The ABC Islands, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, sit below the Caribbean hurricane belt and outside the main sailing circuits of the Lesser Antilles, which makes them an underused cruising ground for explorer yachts willing to venture beyond established charter routes. Their position close to South America opens transit itineraries south to Los Roques, the Venezuelan archipelago of shallow banks and low-key fishing villages, and northwest toward Panama and the San Blas Islands, stretches of water that reward range and self-sufficiency.
Explorer yacht charters in the ABC Islands draw on a fleet of 30 to 60-metre vessels equipped for extended independent passages, with long-range fuel tanks, large tender garages, and complete diving and water sports packages. Crew of five to eight manage navigation, maintenance, and all on-board operations. The combination of a shallow draft tender and a capable main vessel opens anchorages inaccessible to larger motor yachts, particularly along Bonaire’s leeward coast.
Weekly rates for explorer yachts in this region typically run from 65,000 to 400,000 euros depending on size and specification. The advance provisioning allowance covers fuel, food, drink, park fees, and any transit port charges for extended passages. Los Roques requires Venezuelan paperwork arranged in advance by the management company.
A ten-day explorer itinerary from the ABC Islands might open in Curacao’s Willemstad, cross to Bonaire for three nights of diving along the western reef wall, then follow the coast of Bonaire north before turning toward Klein Curacao for a lunch stop. From there, an overnight passage reaches Los Roques Archipelago by morning, giving two or three days on the shallow banks and deserted cays before returning north via Aruba. Eagle Beach and the Antilla shipwreck, the largest vessel wreck in the Caribbean at 120 metres, add a final day’s diving before disembarkation.
