Best anchorages and harbours in French West Indies

Ponton annexes du marché du Lamentin

Dinghy landing under a bridge in Le Lamentin, at the head of Fort-de-France bay, used by crews going to the market.

Îlet Saint-Aubin

Anchorage under Îlet Saint-Aubin, north of La Trinité on the Atlantic coast.

• Sheltered N, NE

mouillage de Murphy

Anchorage on the Pointe-Noire coast between Baille-Argent and Anse Guyonneau, leeward side of Basse-Terre, sand bottom, sheltered from NE through SE.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Baie des Anglais

Bay on the Atlantic side of the Sainte-Anne peninsula, behind a coral reef, with a mangrove of about 70 hectares at its head. Weed and mud bottom, sheltered from every sector except the south-east. Rated 4.7 out of 5 by Navily users.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S

Gros Îlet, au large

Anchorage off Gros Îlet in the bay of Les Trois-Îlets, on the south side of the Baie de Fort-de-France. Weed and mud bottom, sheltered from every sector according to Navily.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Pointe la Rose

Anchorage under Pointe la Rose, on the south shore of Le Robert harbour, Atlantic coast.

• Sheltered NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Îlets Pigeon

Two islets of about 8 ha in all, 1,100 m off Malendure beach in Bouillante, in the middle of the cœur marin of the Parc national de la Guadeloupe known as the Réserve Cousteau. Mooring buoys only.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, W

Grand Îlet

Paying mooring spot by Grand Îlet in the Simpson Bay lagoon, 1.3 NM south-west of Port La Royale, sand bottom.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, SE

Île Fourchue

Uninhabited islet 4.8 NM north-west of Gustavia, its bay ringed by bare hills, inside the Saint-Barthélemy nature reserve with ecological mooring buoys.

• Free
• Sheltered N, NE, E

Baie de Saint-Jean

Bay on the north coast of Saint-Barthélemy, below the end of the airport runway, 1 NM east of Gustavia across the island, where anchoring is not allowed.

• Sheltered E, SW, S, SE

Îlet la Biche

Islet in the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin, 2.9 nm east of Sainte-Rose, inside the cœur of the Parc national de la Guadeloupe. Sand, rock and weed bottom, small beach.

• Sheltered NW, W, E, SW, S, SE

Plage de Petite Anse

Anchorage off Petite Anse beach on the leeward coast between Deshaies and Pointe-Noire, sand and weed bottom, sheltered from N through S on the east side.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SE

Anse du Colombier

Bay at the north-west tip of Saint-Barthélemy, 2 NM north-west of Gustavia, inside the Saint-Barthélemy nature reserve, with ecological mooring buoys over seagrass.

• Free
• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SE

Petite Anse

Cove just south of Pointe des Tortues, 0.4 nm north of Anse à la Barque, on the coast of Vieux-Habitants. Sand bottom, beach, sheltered from N through S on the east side.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, S, SE

Anse Four à Chaux

Cove between Bellefontaine and Le Carbet, on the Caribbean coast.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Îlets de Petite-Terre

Buoy field in the lagoon between Terre-de-Bas and Terre-de-Haut, the two islets of the Petite-Terre national nature reserve, about 10 miles east-south-east of Saint-François.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, SW, S, SE

Anse La Frais

Anchorage on the west coast of Marie-Galante beside the Folle Anse harbour, sand bottom, 1.2 miles south-west of Saint-Louis.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Baie du Trésor

Bay on the south side of the Caravelle peninsula, east of Tartane, added in December 2025 to the Caravelle peninsula national nature reserve.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SE

Anse à Dos

Anchorage on the south coast of Terre-de-Bas in Les Saintes, sand bottom, 3.7 miles west-south-west of the Terre-de-Haut mooring field.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Îlet à Cabrit, anse sous le Vent

Buoy field in the Anse sous le Vent on Îlet à Cabrit, an uninhabited islet facing the village of Terre-de-Haut in Les Saintes, 0.8 miles across the bay.

• Paid
• Sheltered N, NE, E

Les Boucaniers

Beach of Les Boucaniers on the west side of the Pointe Marin peninsula, Sainte-Anne. Anchoring has been prohibited off this beach since the end of 2022.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Anse du Souffleur, La Désirade

Anchorage off the Souffleur beach on the south coast of La Désirade, sand and rock bottom, 1.8 miles east of the harbour.

• Sheltered NW, N, W

Embouchure de la rivière Salée

Anchorage at the mouth of the Rivière Salée, in the south-east corner of Fort-de-France bay.

• Sheltered NE, E, SW, S, SE

Îlet Chancel

Anchorage under Îlet Chancel, in Le Robert harbour on the Atlantic coast. The islet is private land protected by a biotope protection order since 2005.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Anse Canot

Anchorage off the golden sand beach of Anse Canot, north of Saint-Louis on the west coast of Marie-Galante, on sand, rock and weed.

• Sheltered E, S, SE

Îlet Fortune

Anchorage off Îlet Fortune, an islet in the Petit Cul-de-Sac Marin off Goyave, rocky bottom.

• Sheltered NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Petite Grenade

Petite Grenade anchorage, on the Atlantic coast north of Le Vauclin village.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, S, SE

Havre du Robert - Îlet Petite Martinique

Anchorage under Îlet Petite Martinique, in the northern part of Le Robert harbour, on the Atlantic coast.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E, SE

Petit-Havre

Natural anchorage at Petit-Havre on the south coast of Grande-Terre, between Le Gosier and Sainte-Anne, on sand, rock and weed.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Baie aux Prunes

Anchorage off the beach of Baie aux Prunes, in the Terres Basses on the west coast of French Saint-Martin, sand bottom.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE