Five Must-Do Grenadine Anchorages
Plying the passages of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the waters are at times limpid—sometimes great blue heaving mountains. Picture green islands with white beaches and pastel-painted houses, visit villages where music flows like the tide from whimsical beach bars, mooring fields where turtles outnumber boats.
There are six hundred plus islands here, so narrowing your choice of overnight berths down to five is a fool’s paradise. But it’s still paradise.
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Tobago Cays
Swami, our chartered Lavezzi 40 Catamaran, hangs on the hook inside a barrier reef beside an emerald island where iguanas sun, where one beach reclines off our port stern, and another lazes off our starboard quarter, back-dropped by voluptuous hills unmarred by any sign of civilization. Just east of us a smattering of palm trees reaches for cotton-ball cumulous clouds, sprouting from the beaches of a tiny island where they filmed a scene for “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
I like Tobago Cays. A lot.
Chatham Bay
Before setting out from the new Horizon Yacht Charter base at St. Vincent I asked Laron Stephens, our chart briefer, for his favorite anchorage. “Chatham Bay,” he answered. Back on land days later I asked Jacqui Pascall, Horizon’s co-proprietor, her favorite. She agreed with Laron. But we gave their recommendation a miss this time around, opting instead for a jump-up and a meal ashore in the village of Clifton (Clifton is on Union’s windward side, Chatham’s in its lee). However, when we sailed past Chatham Bay, with its unbroken forested slopes rising up from a gorgeous beach dotted with the occasional rudimentary hut and glittering cerulean waters renowned for great snorkeling, I could see the appeal.
“And,” says Stephens, “there’s almost never more than thirty boats there.”
Admiralty Bay
I’ve also got a soft spot for Bequia’s Admiralty Bay.
This is a huge sheltered bay set in a green bowl with a great sandy bottom for dropping the hook to the southwest. Nearby Lower Bay is an amber beach sheltered by palms and emerald slopes with a construction paper village of various hues.
Dinghy into Port Elizabeth; stroll a narrow serpentine path that hugs the shore, visit a restaurant sporting gingerbread trim and a bar with an entrance made from the jawbone of a whale, or explore a variety of provisioning options in the pastel-painted shops.
A few years ago my friend paid for a seasonal berth here.
Watching a perfect sunset, it strikes me she had great taste in real estate.
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Mayreau
Sail around Cathedral Rocks, out of Tobago Cays, and shoot past Mayreau on a broad reach. Look through the palms where the hills drop off and glimpse a little patch of paradise. Intertwined with the palms you’ll see a few sailboat masts.
These people are on to something – with one caveat: Mayreau is the ultimate secluded island, a place Doyle, in his Cruising Guide, calls a “one-road, two-car island”. He’s not far wrong.
Saltwhistle Bay is that first anchorage. This is normally a Grenadine must-do, though at the time of our visit there were issues with mooring balls, so you might want to try Saline.
Hardly a hardship, to be fair.
Dinghy into the pier from your Saline anchorage and take the short, but steep, hike to the village for spectacular Grenadine views.
Petit Saint Vincent
My first time in the Grenadines I wasn’t even on a boat. We were staying at a resort on Petit St. Vincent.
The anchorage here is one of the most beautiful in the southern Grenadines – sapphire and aquamarine waters, gorgeous beaches.
Enjoy dinner at this resort built by former yachters but be sure to call ahead for reservations (they monitor VHF channel 16). Envision a table on a terrace with the lights of Carriacou twinkling in the distance like a Christmas display. Think five-star cuisine.
And reflect on your voyage thus far.
Sure, you missed Mustique, Friendship on Bequia, and Saltwhistle Bay, but you can hit those next time. For once you’ve cruised St. Vincent and the Grenadines – there will always be a next time.
Mark Stevens has written for ALL AT SEA since 2011.
Worth your time?
Thanks — noted.
