Season 2025 - The Caribbean: The Windward Islands
A disjointed season at best; Caribbean cruising plans are delayed whilst Arkyla is hauled out in Grenada for major repairs following a mid-Atlantic whale impact, and then sailing is cut short due to family issues.
Grenada: major repairs (6 Jan - 4 Feb 2025)
This wasn't how I imagined Arkyla's Caribbean adventure would start... major hull repairs following a suspected whale impact whilst crossing the Atlantic! In the world of sailing though, every day is a learning day whether on the water or marooned on the hard.
Clarkes Court Boatyard:
There are three main boatyards in Grenada; Clarkes Court, Spice Island, and Grenada Marine. All yards are located in the bays to the south of the island, and all three are technically outside the hurricane zone for insurance purposes. I ​​​
This section to be completed in due course
Grenada & Carriacou (4-20 Feb 2025)
Freedom! Finally, 61 days after arriving in the Caribbean, Arkyla was ready to begin her Caribbean adventure. Having learnt the lesson from the initial haul-out to ensure the boat was indeed watertight after splashing before venturing far and wide, home for the first 2 days of freedom was the Clarkes Court pontoons. Maybe not the most salubrious of marinas, but a great community spirit. My next door neighbour was 'Spirited Lady', a stunning Spirit 55 that suffered the wrath of Hurricane Beryl whilst sheltering in the mangrove of Carriacou's Tyrell Bay. This beautiful yacht was in the final stages of restoration to repair the damage caused by boats that broke free in the mangrove to crush and sink her. The cruiser spirit and camaraderie runs strong in these parts and Spirited Lady's owner took time out to tow me across the bay to Nigel's Outboard Repair shop to fix the carburettor of my badly firing Suzuki... 24 hours later I not only had a watertight yacht, but also a fully functioning tender - it was time to slip lines for turquoise waters.​
Woburn Bay. Before I could escape the pontoon, some emergency gelcoat cleaning was required; the Clarkes Court Rum Distillery occasionally discharges into the bay, and overnight Arkyla's stern had been covered in a brown and sticky gunge that resisted all products except CIF to remove! Small steps was then the name of the game as I continued to gain confidence in the repairs to Arkyla's skeg and rudder; for the first night at anchor, I chanced a massive 0.5NM motor to drop the hook in Woburn Bay. Today was Grenada's Independence Day, and Arkyla was strategically placed to meet friends and other cruisers for a music jam at Roger's Beach Bar on Hogg Island. The locals had clearly made an early start of things and, by the time we arrived at sundown, an alcohol-fuelled dispute was well under way eventually being settled by a spade to the head!
Prickly Bay. After a night of listening to live music and witnessing attempted murder, I decided to move further along the coast to Prickly Bay. This is possibly the best known and most popular of the Grenadan anchorages. Mooring buoys proliferate here leaving only the outer extremes realistically accessible for anchoring which can be susceptible to swell and associated rolling; I chose a buoy adjacent to the marina (technically a marina, but probably more accurately described as a glorified pontoon!). Here you can safely leave the dinghy though to visit attractions ashore including the beachside Sand Bar & Grill and, a short walk away, the West Indies Beer Company. Boats can clear customs in the marina and there is a minimart but don't expect much in the way of selection or change in your pocket! For proper provisioning, the place to go is Ram's supermarket up the hill, though this is probably a taxi ride away. Prickly Bay is also home to Spice Island Marine Services (SIMS) which many consider the best boatyard on the island; it is also serviced by an excellent, well-stocked chandlery.
Port Louis. Arkyla has been in the water now for a week and her transom and bilge are bone dry! With full confidence in her integrity, thoughts turn to moving north up the Windward Islands chain. First though is a stop in Port Louis marina to run errands and fill the water tanks. Within walking distance of the marina is a reasonable supermarket (with its own dinghy dock), and an excellent chandlery; when shopping in a chandlery, be sure to take boat registration and cruising permit papers as without these prices will be 40% higher than marked! It is an easy walk to the 'Carenage' area of St Georges where it is fascinating to see the fishing vessels plying their trade. Here there are also several international couriers if you need goods either in or out to/from Grenada. For 'goods in' it is mandatory to have a shipping agent who will take care of customs and import duties (2% for yachts in transit); I had Horizon Yacht Services (based at Clarkes Court) take care of the replacement Parasailor sail for me sent from the UK. At the far end of the Carenage is a tunnel through to the main area of St Georges. Here you will find a mall attached to the cruiseship dock with all the disappointing tat shops you might expect of such a location! In the town you will find Digicell and Flow mobile phone shops however for purchase of local SIM/eSIM for 4G data that will be valid in any of the islands that use the Caribbean Dollar (EC$) as official currency.
From Port Louis Marina it is a pleasant (and safe) walk around to the famed Grand Anse beach (off which boats are not permitted to anchor); golden sand, clear water, and great restaurants including the casual Umbrellas, more refined 61Deg West, and mini bars within the Craft and Spice Market. It is also possible to book a SCUBA dive from one of the two operators at the western end of the beach - a visit to the underwater sculpture park is a must.
To facilitate an early departure for Carriacou, Arkyla was moved from marina to a mooring outside Port Louis (anchoring here is not permitted). There were many treats in store whilst swinging on the buoy that afternoon and evening; some classic old yachts sailing by, a 5-masted cruise ship with its rigging all lit up and, at sundown, the fabled tropical 'green flash' which I managed to capture on film!
Passage north to Carriacou. The Doyle's Guide (the bible to the Caribbean) recommends that a full day be given for the 32NM passage north to Carriacou. The norm is to motor up the often windless lee of Grenada, then hug the north coast toward Sauteurs to avoid the worst of the west-setting current that might place you atop the (voluntary) exclusion zone over 'Kick em Jenny' - active underwater volcano! Only 30 minutes of the iron mainsail was needed pushing up Grenada, but Doyle was right in predicting big short seas and strong current off the northern tip of the island and the suggested precautionary reef in main and jib was also a wise move as 30-knot gusts occasionally blasted down. Having successfully skirted the volcano danger zone, and avoided 'The Sisters' outcrops (which have a reputation all of their own) Arkyla passed by close to Ronde Island (with a secluded anchorage) and the imposing Diamond Rock before setting for Carriacou and Tyrell Bay.
Carriacou. Carriacou's Tyrell Bay is considered one of the best protected anchorages in all of the Caribbean let alone the Grenadine islands. The mangrove here is where many yachts took shelter from hurricane Beryl in June 2024 but foundered as boats broke free and caused a crushing domino effect domino effect. The remains of many of these boats, now cleared from the mangrove, have been left abandoned on mooring buoys in the bay and provide a stark reminder to the destructive power of Beryl.