Prickly Bay - General Info
ALERT: The island nations of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada were the worst affected by Hurricane Beryl at the start of July 2024. Read this update from Doyles Guides on how the islands are recovering and what to expect if visiting this season (November 2024).
Where is Prickly Bay?
Located at the southwestern end of Grenada this large open bay is the unofficial HQ of the annual cruiser community and is often packed with boats which are at anchor, on moorings, at the marina or on the hard. The bay is completely open to the south so some continual rolling due to swells can be expected.
Cruiser Highlights for Prickly Bay:
Pleasant setting; well-organized customs and immigration for inward and outward clearance; well-stocked chandleries; low-duty supplies and parts; boatyards and strong marine trades; adequate provisioning (although good supermarkets are a car-ride away); affordable restaurants and bars; good transportation including an international airport; healthcare; great hiking; local rum and chocolate; varied tourism options and international yachting events.
Cruisers VHF net runs Monday to Saturday VHF Ch 66 from 7:30 am. Standby, 68 during the day and night.
Entrance notes and cautions for Prickly Bay:
Approach from south-west with caution. The Porpoises – a group of rocks located about half a mile south of Prickly Point – are sometimes awash and difficult to spot, being about 3 ft above sea level at low tide. A reef extends the full length of the eastern shore. True Blue Point should be given a wide berth owing to shoaling just offshore.
There are three large-diameter concrete and steel post channel markers on the final approaches to Spice Island haulout and the Budget Marine dock in Prickly Bay. The cruising community in Prickly Bay are doing their best to maintain the lights on these markers and ensure they are lit. See this facebook page for more details. Great care should be taken if navigating at night. A cruiser died in December 2017 after colliding at night with one of these.
If a tropical storm is forecast, this bay can become untenable and the moorings are not designed for holding in storm conditions. It is recommended to move your boat to a more protected anchorage to the east (Scotland Bay is a good choice), or even to Port Louis.
Position:
11° 59’38″N, 61° 45’48″W (bay entrance)
Last updated: November 2024
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Related to following destinations: Grenada, Prickly Bay
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Weekend overtime fees at Prickly Bay are $EC 40 on the weekend and the current (Feb 19 2017) weekend hours are 9 AM to 2 PM.
It is a very good place to want for haul out the boat in spice Island marine which is very recommendable
Spice Island Marine Services, if you want service, then you are in the wrong place. The security lady and front office ladies are grumpy and not helpful at all. Better o go to Clarkes Court Marina near Whisper Cove. A new facility that is still being built and facilities may not be as good right now (Nov 2015) but in the next 6 months, they will have everything you need and more importantly, friendly service. Spice Island charge you to work on your own boat, Clarkes Court doesn’t. Not impressed at all with Spice Island. They need a kick up the backside for sure.
Prickly Bay Grenada Noonsite Update Wapiti January 2015
The bay is fairly full of moorings and anchored boats and some swell always seems to be present. On the east side off a small jetty at 11deg 59.8N 61deg 45.6 W approx. Sugar Mill moorings are run by a lovely lady Treva Stose and cost $10-$15 per night depending on the length of stay. They are well tucked in and mostly out of the swell.
Customs and immigration require payment in EC dollars and it can be a long walk to the ATM, which is actually closer to Spice Island boatyard in the NW corner of the bay.
Car hire is available but expensive for short term rental due to the money grabbing fee for a local licence. However, St. George’s and the whole island can be visited very economically and interestingly by bus, which is a short walk from Spice Island boatyard. (See Trip Advisor for more info)