Benetti B.YOND 40M130' 11"
View Specs & Review656 ft on 25 ft of draft, no beam limit, and a customs line through American water
Yachting in St Thomas
A Minted Location · St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
St Thomas publishes a maximum length that ends the argument.
Yacht Haven Grande, in Charlotte Amalie Harbour, states "Max Length: 656' (200m)" across 46 berths, all of them megayacht berths, on a "Max Draft: 25' (7.6m)" and "Max Beam: No Restrictions." This is a global superyacht port that happens to sit in the Caribbean.
The supporting specification matches. Power runs 30 and 50 amp, 100 amp single-phase, 100 amp three-phase and 480 volt 100 amp three-phase. There are high-speed fuel pumps and in-slip fuelling. Customs and immigration are on site. Security is a 24-hour gated dock. The office is open 08:00–17:00, seven days a week — not five.
And here is the thing almost nobody plans for: St Thomas is legally foreign. US Customs and Border Protection treats St Thomas, St John and St Croix as foreign ports under United States customs law, notwithstanding that the US Virgin Islands are US territory. A boat running down from Puerto Rico must report on arrival, and must report again on the way back. CBP states fines for failing to report typically begin at $5,000.
So treat St Thomas as what it is: the deep end of the Caribbean, with a customs line drawn through the middle of an American archipelago.
Where to keep a yacht in St Thomas
Yacht Haven Grande is the market, and it publishes a complete specification.
| Berths | 46 total · 46 megayacht berths |
| Max length | 656′ (200 m) |
| Max draft | 25′ (7.6 m) |
| Max beam | No restrictions |
| Power | 30 amp · 50 amp · 100 amp SP · 100 amp 3P · 480 V 100 amp 3P |
| Fuel | High-speed fuel pumps · in-slip fuelling |
| VHF | 16 and 10 |
| Clearance | On-site customs and immigration |
| Security | 24-hour gated dock |
| Hours | 08:00–17:00, Monday to Sunday |
Read those three constraint lines together, because the combination is genuinely rare: 656 feet of length, 25 feet of draft, and no beam restriction at all. Most large marinas cap one of the three. Very few publish "no restrictions" against beam, and almost none in this hemisphere publish 25 feet of draft.
In-slip fuelling at that scale is the other quietly important line. A 200-metre yacht does not move to a fuel dock; the fuel comes to the berth. Yacht Haven publishes both high-speed pumps and in-slip service, which is what makes the berth usable rather than merely long.
Below the superyacht band, St Thomas works by telephone. The island carries several well-known marinas at Red Hook, Crown Bay and elsewhere; slips, maximum length and controlling depth are settled on the call rather than on a page, so ring ahead before you plan a passage around one.
Haul-out is a run east. Tortola, forty minutes away, publishes a 50-tonne travelift and a wide-body 70-tonne lift, and is the practical yard answer for anything that fits.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yacht Haven Grande"46 Total Berths", all "Megayacht Berths", "Max Length: 656' (200m)", "Max Draft: 25' (7.6m)" and "Max Beam: No Restrictions." Power runs 30 and 50 amp, 100 amp single-phase, 100 amp three-phase and 480 V 100 amp three-phase. VHF 16 and 10. Customs and immigration on site, and a 24-hour gated dock. The combination of 656 ft, 25 ft of draft and no beam limit is genuinely rare — most large marinas cap one of the three. | Charlotte Amalie Harbour | 656 ft | 46 | High-speed fuel pumps and in-slip fuelling |
| Red Hook, Crown Bay and the rest of St ThomasSt Thomas carries several well-known marinas outside the superyacht band, at Red Hook, Crown Bay and elsewhere. Slips, maximum length and controlling depth are settled on the telephone rather than on a page, so call ahead before you plan a passage around one. | Red Hook, Crown Bay and the east end | — | — | — |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from St Thomas
⚠️ St Thomas is a foreign port for US customs purposes, and failing to report is a $5,000 problem.
CBP treats St Thomas, St John and St Croix as foreign ports under United States customs law, even though the US Virgin Islands are US territory. The consequences:
- A vessel arriving in the USVI must report on arrival — including from Puerto Rico.
- A vessel returning to Puerto Rico must report again. Reporting is required in both locations.
- CBP states fines for failure to report typically begin at $5,000.
- The CBP ROAM app satisfies the face-to-face inspection requirement with exceptions: anyone requiring an I-94, a cruising licence, or who owes duties, must still report in person at the nearest CBP facility.
There is no passport control and no visible border. Charlotte Amalie to Fajardo is an ordinary day's run through water that looks continuous, and the obligation applies anyway. Set ROAM up before the season, not on the morning you leave.
Yacht Haven Grande publishes on-site customs and immigration, which for a large yacht with guests aboard removes most of the friction — the clearance happens where the boat is.
Going east into the British Virgin Islands is a genuine international border, and a different fee regime entirely: the BVI charges a cruising permit per person per day rather than per vessel, at $6 for home-based charter boats and $16 for foreign-based ones, under the amended Cruising Permit Ordinance. On a crewed boat with eight aboard for a fortnight that is a real number, and it is calculated on heads rather than feet — budget it before you go.
On depth, the published figure here is Yacht Haven's 25 feet in the berths. Charlotte Amalie is a deep, well-used commercial harbour with cruise traffic: hail on VHF 16, work 10 with the dockmaster, and take the instruction you are given.
- The CBP reporting line — report in both directions — Between Puerto Rico and the US Virgin IslandsThe rule most owners never plan for. CBP treats St Thomas, St John and St Croix as foreign ports under United States customs law despite the USVI being US territory — so a boat must report arriving from Puerto Rico and report again on returning. CBP states fines for failure to report typically begin at $5,000. The ROAM app satisfies the face-to-face requirement except for anyone needing an I-94, a cruising licence, or owing duties. There is no passport control and no visible border, which is exactly why it catches people.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haul-out — plan it on TortolaThere is no yacht lift on St Thomas, and the nearest are a short run east. Nanny Cay on Tortola, forty minutes away, publishes a 50-tonne travelift for monohulls to 68 ft and a wide-body 70-tonne lift for catamarans to 32 ft of beam. For anything inside those figures, Tortola is the practical answer; above them, plan a delivery. | St Thomas | — | — |
On the St Thomas calendar
St Thomas works year-round, and what the operator publishes is hours rather than seasons.
- Yacht Haven Grande: 08:00–17:00, Monday through Sunday. Seven days, not five — which matters when a Saturday arrival elsewhere in this region means an overtime fee or a wait.
- On-site customs and immigration at the marina, so clearance is not a separate errand.
- The CBP reporting obligation is per movement, not per season. Every arrival in the USVI and every return to Puerto Rico requires a report. Set up ROAM before the season starts, and remember it does not cover an I-94, a cruising licence or duties owed.
- The BVI cruising permit is charged per person per day — $6 home-based, $16 foreign-based — so an eastward trip's cost scales with crew and guests rather than with the boat.
Regatta and race dates are set by the organising clubs — confirm them directly with the organiser. The hours above are the clocks that actually shape a trip.
Yachts we'd shortlist for St Thomas
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Sanlorenzo SD132133' 6" (40.7 m)
View Specs & Review
Horizon Yachts FD8080' 7" (24.56 m)
View Specs & ReviewFrequently Asked Questions
What does it cost to take a yacht from the USVI into the BVI?
The British Virgin Islands charge a cruising permit per person per day rather than per vessel — $6 for home-based charter boats and $16 for foreign-based ones, under the amended Cruising Permit Ordinance. A home-based boat is one operated and generally maintained in the Virgin Islands and managed by a locally incorporated, registered or licensed entity for five months or more in any twelve. Entry is priced by heads rather than by feet, so a crewed boat with guests aboard should budget accordingly. Confirm the current figures with HM Customs before you go.
Can a superyacht refuel in its slip in St Thomas?
Yes — Yacht Haven Grande publishes both high-speed fuel pumps and in-slip fuelling. That matters more than it sounds at this scale: a 200-metre yacht does not move to a fuel dock, so in-slip service is what makes a very long berth genuinely usable rather than merely long. The marina also publishes power from 30 and 50 amp up to 480 volt 100 amp three-phase, on-site customs and immigration, a 24-hour gated dock and an office open 08:00 to 17:00 seven days a week.
Can a yacht be hauled out in St Thomas?
Not on the island — but the nearest lifts are all within a short run. St Croix states a 40-ton travelift to 17.5 feet of beam plus a rail for keel-less catamarans to 28 feet; Nanny Cay on Tortola — forty minutes east — states a 50-tonne travelift for monohulls to 68 feet on 10 feet of draft and a wide-body 70-tonne lift for catamarans to 32 feet of beam; and Virgin Gorda states a 350-tonne hoist rated to 180 feet and 39 feet of beam. For anything inside those figures Tortola is the practical answer; above them, plan a delivery.
Do you have to clear customs going from Puerto Rico to St Thomas?
Yes. US Customs and Border Protection treats St Thomas, St John and St Croix as foreign ports under United States customs law even though the US Virgin Islands are US territory. A vessel must report on arrival in the USVI and report again on returning to Puerto Rico — reporting is required in both locations. CBP states fines for failure to report typically begin at $5,000. The CBP ROAM app satisfies the face-to-face inspection requirement, except for anyone needing an I-94, a cruising licence, or who owes duties, who must still report in person.
What is the largest yacht that can dock in the Caribbean?
On published figures, St Thomas. Yacht Haven Grande in Charlotte Amalie Harbour states a maximum length of 656 feet (200 metres) across 46 berths, all of them megayacht berths, with a maximum draft of 25 feet and no beam restriction at all. The combination of that length, 25 feet of draft and an unrestricted beam is rare anywhere in the world — most large marinas cap at least one of the three. The marina publishes in-slip fuelling and on-site customs and immigration to go with it, which is what makes a berth that long usable.