Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis
A full-service marina beside St. George’s with fuel, dining, utilities, clearance and strong technical support.
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The complete southern charter guide
Sailing
Grenada
Spice-island service. Carriacou boatbuilding. The Grenadines unfolding to the north.
Grenada · Carriacou · Petite MartiniqueReviewed July 27, 2026
Best seasonJanuary–May
Ideal charter8–10 nights
Primary basePort Louis Marina
ExperienceAdvanced · Level 3
Why Grenada works
The Caribbean’s most satisfying southern launch point.
Grenada combines one of the Windwards’ strongest service centers with immediate access to a chain of increasingly small islands. The route moves from St. George’s and protected southern bays to Carriacou’s working sailing culture, Petite Martinique and—after international clearance—the Tobago Cays. Longer passages, open water, strong trades and reef entries make sound navigation skills essential.
01
Give it eight nights
Seven nights forces the northbound and return passages too close together. Ten is calmer.
02
Respect Level 3
Sunsail currently classifies Grenada as advanced. Comparable recent experience matters.
03
Clear twice
Tobago Cays belongs to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, not Grenada.
04
Protect Carriacou time
Tyrell Bay and Sandy Island are not administrative pauses on the way to somewhere “better.”
Moorings & Sunsail base
Port Louis starts polished. The sailing quickly becomes wild.
Bareboat or skippered
The Moorings and Sunsail currently operate from the marina. Exact fleets, one-way options and professional crew vary.
GND → Port Louis
The international airport is on the southwest peninsula, normally a far easier transfer than Saint Lucia’s cross-island base journey.
Premium charter brand
The Moorings
Port Louis Marina · St. George’s
Compare current catamarans, power yachts, skippered programs and Grenadines itineraries.
Current fleet & quotes ↗Sailing-focused sister brand
Sunsail
Port Louis Marina · St. George’s
Useful for current experience standards, base procedures, route guidance and fleet comparisons.
Current fleet & quotes ↗Who should skipper?
Grenada suits sailors comfortable with full-day passages, strong trade winds, reef approaches, squalls and international clearance. The operator reviews the skipper’s experience and may require a checkout or paid skipper.
Provisioning strategy
Do the serious shop on Grenada. Larger supermarkets around St. George’s, Grand Anse and the south carry the best choice; Port Louis can coordinate provisioning. Tyrell Bay supports practical replenishment, while Petite Martinique and small cays are for basics, not elaborate menu reform.
Marinas, anchorages & islands
The route grows quieter with every northbound mile.
Grenada · west & south
The service-rich start and finish, with protected marinas and useful first-night choices.
Port Louis Marina
Charter base · port of entryThe Moorings and Sunsail base beside St. George’s, with fuel, utilities, restaurants, clearance and major provisioning within reach.
Dragon Bay / Molinere
Day stop · marine parkA convenient first snorkel near the underwater sculpture park. Use authorized moorings or current park instructions and avoid crowding dive boats.
Prickly Bay
Anchorage · marina servicesA long-established southern yachting center with restaurants, repair support and provisioning access. Confirm holding, marina options and clearance availability.
Woburn / Clarkes Court
Protected working harborExcellent services, yards and hurricane-season infrastructure in a busy, deeply indented bay. Choose the precise position using current local guidance.
Secret Harbour / Mount Hartman
Marina · sheltered bayA quiet southern alternative with marina facilities and good access to the airport peninsula.
St. David’s / Le Phare Bleu
Marina · east-side stagingUseful boatyard or marina options, though the Atlantic-facing approach deserves settled conditions and daylight.
Carriacou & Petite Martinique
The heart of the Grenadian cruising experience—and worth more than one night.
Tyrell Bay
Port of entry · moorings · servicesCarriacou’s main yacht hub, with clearance, fuel, repairs, groceries and restaurants. It is the natural reset before or after the Tobago Cays.
Sandy Island
Marine park · day stopTurquoise water and a slim sand cay protected within the Sandy Island/Oyster Bed Marine Protected Area. Use moorings and follow current ranger instructions.
Hillsborough
Town access · weather-dependentBest for errands and local life when conditions allow. It is more open and less restful than Tyrell Bay.
Saline Island
Remote anchorageA beautiful low-traffic stop requiring careful reef awareness, settled weather and self-sufficiency.
Petite Martinique
Village harbor · fuel nearbyA working boatbuilding and fishing island with basic provisions. Verify exact anchoring, fuel and dock arrangements locally.
Saint Vincent Grenadines extension
A separate country with extraordinary rewards and additional clearance, park fees and reef navigation.
Union Island
Port of entry · provisionsClear into Saint Vincent and the Grenadines before continuing. Clifton is practical but reef-lined and busy; Chatham is scenic but separate from formalities.
Tobago Cays
Marine park · mooringsThe marquee stop for turtles, reefs and open horizons. Use official moorings, pay park fees and expect strong trade-wind exposure.
Mayreau
Beach anchorage · villageSalt Whistle Bay is famous and correspondingly popular; Saline Bay offers more room and village access in suitable conditions.
Conditions & navigation
Longer passages. Stronger trades. Better stories afterward.
Prime season
January–May
Drier weather and established trades. February through April usually offers the most dependable blend.
Quieter shoulder
June–July
Warm water and fewer boats, with more squalls, humidity and tropical-weather vigilance.
Storm planning
August–November
Grenada lies south, not outside hurricane risk. Beryl’s 2024 impact on Carriacou ended that particular fairy tale decisively.
Port Louis → Dragon Bayabout 3–4 nm
A short shakedown along Grenada’s west coast.
Dragon Bay → Tyrell Bayroughly 30–35 nm
The week’s first serious passage; leave early.
Tyrell Bay → Union Islandabout 9–12 nm
Short in miles, international in paperwork.
Union Island → Tobago Caysabout 6–8 nm
Reef navigation and daylight matter more than distance.
Tobago Cays → Petite Martiniqueroughly 9–12 nm
Plan clearance and route around current restrictions.
Petite Martinique → Prickly Bayroughly 35–40 nm
A long southbound day with current, squalls and acceleration zones possible.
Approximate planning distances only. Current charts, operator limits, clearance ports, weather and the exact anchorages determine the real route.
Navigate reefs in daylightUnion Island, Tobago Cays and the small Grenadines demand visibility and disciplined chart work.
Expect accelerationTrades strengthen between islands and around northern Grenada and the exposed cays.
Use park mooringsFollow current MPA and Tobago Cays rules; fees and permitted areas can change.
Keep a weather fallbackA beautiful exposed anchorage is still exposed, however persuasive the drone photographs become.
Clearance & borders
The Grenada tri-island state is domestic. Tobago Cays is not.
01
Entering Grenada
Pure Grenada currently identifies Port Louis Marina and Tyrell Bay Marina as official yacht ports of entry. Arriving vessels should display the quarantine and Grenada courtesy flags and complete customs and immigration before normal shore activity.
02
Grenada to Carriacou
Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique are one country, so crews already legally entered do not clear internationally between them. Marine-park fees and local mooring rules remain separate.
03
Union & Tobago Cays
Clear out of Grenada and into Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at a current legal port before visiting its waters. Carry passports and vessel papers, retain receipts and clear again when returning south. Office hours, overtime charges and electronic pre-arrival systems change—verify them before the charter.
A Grenadines-focused charter
Seven nights on the booking form. Eight calendar days in the real world.
Day 1
Port Louis Marina
Board, provision, complete the briefing and stay near the base. A successful charter rarely begins with a sunset reef approach.
Day 2
Port Louis → Dragon Bay
Keep the first move short and enjoy a marine-park snorkel before an early night.
Day 3
Dragon Bay → Tyrell Bay
Make the long northbound leg to Carriacou with an early start and a daylight arrival.
Day 4
Tyrell Bay → Union Island
Clear out of Grenada and into Saint Vincent and the Grenadines before continuing.
Day 5
Union → Tobago Cays
Move into the marine park, take an authorized mooring and leave the rest of the day for turtles and reefs.
Day 6
Tobago Cays → Petite Martinique / Carriacou
Return south after completing the required formalities; choose the overnight by wind, swell and clearance timing.
Day 7
Carriacou → Grenada south coast
A substantial return leg. Finish in Prickly Bay or another operator-approved location positioned for base return.
Day 8
Port Louis return
A true seven-night charter normally needs the eighth calendar morning for refueling, checkout and departure.
Better version: Add two nights—one for Sandy Island or a second Carriacou stop, and one as a weather cushion. The Tobago Cays deserve time; so does not arriving anywhere with the crew muttering about schedules.
Hurricane-season reality
A respected service center is not a force field.
Why boats gather here
Grenada has extensive yards, haulout capacity, sheltered southern bays and a historically lower strike frequency than islands farther north. Insurance companies often define specific seasonal limits and approved storage plans.
What Beryl clarified
Hurricane Beryl devastated parts of Carriacou and Petite Martinique in July 2024. “South of the hurricane belt” should never be read as hurricane-safe. Follow the charter company, insurer and local emergency authorities.
Official sources & live checks
Open these before leaving Port Louis.
Fleet rules, clearance offices, park fees, moorings and post-storm facilities change. Confirm the details for the actual charter dates.