Christophe Harbour is the marina on the south-east peninsula of St. Kitts, built for large yachts and the only location on the island where Customs and Immigration are handled at the berth rather than in town. That makes it the simplest arrival on St. Kitts when it is staffed, and cruising guidance describes those clearance services as running through the November to May season. Send us the yacht, crew, route and timing details and we will introduce you to a local agent who works this marina.
Clearance here is the easy part when the marina is staffed for it. The work sits either side: securing a berth for the yacht's dimensions, and knowing what is open if the arrival falls outside the season.
Berths here run to superyacht length and the marina publishes its own draft and beam limits, so availability turns on the yacht's dimensions rather than on numbers alone. An agent can hold a berth and confirm the approach before committing a large yacht to the peninsula.
Clearance at the marina is described as seasonal, while Basseterre works year-round. An agent can establish which applies for the intended arrival date and, if the marina is not clearing, arrange the alternative before the yacht is committed.
An agent establishes which pre-arrival submissions apply, prepares them from the passports, and handles crew joining or leaving. The marina's duty and tax-free fuel and provisioning arrangements are worth planning around at the same time.
Prepare the applicable records before arrival or departure.
The steps below reflect the marina's published arrangements and current cruising guidance. Clearance attendance here is seasonal, so treat the sequence as the shape of the process once the date is established.
The pre-arrival reporting is federal and the same wherever the yacht clears. Establish which online submissions apply to the vessel and voyage and complete them for everyone aboard. Cruising guidance notes that the CARICOM advance passenger requirement has been enforced more firmly again recently, with some officers expecting it in addition to the immigration form.
Book the berth against the yacht's length, beam and draft, and establish whether the marina is clearing on the intended date. If it is not, Basseterre remains available year-round and the southern anchorages are close by.
Fly the Q flag and contact the marina office on VHF within a few miles of arrival; the marina publishes VHF 71 as its working channel, with 16 also monitored. The entrance lies at Ballast Bay, into a protected inner harbour with a wide turning basin.
Customs and Immigration are handled at the marina rather than in town, in a dedicated Customs House on site. Marina staff assist with the paperwork. A marina administration fee applies, reported as covering both the inward and outward formalities in a single payment.
Berthing is alongside with deepwater access, in-slip fuelling and duty and tax-free fuel. Crew facilities and 24-hour security through a single access point are part of the marina's published offer rather than a clearance requirement.
Outward clearance is completed at the marina where the administration fee has already covered it, together with any online departure filing that applies. Establish the current notice period when the departure is planned.
Christophe Harbour is a designated port of entry with Customs and Immigration handled at the marina, in a Customs House built on site. Cruising guidance describes those services as running through the November to May yachting season, when the marina is the most straightforward entry point on St. Kitts. The marina itself operates beyond those months, so establish the clearance position for the intended date.
The marina takes large yachts alongside, with published limits on length, beam and draft and a deepwater harbour with a wide turning basin. The entrance is at Ballast Bay. Contact the marina office on VHF within a few miles of arrival; VHF 71 is published as the working channel, with 16 also monitored.
Marinas clearing yachts on site charge an administration fee, and here it is reported to cover both the inward and outward formalities in one payment. The marina also offers duty and tax-free fuel with in-slip fuelling, and publishes duty-free concessions on provisions. Confirm current amounts and eligibility when the berth is booked.
A yacht cleared here can move on to Basseterre or Nevis within its permitted stay without clearing again, subject to the Nevis mooring rules. If the marina is not clearing on the intended date, Basseterre operates year-round, and the sheltered anchorages at Ballast Bay and Whitehouse Bay are close by, with travel in to Basseterre to complete formalities.
The marina operates beyond the season, but cruising guidance describes its clearance services as running from November to May. Outside those months Basseterre is the year-round option on St. Kitts. Establish the position for the intended arrival date rather than assuming, because it decides where the yacht goes first.
It is the large-yacht marina on St. Kitts, taking vessels alongside well beyond what Port Zante in Basseterre can handle, with published limits on length, beam and draft. Deepwater access and a wide turning basin come with that. Confirm the yacht's dimensions against the current limits before committing to an arrival.
Clearance here is handled at the marina rather than in town, in a Customs House built on site, with marina staff assisting on the paperwork. That is the main practical difference from Basseterre, where Customs, Immigration and the Port Authority sit in separate buildings on the waterfront.
Marinas that clear yachts on site charge an administration fee, and here it is reported to cover both clearing in and clearing out in a single payment. That is separate from berth, fuel and provisioning charges. Confirm the current amount when the berth is booked.
The marina publishes VHF 71 as its working channel, with 16 also monitored, and asks vessels to make contact within a few miles of arrival. The entrance is at Ballast Bay. Working channels change, so confirm with the marina or your agent before relying on a published figure.
Ballast Bay and Whitehouse Bay are the sheltered anchorages on this stretch of coast and are popular alternatives to lying off Basseterre. Neither is a clearance point, so yachts anchoring there travel in to Basseterre to complete formalities. Yachts at anchor at Ballast Bay are reported to be welcome to use the marina's tender dock.
Use this page for Christophe Harbour arrival, departure and St. Kitts and Nevis yacht-paperwork assistance.