, so the day's arrangement is settled before crew go ashore.
Pre-arrival reporting is federal, so it is the same wherever the yacht clears. Establish which submissions apply to the vessel and voyage and prepare them from the passports. Keep the resulting references and receipts to hand, because Basseterre splits the formalities across more than one office and each may ask.
Fly the Q flag. Call Customs on VHF 16 for instructions, and Port Zante Marina on VHF 16 or 68 for a berth. The marina lies west of the deep-water dock; piles from the original cruise dock remain in the approach, so take care at night.
Port Zante Marina is small and visitor space is limited. The anchorage off the marina is open and rolls in south to west winds, so most crews use Whitehouse Bay or Ballast Bay along the south-east coast and travel in to clear.
Customs for yachts is at the Port Zante Marina office. Only the master goes ashore until clearance is granted, using the official dock rather than landing crew elsewhere. Bring the yacht papers, the last port clearance and the pre-arrival references.
Immigration and the Port Authority sit in the cruise terminal building, on opposite sides, with a different weekend arrangement set out below. Port dues are assessed on vessel size and length of stay and apply to anchored yachts as well as those in slips.
Departure involves electronic reporting around 24 hours ahead, outward clearance and settlement of outstanding dues. For short stays of roughly a day, Immigration can often handle the inbound and outbound formalities together. The notice period is fixed with the agent when the departure is planned.
Customs is at the Port Zante Marina office, while Immigration and the Port Authority are in the nearby cruise terminal. At weekends and on public holidays, Immigration may operate from the airport instead. Opening arrangements can vary, so confirm the current schedule before going ashore.
Port Zante Marina lies west of the deep-water dock and uses VHF 68, with VHF 16 also used for marina and Customs instructions. Visitor berths are limited, and care is needed on approach because piles from the former cruise dock remain. The anchorage off the marina can become uncomfortable in south to west winds.
Whitehouse Bay and Ballast Bay are popular sheltered alternatives to anchoring off Basseterre. Yachts staying there must travel to Basseterre to complete clearance, as neither bay is a clearance point. Ballast Bay also provides access to Christophe Harbour Marina and its tender dock.
Port and harbour dues depend on vessel size and length of stay and apply to both anchored and berthed yachts; marina charges are separate. For short stays, Immigration may be able to complete arrival and departure formalities in one visit. Yachts cleared at Basseterre can generally continue to Nevis without re-clearing, subject to Nevis mooring requirements.
Customs for yachts is at the Port Zante Marina office, with Immigration and the Port Authority in the cruise terminal building nearby. They are not in the same place, so allow for the walk between them, and note the different weekend arrangement set out above. Attendance can vary, so the day's position is worth settling before crew go ashore.
Yes. Year-round operation is the practical difference between Basseterre and the seasonal arrangement at Christophe Harbour on the south-east peninsula. Weekend and public-holiday arrangements still differ from weekdays, and opening arrangements at the Customs office vary, so establish the current schedule before arrival.
Port Zante Marina works VHF 68, and VHF 16 is used for the marina and for Customs instructions on approach. Working channels change from time to time, so take the current channel from the marina or your agent rather than a published figure.
Yes, though the anchorage off the marina is open and rolls in south to west winds, which is why most crews use Whitehouse Bay or Ballast Bay instead. Port and harbour dues apply to anchored yachts as well as those in slips, so anchoring does not avoid them.
Port Zante Marina is small, with roughly 36 berths, though the western wall takes vessels well over 100 feet. Draft and beam limits matter here and visitor space is limited. Yachts above that scale are generally better served by the marina on the south-east peninsula, where the berth range runs to 377 feet. Availability is worth securing before committing to an arrival.
No, provided the movement falls within the permitted stay; keep the entry clearance record aboard. Nevis separately requires a mooring assignment from its port authority on VHF 16 and a coastal mooring permit before cruising the coast.
Use this page for Basseterre arrival, departure and St. Kitts and Nevis yacht-paperwork assistance.