I am planning a bareboat charter and can't decide between starting from St Vincent or Canouan (Moorings) any pros or cons would be appreciated regarding staring points.

We also trying to avoid flying on small planes any suggestions on best ways to get there? (leaving from NYC)

Lastly it seems wind and weather are consistent from jan to april anyone experience differently (we are thinking feb or March).

Thanks

Hi Dolores,
I recently chartered from TMM in St. Vincent. They share a base with Sunsail. It is 5 minutes from the airport. I'm afraid you will fly on a small plane in any event as that is all that can land at either Canouan or SVD. I wouldn't worry though, as they are turboprops and very safe (I'm a retired Pan Am pilot). Canouan is towards the lower end of the Grenadines and St. Vincent is at the north end so there is really no advantage either way-the Moorings has the base at Canouan. I guess it depends on how much sailing you want to do. You can fly nonstop to Canouan from San Juan on American or through Barbados on American or Delta and then Caribbean Sun or Caribbean Star to St. Vincent-really it's about the same-if you want more particulars you can email me directly at: papabenn@yahoo.com. That time of year is perfect weather-wise and probably even windier than the BVI so your sailing experience is a factor. Good luck, Peter

We chartered out of Canouan last March. We flew from San Juan on American Eagle, with a stop in St. Lucia.As Peter said, even leaving out of St. Vincent, you will be on a small plane. It's not a problem and you get great vies of the Islands as you fly down the chain.
The Moorings base in Canouan is still going through growing pain. The boats are not in slips due to the swells coming into Charleston Bay. They are all on moorings, so everything is ferried out on dinghies. It's kind of a pain, but not to bad.
The Tamarind hotel at the base is great and reasonable priced.
We sailed up to Bequia[about 20 mi.],then worked our way south to PSV.[I would skip Mustique],stopping in the Cays, Mayreau, and Chatham Bay [fantastic spot] on Union.
The sailing condidtions were perfect.Wind was e/ne@ about 18-20.
A few years back,we chartered out of St.Vincent with Barefoot. I would highly recommend Barefoot.It's a first class operation, and cheaper than the Moorings or Sunsail. Contact Seth for info.
From St.Vincent you would be crossing the Bequia Channel. Heading south is not a problem. Heading back north could be a challange.
Provisioning on St.Vincent is much better. Canouan has limited resources. Clifton[on Union] it the best spot to re-provision once you are down island.
Wherever you decied to leave from,I'm sure you will have a great time.