Best Anchorages in St. Vincent & the Grenadines

The main island of St. Vincent offers a dramatic west coast sailing circuit — from Kingstown (the capital and main port of entry) north through Wallilabou Bay (Pirates of the Caribbean filming location), Cumberland Bay (spectacular volcanic fjord), and Chateaubelair toward the active La Soufrière volcano. Blue Lagoon and Villa Beach south of Kingstown provide comfortable anchorages near the capital's provisioning resources. The island's volcanic landscape — dark sand beaches, jungle-covered peaks, and thundering rivers — creates some of the most dramatically beautiful sailing scenery in the Caribbean. La Soufrière volcano (1,234m, erupted April 2021) is active — check NEMO SVG advisories before hiking near the summit.

Customs clearance mandatory at Kingstown, Wallilabou Bay, Blue Lagoon, or Villa Beach. Cruising permit required (~$10–25 USD). Boat boys active at most anchorages — budget $5–10 USD for tips.

Bequia is the jewel of the Grenadines — Admiralty Bay is one of the Caribbean's great anchorages, with superb holding in mud and sand, excellent provisioning at Port Elizabeth, and a seafaring culture unmatched in the Eastern Caribbean. Bequia's whaling heritage (last hand-harpoon whaling in the Western Hemisphere, IWC exemption for 4 humpbacks/year) and the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary at Petit Nevis give the island a unique character. Mustique is a private island of celebrity villas (Mick Jagger, Bryan Adams, Princess Margaret) with the famous Basil's Bar Blues Festival in January and one of the Caribbean's most beautiful public beaches at Macaroni Bay. Remote Baliceaux (site of the Garifuna deportation, 1796) and Battowia offer extraordinary solitude for offshore sailors.

Bequia customs at Port Elizabeth waterfront. Mustique: check in with Mustique Company Harbour Master (VHF 16) and pay landing fee (~USD $20–30/person/day). Cruising permit required throughout SVG.

The Lower Grenadines contain some of the most spectacular sailing destinations in the world. The Tobago Cays Marine Park (5 uninhabited islands within the Horseshoe Reef) is the crown jewel — mooring balls mandatory inside the reef (no anchoring permitted), XCD $30/night. Hawksbill turtles nest on the beaches, eagle rays cruise the sandy flats, and the coral is among the healthiest in the Lesser Antilles. Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau is one of the Caribbean's most perfectly enclosed anchorages. Union Island's Chatham Bay is a dramatic volcanic fjord. Canouan has the Grenadines' only golf course. Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent (PSV) mark the southern SVG boundary where the passage to Grenada begins.

Tobago Cays: MOORING BALLS MANDATORY — no anchoring inside the Horseshoe Reef (XCD $30/night). No fishing inside the marine park. Union Island/Clifton Harbour is the southern SVG customs entry port for vessels arriving from Grenada.