Firstly – COVID - We take it seriously and carry masks, hand disinfectant and practice social distancing where we can. When we go ashore we follow the local protocols. Skipper Robin has had the vaccination shots and the recommendation is to have them too before travel if you can.
The restrictions mean that arrival and destination points are fluid, somewhere between St Martin and Grenada, we will put together an agenda that excites. Great sunsets (and sunrises), fabulous sunshine and pristine waters. We go ashore where and when we can, if we chill on the boat we promise no hardship.
At the moment the plans are from mid May until mid August we will be based out of either Antigua and Barbuda or St Maarten, St Martin and St Barths. At the moment, these are the only islands in the southern Caribbean where you can fly in and move around relatively freely. Antigua now has two inexpensive BA flights a day from the UK and tourists with a negative PCR have relative freedom. St Martin has freedom interspersed with lockdowns.
We can organise adventure – diving, snorkelling, kitesurfing, kayaking, hiking – we can organise fine dining, local eating, rocking drinking and tiny rum-shacks. This is not a bareboat charter, in the deal comes the captain to take responsibility of ensuring you reach the best destinations with a lot of local knowledge. This saves a huge amount of research and planning avoiding all pitfalls.
To get an idea of what to expect, please read previous guests' experiences below.
Catamaranshadow(at)gmail.com || +596 696 197 333


- Shadow is a Fountaine-Pajot Bahia, a 46' long, 25' wide catamaran of 1998 vintage. One of the best boats ever to come out of the FP yard. She looks fantastic and is a superb party boat.
- Four double cabins with en-suite, one of which houses the captain, of which two have adjoining single cabins that come into play if kids are involved. Recommended charters utilise the three available doubles and keeping the numbers down to six make for plenty of individual space although we have chartered with 11 aboard in total. A picture paints a thousand words so please look at the photos.

Photo credit: Melody Sample
- This is similar to renting a car with a chauffeur. There is an agreed day rate for rental of the boat and captain and you are responsible for all additional costs, food, fuel, customs, moorings. The beauty of Shadow is that because she is an older boat, you are renting her less expensive with a captain than an equivalent, more modern bare boat. It is a win win.
- The rate is $800 a day with a 5 day minimum (shorter rentals carry a before and after cleaning charge) that includes fresh linen and towels for the whole boat. With three couples, that works out at less than $120 (£90) a day per person. Christmas and New year carries a 20% surcharge. Gratuities are not expected but are warmly received.
We loved our family vacation on this boat. Robin was a great host, taught us lots about the islands and the whole family had a wonderful time. Robin’s knowledge of sailing these inlets and snorkeling can’t be matched! The views were amazing from the boat, this is the best way to travel.
I chartered Captain Robin and his catamaran for myself and my 2 young sons. We did the trip from St Lucia to Martinique and back and had a wonderful time. Robin went out of his way to educate us on sailing and the islands as well as making sure my sons had a fun time. His catamaran was great and he really went out of his way to make us comfortable. My only regret is that we didn’t have more time to spend with him.
We’ve just returned from a 5-night excursion on “Shadow” with Captain Robin, and it was absolutely wonderful. Our goal for this holiday was to “test drive” our retirement dream by experiencing the live-aboard lifestyle and also to attempt a passage between Islands, and we are so very glad we did. We sailed from St. Lucia to Martinique and back again. The scenery, the swimming and the snorkeling were excellent! Robin also took the time to introduce us to the unique cultures of both islands and we really enjoyed this aspect of our trip. Shadow is nicely equipped catamaran with plenty of living space, but it is not a luxury vessel, and so as long as you dial down your “glam” expectations, you will be as happy as a lark. I highly recommend this experience to anyone who is considering making the transition to live-aboard yachting at some point in the future. You won’t regret it. Robin is a friendly, knowledgeable host and a patient teacher too!
I had the pleasure of two weeks onboard Catamaran Shadow early in 2020, and it far exceeded my expectations. I had never been to the Caribbean before but it did not disappoint. The islands are absolutely stunning and the people friendly and warm. Robin the Skipper could not have been more welcoming, and he looked after us exceptionally well throughout our stay. It had been some years since I had been on a sailing holiday, but I can reassure anyone, that regardless of your sailing experience levels you will have a great time, and Robin will let you do as much or as little “hands on sailing” as you want. Robin is a very experienced Skipper and knows his way around the Islands, so you know you will be in good hands, and you can concentrate on the important bits – enjoying your holiday. I will definitely be going back when things get back to normal and international travel is allowed once again.
We chartered Shadow to sail in the Grenadines as my sister wished to celebrate her 40th birthday by visiting the island of our father, Canouan, and as we all live in different parts of the world, it was a great idea for for a family get together.
There is absolutely no better way to see the islands than by boat, the itinerary is yours – We joined the boat in Canouan and sailed around the beautiful waters of Canouan, Mayreau and to the always stunning Tobago Cays. We stopped in secluded bays, sleep under a blanket of stars and woke up to beautiful beaches, swam with myriad fish and sea turtles in the Tobago Cays, and lobster lunched on the beach while iguanas climb the rocks. For my sister it was the perfect antidote to her hectic life and the tonic required before work consumed her again. The boat Shadow itself was a comfortable home on the sea, made more so with the owner/captains’ touches. Robin was an excellent and accommodating captain, knowledgeable and good company when he joined us, but also careful not to intrude family time, (and not a bad cook to boot… though his occasional prog-rock music taste might not be everyones taste, haha. That said he does have a variety of tunes, and there’s an iPod / audio jack to the boat sound system accommodate your own playlists, and of course there’s the simple music of the wind and lapping of the sea at anchor. No hesitation in recommending, great stay, beautiful islands, great boat and captain, we’d give a bonus star on top of the five if we could.
Nous sommes la petite famille MEPLON: Marianne, Régis, Pierre et Chloé et nous tenons à te remercier encore pour cette charmante croisière sur ton catamaran dans les Caraïbes en mai 2022. Avec une excellente maîtrise dans ton rôle de SKYPER, tu nous a fais découvrir les îles Grenadines et tes talents culinaires en faisant des miracles avec peu de choses.
Nous nous sommes sentis en pleine sécurité sur la mer, nous avons eu la chance de voir des fonds marins et notamment des tortues et un petit requin.
Nous garderons le souvenir de nos sympathiques échanges en Anglais et de ta maîtrise du Français.
Nous te souhaitons bon vent sur les mers et des bons moments familiaux à venir.