If you've ever looked for Aquanimity in late August or September and come up empty, there's a simple reason. She's not in the British Virgin Islands. She's about 400 miles south, in Grenada, getting looked after.
We call it haul-out. It happens every year, and it's the reason she comes back each November in better shape than she left.
Where she goes, and why
Aquanimity spends her off-season at Clarkes Court Marina in Grenada. That's not a random choice. Our insurance requires her to be south of a certain latitude during hurricane season, out of the belt where most storms track through the Caribbean. Grenada sits low enough to qualify, which is exactly why so many boats end up there this time of year.
She's not available for charter while she's down there. Think of it as her time off — the spa treatment a boat this size actually needs after a full season of guests, sun, and saltwater.
How long she's gone
Generally, she's in Grenada from around August 14th to October 25th, though the exact return depends on how quickly the yard finishes the work list. Hurricane season is the reason for the trip south in the first place, so the timing isn't flexible — but the length of the stay is, if there's more to do than expected.
What actually happens while she's up
Once she's lifted clear of the water, the real work starts. Her hull gets polished and a new protective bottom finish goes on — the same coating that keeps growth off the hull and keeps her moving efficiently through the water all season. Both engines and transmissions get serviced. The sails come off and get gone over properly, not just inspected on deck.
Beyond that annual baseline, the yard handles whatever the boat actually needs that year — sometimes the generator, sometimes the watermaker, sometimes electrical work or cushion repairs. A boat this size runs a lot of systems, and haul-out is when there's time to get into all of them properly instead of working around a charter schedule.
Why it matters if you're planning a charter
Every boat needs a break, even this one. The week you spend aboard Aquanimity is the product of what happens during these two months on land as much as anything that happens on the water. A hull that was polished and refinished in October moves better in December. Engines that were serviced in September don't give you problems in March.
When she sails back north at the end of October, it's not just a delivery trip — it's the same passage described on our Grenada to BVI sailing passage page: roughly 450 nautical miles, largely offshore, once a year. If serious open-water sailing is something you're after rather than a week at anchor, that's worth a look.
For everyone else, the takeaway is simpler. She disappears every fall so she can come back right.