Passage from Anguilla to Barbuda

[luv2]

Good day to all. I am chartering a cat out of St Martin next month. We are planning on making Anguilla our first port of call. Then from there we want to sail across to Barbuda. I would appreciate any advice on stuff to do and see, including snorkels and dives around Anguilla, as well as advice on the best time to leave Anguilla to sail to Barbuda. We are prepared to sail overnight or just leave pre-dawn but I would like to be able to deal with the Barbuda customs and immigration the first day if it's necessary. If we are not planning on going to town in Barbuda but want to spend a couple days exploring the secluded beaches and bays and diving, should we just wait to clear in in Antigua or clear in right away in Coddrington? Lastly, advice on Barbuda must-sees would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Luv2

[Palarran]

Luv2, you might want to do a CF google search on Anguilla as there have been several threads in the past detailing cruising around that island. I also thought that you had to clear into Antigua to visit Barbuda.

That is a long upwind sail. It would be best to do overnight IMO.

Are you chartering with Sunsail/Moorings? If so, look up a bar tender named Kurt who works at the Iguna Bar. It's right at Captain Olivers. Tell him David with Palarran said he's coming back to give him a fishing lesson followed by a drinking lesson. Most of the dock guys know me, tell them I made it across.

If you need any specific info on Anguilla, St. Bart's, or St. Martin after reading the previous threads, let me know.

[Zanshin]

The sail can be a nasty one with the wrong winds / waves, as Palarran has already mentioned. Don't forget that you've got Ile Fourchue just before St. Barths on the way, that can make for a comfortable overnight anchorage before heading north and east of St. Barths on the way to Barbuda. If you aren't in a hurry then St. Barths is worth a stop - a visit to Gustavia (clearing in/out is just a couple of Euro and quite easy once you get the hang of the French keyboard) but I'd recommend anchoring in Anse Colombier rather than outside of Gustavia due to the frequent roll encountered in the latter location.
From there to Barbuda you should plan on motorsailing. What sort of a boat will you be on?

[luv2]

We are on a 47' Cat. We want to get from Anguilla to Barbuda as painlessly as possible. I have no problem stopping overnight in St Barts but I figured that route would give us a worse angle of attack than going straight from Anguilla. Are there any descent overnight anchorages on the north side of St Barts? Maybe from there it would be possible to make it to Babuda during the daylight hours. Does anyone have any advice on clearing-in in Barbuda. I am debating spending a few days on Barbuda without going ashore and waiting to clear-in in Antigua. Any thoughts? Thanks for any advise or tips.

[Zanshin]

St. Barths is pretty small and doesn't offer too many anchorages. The best choice is either Ile Fourchue (belongs to St. Barths, offers a pretty good anchorage, about 3-4 hours from Anguilla on your cat) or Anse Colombier on the NW corner of St. Barths. In daylight hours you can slip around the St. Barths headland and sail between some outlying island and the set course straight for Barbuda.