Caribbean Compass 2026 Hauling Out Guide Covers Boatyards from St. Martin to Trinidad

Planning a haulout in the Eastern Caribbean without a solid reference is a gamble most bluewater cruisers learn not to take twice. Boatyards fill up fast as hurricane season approaches, seasonal windows vary dramatically from yard to yard, and showing up without knowing what services are available can turn a two-week refit into a two-month nightmare. That's exactly the gap Caribbean Compass has been filling for years, and the March 2026 update to their flagship "Hauling Out Guide – Seasonal Haulout Guide and Directory of Caribbean Boatyards from St. Martin to Trinidad. Updated for 2026!" is the resource the cruising community has been waiting to refresh their passage plans around.

What the Guide Covers

The guide is aimed squarely at cruisers who need to plan haul-out, refit and maintenance work in Caribbean boatyards, and its scope is genuinely comprehensive. The directory compiles seasonal haul-out windows, contact details and service descriptions across the arc of islands stretching from St. Martin in the north all the way down to Trinidad in the south. That's a significant stretch of cruising ground, covering the full range of options available to boats heading south ahead of hurricane season or staging for an Atlantic crossing in either direction.

The seasonal haul-out windows are arguably the most time-sensitive piece of data in any directory like this. Yards in the Eastern Caribbean don't operate on a simple open-all-year model; their availability is shaped by hurricane season logistics, local hauling equipment schedules, and the rhythms of the cruising fleet itself. Knowing when a yard can take your boat matters as much as knowing whether it can. Service descriptions round out the picture, giving you a sense of what trades and facilities are actually on site rather than what you might have to source externally.

A Resource Built for the Cruising Arc

The geographic range from St. Martin to Trinidad reflects the natural flow of the cruising season in the Eastern Caribbean. Most southbound boats clearing the Atlantic arrive somewhere in the Leewards, work their way through the Windwards, and make landfall decisions based on where they need to do maintenance work or ride out the season in a secure yard. Trinidad, sitting just above the hurricane belt, has long been a hub for boats that need serious refit work in a well-protected location. St. Martin, at the northern end, offers its own set of well-developed marine industry options for boats freshly off a transatlantic passage.

The guide's coverage of this entire corridor in a single updated directory makes it a practical planning tool regardless of where you're arriving from or where you intend to spend the season. Getting current contact details and service descriptions for yards across that whole span in one place saves the kind of time-consuming forum trawling that usually precedes any haulout decision.

In the Same Issue: What Else Is on Deck

The Hauling Out Guide sits inside the March 2026 issue of Caribbean Compass, which is packed with content that reflects the full breadth of Caribbean sailing life right now. On the safety side, "Don't Let Space Weather Catch You Off Guard" and "Personalized Weather Reports at Sea" address the kind of passage-planning concerns that run parallel to any haulout decision. Space weather is increasingly relevant for offshore sailors relying on SSB, Iridium, and AIS, and seeing it get dedicated feature treatment is a sign of how the community's technical awareness has shifted.

The issue's boatyard angle doesn't stop at the directory, either. "Bottoms Up in the Boatyard" offers what sounds like a ground-level look at the practical side of the yard life that so many cruisers end up living for months at a stretch.

Racing and regattas are well represented. St. Vincent and the Grenadines features heavily, with "Podium Finishes for SVG at Barbados Sailing Week" and the upcoming "SVG Sailing Week 2026 Set For March 29 – April 6" both getting coverage. The RS Elite Cup gets its own write-up from Falmouth Harbour, described as "A Weekend of Racing, Resilience, and Celebration." And for those following the bigger offshore movements, "Viking Explorers 2026 Fleet Departs Cape Verde for Grenada" tracks what sounds like a significant crossing in progress, while "The People of ARC 2025" offers the kind of community portrait piece that reminds you why the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers remains such a touchstone event for the cruising world.

Youth and heritage sailing get meaningful space too. The West Indies Sail Heritage Foundation announces a sailing and cultural exchange program for Antiguan youth aboard the Swedish Tall Ship Gunilla, the kind of program that tends to produce the next generation of Caribbean sailors. Separately, "Young Vincentian Sailor Competes at Prestigious North American Regatta" puts a spotlight on competitive development sailing coming out of St. Vincent.

Marina and port profiles include "Home Port: Sailing from Scrub Island Marina" and "Your Complete Marine Centre in the heart of Spanish Town: The Evolution of Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour," the latter tracking how one of the BVI's most established facilities has developed over time. These pieces serve both the armchair cruiser planning a future season and the sailor actively scouting anchorages and marina options.

Regional life fills out the rest of the issue. "Trinidad's Best Kept Secret: The Legacy of North Post Radio" digs into broadcasting history that will resonate with any cruiser who has spent time in the southern Caribbean. "My Jamaican Table Cookbook Debuts" suggests the cultural coverage Caribbean Compass has always been known for. The "Bonaire Nature Platform: A Unified Voice for Nature Conservation" piece addresses the conservation tensions that affect anchoring and diving access throughout the ABC islands. And a "Cuba–U.S. Speedboat Incident" dated February 25, 2026, makes clear that Caribbean Compass is also tracking the geopolitical currents that shape the waters its readers sail through.

Carriacou is spotlighted under the issue's trending tags, a nod to the continued community interest in that particular corner of the Grenadines.

How to Use the Guide

The directory's real value is as a planning document you work through before you need it, not after the yard has filled up. Cross-referencing the seasonal haul-out windows against your intended departure schedule, checking what services are available at yards along your planned route, and making contact with your preferred yard well in advance are the steps that separate a smooth haulout from a frustrating scramble.

For the full list of included boatyards, their specific haul windows, contact details, and service breakdowns, the complete guide is the place to go. Caribbean Compass published the updated directory on March 3, 2026, with everything you need to start making those calls.