Crabbs Peninsula is the North Sound marina and boatyard area on Antigua's northeast coast, named by Customs among the legal ports of entry and used mainly for haul-out, refit, storage and crew changes rather than as a cruising stop. Send the vessel, crew, route and timing details and we will introduce you to a local agent who can confirm what is currently arranged here.
Two things make this location different. The published clearance position is inconsistent between sources, and yachts usually come here for a work period rather than an overnight stop. Both are easier for a local agent to handle than a visiting captain.
Customs names Crabbs a legal port of entry but publishes no separate Crabbs yacht-boarding office, and Immigration names Crabbs Slipway among its operational stations while describing the Crabbs offices as not operational. An agent can establish which position applies to your movement.
Where officers have to be transported to the port, notice is what makes clearance possible. The agent can lodge the eSeaClear notification and communicate the expected arrival and departure ahead of time.
If the yacht is hauling out, laying up or changing crew, the agent can coordinate clearance around the yard booking and the flights, and prepare the crew sign-off paperwork Immigration expects in person.
Prepare the applicable records before arrival or departure.
The national sequence applies. The local questions are whether the offices are staffed for your movement and how much notice they need.
Prepare the eSeaClear notification with the vessel and crew details, and have the arrangement for this location confirmed rather than assumed.
Fly a yellow Q flag on arrival and keep everyone aboard until clearance is granted.
Customs names Crabbs a legal port of entry but publishes no dedicated Crabbs yacht-boarding office with hours, unlike the other four mainland locations. Confirm where the captain is to present the clearance from the last port, the crew list and the vessel registration.
Described as a commercial and cargo port accommodating mainly cargo vessels, with clearance to be communicated in advance because the offices are not operational and officers must be transported in. Elsewhere the same guidance names Crabbs Slipway among the operational ports, so the published position is not internally consistent.
Harbour fees and the permit are settled with the Port Authority, the permit running up to six consecutive months. The yachting association states that all three authorities share a building at North Sound.
If the yacht is leaving the water, close off both the clearance position and the permit position, and check the permit period against how long the yacht will stay in the country.
Points specific to this location, including where the published sources disagree; national requirements are on the homepage. Of the six ports of entry this is where the sources differ most, so nothing here should be relied on without confirmation.
Customs names Crabbs Peninsula among the six legal ports of entry for pleasure craft. But while Customs publishes yacht-boarding offices with hours for Deep Water Harbour, Heritage Quay, Jolly Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard, and a Barbuda office, its published locations list shows no separate Crabbs Peninsula yacht-boarding office. Where the captain presents the papers therefore needs confirming for the date.
Immigration lists Crabbs among its five seaport stations, describes it as a commercial and cargo port accommodating mainly cargo vessels, and states that clearance must be communicated in advance because the offices are not operational and officers must be transported in; no hours are published. The same guidance also names Crabbs Slipway among its operational ports. Both statements are published and they sit awkwardly together.
North Sound is a purpose-built marine services area with haul-out, hardstanding storage on concrete and yard trades on site, used for refit, maintenance and lay-up as much as for clearance. For a yacht left at anchor, on a mooring or ashore in the owner's absence, published guidance is to have the name and contact details of the person supervising it available. Check the permit period of up to six consecutive months against the intended stay, including any time ashore.
The yachting association states that Customs, Immigration and the Port Authority share a building at North Sound, as at English Harbour and Jolly Harbour. Treat that as a reported arrangement to confirm rather than a published authority listing. Harbour fees and the permit apply on the same national basis as anywhere else; National Parks charges belong to the English Harbour and Falmouth area. Since a valid permit covers cruising anywhere in national waters, clearing at a yacht-focused port and moving here afterwards is a common and often simpler sequence.
Customs names it among the legal ports of entry for pleasure craft. What is less clear is how clearance is staffed: Customs publishes no dedicated Crabbs yacht-boarding office, and Immigration describes the Crabbs offices as not operational while elsewhere naming Crabbs Slipway among its operational ports. Confirm the current arrangement before arrival.
They are two separate authorities keeping separate listings, and the Immigration guidance is not consistent within itself on this station. Rather than pick a version, we set out both and treat advance confirmation as necessary. An agent can establish what applies for your dates.
It is a marine services area with haul-out, hardstanding storage and yard trades on site. Yachts generally come here for refit, maintenance or lay-up, or to leave the boat between seasons, rather than as a cruising stop.
It is commonly described as the most convenient clearance area for V.C. Bird International Airport, which is the practical reason to use it for crew rotations. Crew formalities still run through Immigration, so the advance-notice position applies to them too.
Yachts are stored ashore and afloat in this area. Published guidance for a yacht left in the owner's or captain's absence is to have the name and contact details of the person supervising it. Check the cruising permit period of up to six consecutive months against how long the yacht will remain in the country.
That is a common and often simpler option. A valid cruising permit covers Antigua and Barbuda waters except where an area is prohibited or restricted, so a yacht can clear at a yacht-focused port and move to North Sound afterwards. Send the plan and an agent can advise which sequence works better for your dates.
Use this page for Crabbs Peninsula arrival, departure and Antigua yacht-paperwork assistance.