Tobago Cays
The Tobago Cays are where the Gods go to play! It doesn’t get any better than this for a cruiser. Unfortunately the charter boats have also discovered this wonderful playground so you will have lots of company at these anchorages.
The Tobago Cays are nestled to the east of Mayreau. The approach from the north is littered with reefs so watch your route closely. Use your chart and depth finder as well as your eyes. The water is crystal clear so you can see the reefs that could cause you problems. Water depth will not be a problem since the water is 20 feet or more beneath your keel.
The southern approach from Union Island is more challenging and shallower but not difficult once you have done it, of course. It is wise to first use the southern route as an EXIT from the Tobago Cays so you can see the reefs and the route itself. Save the south entrance for your next visit and instead take the north entrance the first time you visit the Tobago Cays. Whatever you do, do not follow a charter boat through the south entrance. They will surely find the reefs for you!
Most people spend the night anchored at Mayreau prior to navigating the approach to the Tobago Cays.
Mayreau
Mayreau is a private island with a small settlement at the top of the island. There is one road that runs the length of the island. Very few services are to be found on Mayreau.
The running route on Mayreau consists of beginning from either anchorage and simply run the road through the settlement to the other end of the island. This is a very hilly route but pleasant since the road is mostly paved. If you start at Salt Whistle Bay just pull your dinghy up onto the beach, find the road and run. Starting at Saline you also pull your dinghy up onto the beach and run near the closed vendor stalls and through the fence to the main road. Run up the main road through the settlement and continue running over the hills to Salt Whistle Bay. As always, watch out for the occasional unfriendly dog when running through the settlement.
There are two anchorages on Mayreau: Salt Whistle Bay and Saline.
Salt Whistle Bay
The entrance is fairly narrow but easy as long as you stay away from the two reefs guarding the entrance. The most dangerous reef lies to the starboard as you enter. Give this reef a wide berth and never get close to it. Most charter boats tend to hit this reef so you should get some dinghy practice helping them off once you are safely anchored. The reef on your port side is smaller but still dangerous. Do not approach too close to this reef either. Enter right in the middle of the entrance channel and you will have plenty of water. The challenge now becomes one of choosing your anchoring spot.
The harbor is a small and can safely hold 11 boats. Any more than that and you risk colliding with your neighbor in the dead of night of course. On any normal day you will count at least 20 boats anchored in here, usually more.
Unfortunately, Salt Whistle Bay is the anchorage of choice for charter boats. Their pre-cruise briefing extols the virtues of this anchorage so expect a lot of them here. Because the anchorage is small and crowded, the anchoring dance of the charter boats is a sight to behold.
Cruisers usually anchor close to the sandy shore to avoid the charter boats, or on the extreme left side as you enter the harbor, or at the back of the fleet but far enough away from the dangerous reef on the south side of the harbor. If you anchor near the sandy beach you will have the company of Switch catamarans so beware.
There are some boat boys here who mainly offer the moorings that they have set out in the harbor. You can hope that the charter boats take the moorings and leave the anchoring spots for cruisers. Usually this doesn’t happen but you can hope for the best.
This anchorage can be somewhat rolly when the wind is blowing over 15 knots. The holding is good in sand but the water is murky and you cannot easily dive on your anchor to check the set.
Ashore
Ashore on Mayreau at Salt Whistle Bay you will find some pleasant t-shirt venders, a beach bar/snack bar or two and a very small hotel at the beach. There is a nice stroll along both sides of the beach but the grounds of the small hotel are private.
A hike along the one road will bring you up (!) to the main settlement where there are also a few very small local restaurants and a great view from the church perched high on the hill. Don’t count on getting any provisions here although occasionally you can find a few staples if the small stores happen to be open. Just don’t count on it. Your nearest provisioning stop is at Union Island.
Saline
The other anchorage on Mayreau is at Saline, about 3 miles south of Salt Whistle Bay. This anchorage will roll. It may even roll you right out of your berth on a windy night. The attractions of this anchorage include the beautiful sandy beach, the short walk to the settlement and the fairly large open anchoring area with fair to good holding in sand and grass.
The bad things about the Saline anchorage, besides the roll, include the lights and noise from the hillside power plant, the day visits of the Wind Star cruise ship (if you are unlucky to be there when they arrive), the arrival of the supply vessels at the main dock and the ever present charter boats - which are not as numerous here as they are at Salt Whistle Bay if that is any consolation.
The two anchorages at Mayreau are usually used for one day before sailing to the better Tobago Cays anchorages.
Tobago Cays
Follow the chart closely for your approach to the anchorage behind Baradel in the Tobago Cays. The water is deep in the channel to accommodate almost any draft so that is not the problem. The main problem is straying from the channel and finding a reef or very shallow spot on which to rest your keel. As long as you stay in the obvious deep water there won’t be any problems.
When you exit the narrow channel between Petit Rameau and Petit Bateau you have arrived at the playground of the Gods. The bottom you see 25 feet below you is not an illusion so don’t be concerned. Just look for the myriad of sea life that is floating beneath your hull.
Drop your anchor where-ever you like and as close as you like to the first reef that lies to the east. The water shallows gradually as you approach the reef. The holding is excellent in sand. Now you can contemplate that the only thing between you and Africa is this reef!
The closer you anchor to Baradel the more charter boats you will have near you. There are no moorings here. The charter catamarans tend to anchor closest to the reef while the mono-hulls anchor further back.
Expect the wind to blow constantly at this anchorage. You will not roll here. Instead you will bounce! The wind blows from the east and you will face the east, hence the bounce. On occasion we have seen 2-3 foot waves in this anchorage when the wind is blowing over 20 knots. We once bounced so hard all night long that at sunrise we noticed that a small octopus had mistaken our transom for a resting place and was laid out comfortably on it!
This is prime territory for the infamous boat boys of the Grenadines. We like the boat boys! They provide a service that is much appreciated among cruisers. They will deliver bread, fish, lobster, water, ice, you name it. If you request items they will bring it to you. You can even shop for t-shirts from the comfort of your vessel! Normally the boat boys do not present a problem for cruisers. Their main targets are the charter boats. This is where they may get a bad reputation in trying too hard of a sales pitch. But again, cruisers appreciate their services and the boat boys understand the cruisers and their buying habits. Most days we have to hail a boat boy to get them to come over to us since they are so busy with the charter boats.
Exiting the Tobago Cays
There are two exits from the Tobago Cays, the north exit and the south exit. The north exit is used if you plan to continue sailing north. The water is deep and the route is relatively easy.
The south exit is more challenging yet it presents a much shorter sail to Union Island and points south, if you are headed that direction. The south exit is actually easy if you have good light and don’t follow the charter catamarans. The charter cats tend to find the reefs for you so they are worth watching, from afar. You can dinghy the initial part of the route to see the obvious reefs if you want to. This route has deep water unless you happen to stumble upon one of the reefs. The reefs are easy to see even if there are some clouds around. If the wind is blowing over 20 knots the water becomes more difficult to read so a north exit would be prudent instead of taking the south exit in those conditions.
Running
The best running route is on Petit Bateau. Typically I anchor the dinghy near the south end of the beach and wade ashore. I then run the beach on the east side, run across the island on the trail, run the other beach on the west side and then return to the east beach. 12 or so repetitions of this route make for a good workout. Afterward I usually visit with the fishermen who have stayed overnight on the Cay and find out how they are. They are men of the sea and are always friendly to sailors. My fondest memory is hailing one of them from our boat later in the day after my morning run and his greeting to me was “Hello my brother!” We sailors truly are brothers on this big blue liquid planet.
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Handbook for Caribbean Cruising
Volume 1: Eastern Caribbean
Tobago Cays