St Vincent & the Grenadines

The Grenadines are the Caribbean's definitive island-hopping sailing ground. A chain of over 30 islands and cays stretching 60 miles from St Vincent south to Grenada, they offer a sequence of passages and anchorages that vary from lively harbours to empty sandbars. The trade winds drive the experience — passages are typically a beam reach heading south and a beat returning north, with enough wind to make each crossing feel earned. Bequia, the first island south of St Vincent, is the natural starting point. Admiralty Bay, the main harbour, is one of the Caribbean's great anchorages — a wide, deep bay fringed with restaurants, a small boatbuilding yard, and a waterfront where dinghy dock politics provide evening entertainment. The passage from St Vincent to Bequia is 9 miles across the Bequia Channel, which can be rough in strong trades. South of Bequia, the chain unfolds. Mustique, private and manicured, allows visiting yachts to anchor in Britannia Bay and come ashore for a drink at Basil's Bar. Canouan has a reef-protected anchorage and a developing resort scene. The Tobago Cays — the group's centrepiece — sit within a horseshoe reef that creates a natural lagoon; the snorkelling among reef and turtles is the finest in the Windwards. Mayreau, population under 300, overlooks the Tobago Cays from its hilltop church. Union Island, further south, has a small airport and a harbour at Clifton that provides provisioning, customs clearance, and a jumping-off point for the Cays. Petit St Vincent and Palm Island, private resort islands, round out the southern end of the SVG chain before the passage to Carriacou and Grenada. The sailing is intermediate. Trade winds of 15-25 knots produce exhilarating passages but can be tiring on the beat north. The channels between islands are open water with trade-wind seas; the anchorages behind the reefs and islands provide the contrast. Provisioning is best done in St Vincent or Bequia. Union Island has a small market. Water is scarce on the smaller islands. The Grenadines reward self-sufficiency: bring what you need, and the islands provide the rest — clear water, steady wind, and anchorages that justify the passages between them.