The eighteen-mile strait between St Martin and Anguilla has been a working maritime corridor since the Arawak canoe routes predated European charts. Today the channel remains one of the Caribbean's busiest private-charter crossings, with no scheduled public ferry linking the French-Dutch island to the low coral outcrop that became a British territory in 1650. Every visitor arriving by sea clears customs at Blowing Point Ferry Terminal, a single-story facility on Anguilla's western shore that processes roughly twelve thousand private-vessel entries annually. A st martin to anguilla boat charter departs from either Simpson Bay Lagoon on the Dutch side or Marigot Bay on the French side, both offering protected anchorage and fuel docks within walking distance of immigration offices. Crossing time averages thirty minutes in calm conditions, though the Anguilla Channel's prevailing easterly trades can push swells to six feet during winter months. Skippered catamarans dominate the route because their twin-hull stability and shallow draft allow berthing at Blowing Point's concrete jetty, which extends only forty metres into Road Bay and dries to two metres at low water. Anguilla imposes a thirty-five-dollar immigration and customs fee per passenger on all private charters, payable in cash or card at the terminal's single clearance window. The fee applies regardless of vessel size or charter duration, and officers typically process a four-passenger manifest in under ten minutes provided documentation is complete. Captains must present the vessel's registration, a crew list, and a passenger declaration before the harbourmaster issues a cruising permit valid for ninety days. St Martin to Anguilla boat charter tours often combine the crossing with snorkel stops at Prickly Pear Cays or Little Bay, adding two to three hours to the round trip and requiring advance booking during the November-to-April high season when slip availability at Road Bay tightens. The strait's navigational challenge lies in its shallow banks. Anguilla Bank extends three miles west of Blowing Point, with coral heads rising to within a metre of the surface at mid-tide. Local skippers favour a departure window between eight-thirty and five o'clock to ensure daylight passage and sufficient time for customs clearance before the terminal closes at six. Evening crossings are discouraged due to unlit channel markers and the risk of gear failure in open water after dark.