HUB · TIER 2 · UPDATED AUGUST 2026
Antigua for green yacht crew: when to arrive, where to stay, who hires
- Best window
- Late November to April
- Passport
- Passport and an onward ticket. A US visa if the boat runs north
- Nearest hubs
- St Maarten, Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale
United States, Florida
Best windowSeptember to November
PassportUS visa in your passport first
Hub pageChapter 06Newport
United States, Rhode Island
Best windowMay to October
PassportUS visa in your passport first
Hub pageChapter 06Antibes
France
Best windowMarch to May
PassportSchengen visa or exemption
Hub pageChapter 06Palma
Spain, Mallorca
Best windowMarch to May
PassportSchengen visa or exemption
Hub pageChapter 06
Second tier: St Maarten, Antigua, Viareggio, Auckland, Sydney, Dubai, San Diego. Cape Town for cheaper certificates.
Antigua's season is short and sharp. The fleet arrives from late November, the island fills for the Antigua Charter Yacht Show at Nelson's Dockyard on 4 to 9 December 2026, stays busy through Antigua Sailing Week in late April, then empties out again by May. Show week is the single hardest week of the year to find a bed. The show's own accommodation page tells brokers and owners to book English Harbour and Falmouth rooms weeks ahead, and that applies just as much to crew chasing dockwalking work on the same dates.
Where crew stay
Everything sits within a short walk of Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour. The two harbours are close enough that crew treat them as one hiring zone.
Pineapple House, Pineapples to everyone who has stayed there, sits just above the Antigua Yacht Club with views over Falmouth Harbour. It is the crew house named first in every dockwalking guide. Clean, social, walking distance to the dockyard, from around USD 65 a night.
The Waterfront, right next to the Naval Dockyard and run by a former captain and chef team, is the other name that comes up constantly, especially around Sailing Week and the Classic Regatta. Current rate around USD 90 a night.
The Lodge, on the National Sailing Academy grounds, is a step up in comfort, with self contained apartments and kitchenettes, and a step up in price. Its own site does not mark whether the prices are US or East Caribbean dollars, so confirm by phone.
Check the address before you book
King Kong's Empire State Guest House turns up in the crew directories, but its address, Horsford Hill in Liberta, is an inland village, not dockside. Near Falmouth Harbour does not mean walkable. Check the distance before booking.
When the crew houses are full, The Ocean Inn, overlooking Nelson's Dockyard, is the show's own pick for an affordable overflow option, from around USD 109 a night.
How crew actually book
Mostly informally. Phone, email, or the Antigua Crew Club and Antigua Yacht Crew groups, where crew post budgets and timelines and get replies within hours. Prices quoted are almost always in US dollars even though Antigua's currency is the East Caribbean dollar. Always confirm the currency before paying, especially at properties whose own site is ambiguous.
Where these came from
antiguayachtshow.com, thelodgeantigua.com, trilogyluxtraining.co.za, yachting-pages.com, palmayachtcrew.com, and search cache summaries of Tripadvisor and Airbnb listings, all checked 19 August 2026.
Where crew stay: 5 places, checked 19 August 2026
| Name | Type | Status | From | Min stay | Distance | Booking | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pineapple House Cottages & Crew HouseNamed 'Pineapples' by crew and called one of the best crew houses on the island by a working dockwalking guide - clean, organised, social, well positioned for dockwalking. Owner named as Libby Nicholson in older listings; not independently reconfirmed for 2026. | Crew house | USD 65 a night | Above the Antigua Yacht Club with views over Falmouth Harbour; 'easy walking distance' to Nelson's Dockyard, Pigeon Beach and the grocery store per source text - no exact minutes given | Airbnb, Phone | 19 Aug 2026 | ||
| The Waterfront (Inn/Hostel)18-room hostel run by a former captain/chef team; explicitly called out as popular with sailors crewing for Antigua Sailing Week/Classic Regatta. Named 'The Waterfront Inn' on some booking sites and 'The Waterfront' on others - same property, same address. | Hostel | USD 25 a night | Next to Antigua Naval Dockyard, roughly a 10-minute walk to Admiral House per source text; bar/lounge overlooks Falmouth Harbour directly across the street | Facebook, Phone | 19 Aug 2026 | ||
| The Lodge Antigua (National Sailing Academy)The operator's own site shows room prices as plain '$' figures ($330-$540) with no currency code; third-party booking aggregators quote the same rooms 'from $85' USD, which lines up with those figures being East Caribbean Dollars (XCD, pegged ~2.7 to USD) rather than USD. Flagged as XCD here but not fully confirmed - check with the property before publishing a firm number. Budget/backup option for aparthotel-style stays rather than a bunk crew house. | Short let | USD 85 a night | 9-minute walk to Nelson's Dockyard and the Antigua Yacht Club per the operator's own site | Website, Phone, Email | 19 Aug 2026 | ||
| The Ocean InnNot a crew house - a 12-room guesthouse - but named directly by the Antigua Charter Yacht Show itself as a good, affordable, walkable base near the show and marinas, so it is a reasonable overflow option when the crew houses are full. | Short let | USD 109 a night | 5-minute walk from three of Antigua's modern marinas, home to Antigua Sailing Week, the Antigua Classic and the Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting, per its own marketing copy | Phone, Website | 19 Aug 2026 | ||
| King Kong's Empire State Guest HouseYachting-pages describes it as a spacious three-bed crew house 'near Falmouth Harbour', but its street address (Horsford Hill, Liberta) is an inland village, not dockside - worth a distance check before recommending for dockwalking. No price found anywhere; enquire directly. | Crew house | Unsure | no published rate | Not stated in any source found; Liberta is an inland village near, but not walking distance from, Falmouth Harbour - treat 'near Falmouth Harbour' claims from directory copy with caution | Phone | 19 Aug 2026 |
Also checked
- Blue Waters Resort & Spa Listed under yachting-pages.com's Antigua and Barbuda crew-accommodation category, but it is a 5-star 85-room luxury resort on the northwest coast, nowhere near crew budgets or English/Falmouth Harbour - almost certainly a misfiled listing rather than a real crew option.
- Admiral's Inn, Copper & Lumber Store Hotel, Antigua Yacht Club Marina Resort, St James's Club, The Verandah, South Point, LaVista, Stanley's Estates All named on the official Antigua Charter Yacht Show accommodation pages, but these are show-week hotels/villas aimed at yacht owners, brokers and charter guests, not crew-priced lodging; no rates disclosed on the show pages either.
- Antigua Crew Club (Facebook page) Crew social/events page, not a lodging provider; name noted only, not fetched or logged into.
- Antigua Yacht Crew (mycrewkit community board) Peer-to-peer community board on mycrewkit.com where crew ask for room/crew-house leads; not itself a bookable property.
Checked by hand on 19 August 2026. Prices move, houses fill and owners change; confirm the rate and the deposit terms in writing before you pay anything. If a listing here is wrong, email ahoy@joinyachting.com and it will be fixed within a week.
Who hires here
AgenciesChapter 10 names no agency for this hub. The job boards below cover it.
Job boardsYotspot, DayWork123.
Straight answers
When should I arrive in Antigua?
Late November, before the Antigua Charter Yacht Show on 4 to 9 December 2026. The island stays busy through Sailing Week in late April and empties out by May.
What does a crew house cost in Antigua?
Pineapple House runs from about USD 65 a night and The Waterfront about USD 90. The Ocean Inn, the show's own pick for overflow, runs from about USD 109. Prices are quoted in US dollars even though the local currency is the East Caribbean dollar.
Where do crew stay in Antigua?
English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour, both within a short walk of Nelson's Dockyard. Check the address before you book: King Kong's Empire State Guest House is listed as a crew house but sits inland at Horsford Hill, Liberta, not dockside.