Grenada
Yacht Charter & Sailing Vacations

Grenada • Where to go • When to go • What you should know • How to Book

The “Spice Island” Grenada, in addition to being known for its abundance of spices, is also a hidden gem of cruising grounds for sailors. The gateway to the Grenadines, Grenada and its island dependencies offer stunning nature, friendly people, authenticity, and a balance for adventure lovers and relaxed beach goers alike.

A Grenada yacht charter and its islands to the north of the Grenada main island are a week-long destination on their own, or Grenada can be a drop-off point for sailing south from St. Lucia or St. Vincent.

What is a sailing vacation, yacht charter, etc..? Learn more here ›

Grenada Yacht Charter and Sailing Vacation
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GRENADA YACHT CHARTER SUMMARY

We’ve been there!

We sailed the one-way route from St. Lucia to Grenada stopping at as many islands as we could along the way. And we’d do it again (and again). There is a good reason – easy broad reach sailing all the way down – warm water – lots of bays and anchorages. The one regret? We did it in one week. Armed with better local knowledge we would have taken 2 weeks to do it.

BUT, Grenada and its islands can certainly stand on their own for a delightful week long or more yacht charter.

Be amazed with a Grenada yacht charter and the stunning unspoiled landscape,  expansive cliffs, volcanic rocks, tropical forests, exotic flowers, crystal clear waters, sandy white beaches, and don’t miss the underwater sculpture garden. (GH personal note – one thing to note, however, don’t eat the local manchineel apples – they are super poisonous. I know – I ate one).

When to go?

A Grenada yacht charter is generally a year-round sailing destination.

  • Jan-April is the driest season but the waters and winds are most calm during summer.  The winter season can bring about higher winds.
  • While June through November is typically the Caribbean hurricane season, Grenada is far enough south to not generally be affected. Grenada is often the sailing area for liveaboards to stay during this season as it is considered out of the hurricane belt.

Sailing Requirements

Grenada Bareboat charter requirements:

✔ Sailing Resume

✖ Certification

✖ License

Learn more at Yacht Charter Resources ›

Sailing Skill Level

Knowledge – Skills – Experience:

✔ Intermediate Plus

*Grenada yacht charter note: The prevailing trade winds in the Windward Islands area are from the northeast. Thus, the west and south coasts of the various islands offer the best typical overnight shelter for cruising yachts. Anchorages on eastern shores need to be sheltered from the northeast (eg. Clifton Harbour, Union Island). Listed as intermediate Plus because of the distances and navigation around reefs and shallow areas as well as the potential for trade winds to get high.


Sailing Skill Levels ›

Climate

The climate of Grenada is subtropical –it can be hot and humid year-round with a cooler drier season December through May and a humid rainy season (short showers during the day with any heavier rains in the evenings) June through November.  The trade winds that blow all year tend to make things feel a bit cooler.

The average temperature is around 80-88F.    The water temperature in Grenada permits swimming throughout the year ranging from 80-85 F.

How to get there?

Fly to Maurice Bishop International Airport (GND), formerly known as Point Salines International Airport. It’s located in the parish of St. George’s in the far southwest corner of the island. Most major international cities fly into Maurice Bishop Airport.  You can also reach Grenada from other Caribbean islands via Puerto Rico, Barbados Trinidad,  St Lucia, and St. Vincent.  The charter company marinas are all located on the southwest side of Grenada in and around Port Luis Marina which is approximately 15 min drive from the airport.

Good to Know

The independent nation of Grenada is more than just the island of Grenada.  It also includes several islands to the north of Grenada Island. Farther to the north is the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Many people assume the Grenadines Islands are part of Grenada. Not so! Grenada includes several islands such as Carriacou and Petite Martinique.  Carriacou, known as the Island of Reefs, is a small island located approximately 15 miles north of Grenada.  Petit Martinique is a smaller island about 2 miles away from Carriacou.  Both isles are known for their boat building and seafaring.

Perhaps you’ve seen the tiny sandy island with the one thatched umbrella in Instagram pictures – that’s Mopion Island (some call it Umbrella Island) and it is just north of Petit St. Vincent. You can definitely kill an entire day just wallowing in the waters off this 60-foot wide island. Perhaps organize a coast-to-coast running race.

Check out this blog for more geographic details.

Must See & Do

  • Molinere Bay Underwater Sculpture Park. Snorkel or dive to view the art sculptures of human figures in this amazing underwater park.
  • Hike to the various waterfalls—the Seven Sisters, Annandale Falls, or Concord Waterfalls combine tropical hiking with beautiful waterfalls and cool waters for diving.
  • Visit the Grand Anse Beach, south of St. Georges, which frequently rates as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. Here you’ll find over 2 miles of beautiful sands and spectacular marine life.
  • Sailing north. From Grenada sail to its dependencies Carriacou and Petite Martinique and its other smaller islands including Ronde Island, Caille Island, Diamond Island, Large Island, Saline Island, and Frigate Island. Or you can sail further and visit the other northern Grenadine islands  (Union, Mayreau, Tobago Cays, Mustique, Port Elizabeth, Bequia) or stretch further to St Vincent or St. Lucia depending on time and weather constraints.
  • Boat Building in Carriacou– Carriacou has a long history of boat building which continues to this day. Take a bus or taxi to Windward where they continue to construct wooden boats in the traditional manner.
  • Festivals & Events.  If you’re there during the end of January or early February, check out Grenada Sailing Week and Sailing Festival. January also plays host to the Spice Island Billfish Tournament. In March, check out Carriacou’s Carnival. Or you can take part in the Grenada Chocolate Festival in May.  In  June- have fun in the themed parties of Carriacou’s Regatta Festival or wait until August for Grenada’s Spice Mas (Carnival)
  • Saturday at St George’s. The capital city of St. George’s comes alive on Saturdays with a large spice market filled with spices, jewelry, and souvenirs. While there, stop by the historic Fort George where you can admire the history and the views.
  • Rum, Chocolate, and Spices. Explore the various production facilities, take tours, and have a sip.  Grenada is home to plenty of local rum distilleries, spice shops as well as chocolate facilities and plantations.

Grenada Bareboat Charter Sample Itineraries

Where to go on a Grenada sailing vacation?

Scroll below for sample itineraries or use the map to explore.

Sample Itineraries:

Grenada has plenty of destinations for a 2-3 week itinerary without revisiting the same place. One itinerary is to sail from Grenada up to its northern islands to Petit Martinique or even over the border to the Grenadines to Petit St. Vincent and Mopion – or farther. Then work your way back to base in Grenada. Another is to start in St. Lucia or St. Vincent and work your way south on a nice broad reach for a one-way drop-off in Grenada (Allow 10 days or two weeks).

Here above we show a one-way drop-off as well as an up-and-back itinerary.

Click the left top box in the map to select the different itineraries.  Enjoy!

NauticEd Grenada Customer Experiences

The Grenada yacht charter was fantastic. See our pics attached.  We sailed Grenada to Carriacou, Petite Martinique,  Petite St. Vincent, back to Grand Anse Beach on Grenada, around to Prickly Bay and Clark Court Bay,  The 40ft 4-cabin catamaran, sailed very nicely even in heavy seas.

The Charter company you connected us to was great to work with.  Clive, Laurence, and Quenisha were very accommodating.

NauticEd was great from the original booking, through Covid, the rebooking to another destination, and supporting us through the trip.

Now the hard part.  Waiting for our next adventure.

Bret S.

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  • Grenada Sailing

    Grenada Yacht Charter great beach

  • Grenada Sunset

    Grenada Yacht Charter dinghy to the beach

  • Grenada Beach at sunset

    Grenada Yacht Charter sunset on the beach

  • Grenada Clear Waters

    Grenada Yacht Charter beautiful beach

  • Grenada Flora

    Grenada Yacht Charter the marina

  • Grenada Anchorage

    Grenada Yacht Charter a moorage

  • At Anchor in Grenada

    Grenada Yacht Charter Catamaran at anchor

  • Grenada Charter Boat

    Grenada Yacht Charter at Anchor
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Our trip was great. Sailing in and out of Grenada was perfect – and gave us a lot of options on how far up the chain we went.  I still think Grenada and the Grenadines are one of my favorite sailing destinations.  

You guys were amazing and so patient with us – we really appreciated all of the help and made good use of some of your online lessons and materials. Thanks again for all of your efforts to keep this trip in play through all of the twists and turns.  I would highly recommend NauticEd to anyone.

We look forward to working with you again on our next sailing vacation.

Stuart K.

Grenada Sailing Vacation Related Blog Posts

A GRENADA YACHT CHARTER SOUNDS AMAZING!
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NauticEd are expert Grenada yacht charter agents. We don’t charge you a fee and can more than likely save you money on all your sailing vacations. We search the world’s databases for over 8,000 yachts in 55 destinations. We give expert advice on where and when to go – likely, we’ve been there. Make an inquiry and book your sailing vacations through NauticEd Sailing Vacations.

Additional Notes

Sailing Skill Levels

Local Knowledge + Education: as Sailing Vacation Experts, NauticEd’s team has chartered and sailed in almost all these locations – providing you with the “local knowledge” you need when planning a sailing vacation. And, as the leader in sailing education, NauticEd assigns different skill levels based on the knowledge-theory and practical/experience needed for chartering in different sailing locations.

Recommended Knowledge-Theory Courses for chartering: Bareboat Charter Master Bundle (six bareboat and near coastal courses), Catamaran Sailing Confidence (if chartering a Cat), Yacht Charter Crew Course (for your crew).

Skill Levels notably emphasize the overall practical experience and competency that is required to sail in certain areas. Of course, the “devil’s in the details” on specifics, and we recommend you contact us when planning a sailing vacation. We’ll save you money on your vacation – which is great – but being prepared to have safe fun experiences that will last a lifetime is priceless!

• Intermediate = Near Coastal <5nm within sight of land, some navigation hazards (always be aware), and generally mild weather conditions. Good seapersonship (i.e., “seamanship”) skills, knowledge, and experience apply.

• Intermediate +Plus = Near Coastal <15nm, within sight of land in clear atmospheric conditions, moderate navigation hazards, and/or challenging weather. Good seapersonship skills, knowledge, and experience apply.

• Advanced = Near Coastal <20nm, within sight of land in clear atmospheric conditions, many navigation hazards, and/or potentially difficult weather. Expert seapersonship skills, knowledge, and experience apply.

*Atmospheric conditions: from the deck of a sailboat, your “visible horizon” is about 12nm on a clear day (considering typical freeboard + your height). Visibility is decreased by haze, fog, rain, smoke, and similar atmospheric considerations. Navigating by line of sight is obviously greater if your destination has features such as mountains, lighthouses, tall buildings, etc…

*Navigational hazards may include features such as rocks, shoals, rough inlets or anchorages, challenging tides and currents, lee shores, commercial traffic, etc…

*Weather: examples of challenging or difficult weather include thunder/lightning storms, areas prone to high winds, or even seasonal risks such as excessive heat.

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Last updated on October 9th, 2023