Bali Catsmart Vag Eurvad
2025 Vag Eurvad — three-head Bali Catsmart, new and simple, no AC
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Real Passages, Then the Tobago Cays.
Open-water reaches between islands, a marine park full of green turtles, and a chain of anchorages from Bequia to Union.
Overview
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the charter you graduate to. Thirty-two islands and cays string south from St. Vincent, and the legs between them are proper sails: two to five hours each, across open channels, on a reach in the trades. A typical week covers about 90 miles. You get Bequia's Admiralty Bay, one of the best-known cruising harbours in the Caribbean, then Mustique, Mayreau, Union, and the Tobago Cays Marine Park: five uninhabited cays behind a horseshoe reef, with green turtles grazing in a marked reserve. Anchorages get busy in season but are rarely crowded out.
What's hard: more sea time and less shelter between stops than the Virgins. The winter trades blow 15–25 knots from the NE and can reach 30 in the Christmas Winds, and northerly swell can make anchorages roll. Hurricane Beryl hit the southern Grenadines in July 2024, and the National Hurricane Center reports 80–90% of homes on Canouan, Mayreau and Union were damaged or destroyed. Recovery is ongoing; ask the base what's open before you plan meals ashore. Moorings vary in quality (check any ball before you trust it), and dinghy and outboard thefts are reported regularly, so lock the dinghy at night.
Best for charterers with a week or two in the BVI behind them who want longer, more satisfying sails. Crews who'd rather snorkel with turtles off an uninhabited cay than queue for a mooring at a beach bar. Sailors happy to anchor, buy bread from a boat boy, and keep provisioning simple.
Quick Facts
- Best months
- Mid-December – April is the traditional season. Dry season runs January – May. Hurricane season is June 1 – November 30.
- Sailing conditions
- Dec–Apr: NE trades 15–25 knots, occasionally 30 (the "Christmas Winds"); northerly swell can affect anchorages. May–Nov: E–SE 10–20 knots, generally calmer seas.
- Typical trip length
- 7-day most-booked. One-way to Union Island or Grenada needs 10+ nights.
- Cruising character
- Island-to-island legs of two to five hours, mostly on a reach. Anchoring is the norm, with moorings at the main stops. More open water than the BVI.
- Customs
- Charter yachts sail on an SVG cruising licence. You only clear in and out if you cross into Grenada's waters. Bring passport.
- Currency
- Eastern Caribbean Dollar (US$ widely accepted). Bring cash.
Sample Itineraries
All depart and return from the charter base.
7-Day Classic
- Day 1 — Blue Lagoon → Bequia (Admiralty Bay). Bequia sits about 9 miles south of St. Vincent. Charters start at noon and the chart and boat briefings take a couple of hours, so it's a sensible first-day hop. Anchor off Port Elizabeth. Dinner on the waterfront.
- Day 2 — Bequia → Mustique (Britannia Bay). Pick up a mooring. Mustique is a designated conservation area and anchoring isn't allowed. One fee covers up to three nights. Use your holding tank, keep to 5 knots in the harbour, and leave the fishing gear stowed. Basil's Bar is on the bay.
- Day 3 — Mustique → Tobago Cays. Anchor in the designated area in the middle of the main lagoon, or take a park mooring. Pay the park entry and mooring/anchoring fees online (TCMP PAY) or to the rangers. Snorkel the turtle reserve off Baradal in the afternoon.
- Day 4 — Tobago Cays, hold. Stay another night. This is the week's headline. Morning snorkel on Horseshoe Reef, beach walk on Petit Tabac (the Pirates of the Caribbean island), fresh bread from the boat boys.
- Day 5 — Tobago Cays → Union Island (Clifton or Chatham Bay). Clifton for provisioning, the market and the Tobago Cays Marine Park office. Chatham Bay on the west coast for seclusion. Cell coverage there is very poor. Union was among the islands hardest hit by Beryl in 2024, so check what's open. Clifton's moorings are of doubtful quality and ownership; anchor or ask the base.
- Day 6 — Union → Mayreau (Saltwhistle Bay). Mayreau is just north of Union. Saltwhistle Bay is naturally sheltered with exceptionally calm water. Walk up to Old Wall village and its stone church; the road from Saltwhistle to Saline Bay takes about an hour on foot.
- Day 7 — Mayreau → Bequia. Head back north. Start early: this is the long leg of the week. A last night in Admiralty Bay positions you for an easy return to Blue Lagoon in the morning.
Available Yachts in St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Anchorages Worth Planning Around
Tobago Cays Marine Park
Southern Grenadines, east of Mayreau.
Why stop here: Five uninhabited cays (Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Baradal, Jamesby and Petit Tabac), four of them inside Horseshoe Reef. The water off south-west Baradal is a marked turtle-watching reserve where green turtles graze. The headline stop on most Grenadines charters.
Holding & approach: Designated yacht anchorages are in the middle of the main lagoon and off the north-west edge of Petit Tabac. The park also runs moorings. Park entry is charged per person and mooring or anchoring per night. Pay online via TCMP PAY before you arrive (rangers scan the QR receipt) or pay rangers on the water.
What to do: Snorkel the turtle reserve, marked by a line of linked buoys. Snorkel Horseshoe Reef. Walk Petit Tabac. Buy bread and ice from the boat boys in the morning.
Admiralty Bay (Bequia)
Leeward side of Bequia, about 9 miles south of St. Vincent.
Why stop here: A large natural harbour sheltered from the prevailing wind, with Port Elizabeth on the shore: banks with ATMs, restaurants, bars, provisioning. It is a port of entry and home of the Bequia Easter Regatta. A natural first and last night out of Blue Lagoon.
Holding & approach: Most boats anchor in the large natural harbour; moorings are also available. Check any mooring for damage before you trust it.
What to do: Walk the waterfront. Visit Fort Hamilton for the view and the Maritime Museum. Top up provisions and cash before heading south.
Britannia Bay (Mustique)
Mustique.
Why stop here: A privately managed island and marine conservation area. Private, exclusive and very quiet.
Holding & approach: Moorings only; no anchoring. Call the moorings office on VHF 16/68. Holding tanks must be used; jet skis, spear guns and fishing are not permitted. Harbour speed limit 5 knots for the turtles.
What to do: Basil's Bar. Groceries, bakery and fish market in Britannia Bay. Stay on the visitor routes and don't photograph homes or guests.
Saltwhistle Bay (Mayreau)
North end of Mayreau, west of the Tobago Cays.
Why stop here: A naturally sheltered crescent with a white sand beach and exceptionally calm water. Mayreau has no airstrip, so everyone here arrived by boat.
Holding & approach: Moorings are available, or anchor. Saltwhistle is outside the park's entry-fee zone.
What to do: Swim off the boat. Walk to Old Wall for the stone church and the view. Saltwhistle Bay Club for dinner, if it's open.
Provisioning
St. Vincent (Massy Stores, C.K. Greaves)
Full restock at start of trip.
The main supermarkets on St. Vincent. C.K. Greaves delivers to the Horizon base on certain days. Horizon also offers a full provisioning service (with a service charge). Send part of the crew shopping during the chart briefing.
Port Elizabeth, Bequia
First or last top-up. Cash, fresh food.
Banks with ATMs, groceries and restaurants within walking distance of the dinghy dock.
Clifton, Union Island
Mid-trip top-up in the south.
Supermarkets, specialist yacht provisioners and an open-air fruit and vegetable market opposite the wharf. Beryl hit Union hard in 2024, so check current opening before relying on it.
Activities & Excursions
Snorkel / Dive
- Tobago Cays turtle reserve — Off south-west Baradal, marked by linked buoys. Green turtles in the wild.
- Horseshoe Reef — The long reef enclosing four of the Tobago Cays.
- Mayreau Gardens — Reef between Mayreau and the Tobago Cays.
Shore-side
- Fort Hamilton (Bequia) — Views over Admiralty Bay.
- Fort Hill (Union) — Panoramic view of Clifton Harbour from the old cannon battery.
- Mayreau on foot — One road from Saltwhistle to Saline Bay, about an hour's walk, with a climb to Old Wall.
Food & Drink
- Basil's Bar (Mustique) — The Britannia Bay institution.
- Clifton waterfront (Union) — Roadside barbecue to sit-down; lambi (queen conch) is on most menus.
- Bequia waterfront — Restaurants and bars a dinghy ride from the anchorage.
Culture
- Bequia Easter Regatta — The island's world-famous regatta.
- Bequia Maritime Museum — Bequia's maritime heritage.
- Easterval (Union) — Union's annual Easter festival.
Getting There
- Airport
- Argyle International Airport (SVD), St. Vincent. Routes vary by season; check current airlines on the airport's site.
- Charter Bases
- Horizon — Blue Lagoon Marina, Calliaqua (south end of St. Vincent). Dock is directly in front of the office. Sleep-aboard available; since Hurricane Beryl the docks see more swell.Caraïbes Catamarans — Blue Lagoon Hotel & Marina, Ratho Mill. Same marina as Horizon. Catamarans and monohulls, bareboat or crewed.
- Airport Transfer
- About 20–25 minutes by taxi from SVD to Blue Lagoon. Horizon can have a driver meet late arrivals and take you to the boat.
- Customs & Check-in
- Charter yachts carry an SVG cruising licence, and you don't clear in or out between St. Vincent's islands. If your itinerary crosses into Grenada's waters (Carriacou, or a one-way to Grenada), you clear out of SVG and into Grenada. Your base prints the paperwork, and only the skipper goes to customs. Bring passports; the base copies them at check-in.
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