Tyrell Bay & Hillsborough (Carriacou) - 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. Carriacou was particularly hard hit. Read this update from Doyles Guides on how the islands are recovering and what to expect if visiting this season (November 2024).
Where is Carriacou?
Carriacou (pronounced carry-a-cou) lies approximately 40NM northeast of the main island of Grenada. It’s a small island just 7 miles long and approx. 3 miles wide, but is the largest island in the Grenadines. The highest point is just 956ft above sea level.
Carriacou is a dependency of Grenada and part of the Carriacou and Petite Martinique Constituency.
First settled by the Caribs, they called the island ‘Kayryouacou’, which means land of the reefs. The French eventually settled here and it was ceded to Britain in 1763. Remains of the French influence can still be found on the Island in the names of towns and the local patois language. The main language is English.
Hillsborough was traditionally the main town and port, and lies on the northwestern shore. However, the Grenada Port Authority have made the decision to move the port to Tyrell Bay, which lies on the southwestern tip.
Tyrell Bay is an attractive and sheltered anchorage and can get very busy with cruising yachts. Recent development means the bay has a major new marina including hardstand, 100-tonne travel lift, and boatyard facilities (a good choice for boat repair and maintenance in the southern Caribbean).
Other main settlements are the villages of L’Esterre, Harvey Vale and Windward.
Entrance Notes or Cautions for Carriacou:
Note: There is a large abandoned fishing net at the entrance to Tyrell Bay, be careful when approaching (approx. position 12.27.492N, 61.29.438W).
Doyles Guides report that many of the boats wrecked in Tyrell Bay and Oyster Bed as a result of Hurricane Beryl have been removed. Soon, efforts will be expanded to the southern coastlines, addressing boat dumping, anchoring, and abandonment in the mangroves and sensitive areas like True Blue Bay, Lance Aux Epines Bay and the Woburn Clark’s Court Bay Marine Protected Area, including Hog Island.
Entrance into the bay is straightforward, but no buoys are lit. A yacht with no mast sunk on the approaches to Tyrell Bay in December 2016, temporarily marked by an old round buoy to the north. It is unknown if this wreck has been removed.
Hundreds of dogs suffer from poisoning on Carriacou every year. This is a growing problem – see pressure group Irates of the Caribbean website for more details. Always keep your dog on lead when going ashore here and stay vigilant.
Cruiser Highlights for Carriacou:
Marina plus 2 boatyard facilities; port of entry for Grenada (Carriacou and Petite Martinique); no cruise ships or big resorts; friendly and relaxed; clear water and good snorkeling; 33 dive sites; regular ferry service between the islands; traditional wooden boat building still practiced; interesting museum.
Positions:
12°27’12” N, 61°29’14″W (Tyrell Bay)
12°29′N, 61°28′W (Hillsborough)
Last updated: November 2024
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Tyrell Bay & Hillsborough (Carriacou) was last updated 2 weeks ago.
Related to following destinations: Grenada, Tyrell Bay & Hillsborough (Carriacou)
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An update for Tyrell-Bay from Stephen:
I visited Tyrell Bay in July and in November 2018 with my sailing vessel ‘Infinity’, coming from Trinidad on both occasions. In July, I was met by a boat ‘boy’ (approx. 60 years old), guided to a mooring and charged 20 USD per night.
When I arrived in November, I took a mooring first myself but later-on the boat-boy came and chased me away to one of ‘his’ moorings. I asked in immigration if they could give me more official info, but they just shrugged.
So if somebody wants to avoid this, they need to use their anchor.
Tyrell bay: next to the new marina (northern part of the bay) has Alexis Food Store new opened! Very good for provisioning! Large selection of foods and drinks. You can use the dinghy dock at the unfinished marina.
Good provisioning at Hillsborough. Just flag the #10 bus anywhere on the road. Tyrrel Bay seems to have so many mooring balls that it’s getting harder to anchor close in. Internet at Tyrrel is generally quite poor. The new marina has an excellent dinghy dock to access the new supermarket at that end of the bay.
Tyrell Bay, Carriacou (pronounced Carriacou)
We have visited twice, on the way to Grenada and then again going North. Jan and Feb 2018.
It’s getting more difficult to find a place to anchor here, there are so many buoys. Not sure who they belong to? We anchored! We snorkelled and checked some of the buoys, they looked like they were anchored in sand.
Walked from Tyrell Bay to Paradise Beach, a lovely lunch at “off the Hook” owned and run by Curtis who has had it for 15 years. Great food and friendly staff.
There seemed to be lots of boats here that had arrived months ago and then not left! The Supermarket in Tyrell Bay is well stocked and we also bought produce from the side of the road.
The dinghy docks are not great and there isn’t one at the supermarket. We put our dinghy in the marina and walked. There are other dinghy docks spread around the bay.
We went to Hillsborough by local bus. There are bus stops, but if you just flag them down they will stop for you.
WiFi is available in the bay for a fee, but it is very slow. There are rubbish bins, but only small ones by the side of the road, at the marina and by customs. No recycling!
Sandy Island
Brian – one of the marine park rangers – was telling us that yachtsman still leave their rubbish behind and it gets blown around and out to sea.
He asks that we take our rubbish with us!
Don’t anchor near the buoys. Cost is 25EC a night on a buoy.
Reported on Martinique Cruisers Facebook Page:
Lesterre Bay, Carriacou. A word of caution. Just snorkelled the easternmost mooring off Paradise Beach to which we have secured our boat. The securing post (appears to be a sand screw) for this mooring looks to be loose in the bottom and is lying on its side, diagonally into the sand and can be moved by hand!
Price of fuel in Carriacou in Imperial Gallons – Nov. 15th 2016
Diesel – $8.35
Gas – $9.55
If you find Tyrell Bay to be too crowded, Hillsborough is worth trying (weather permitting, of course). Good holding, no crowds, excellent eateries and provisioning is easy. Customs/Immigration clearance was simple and very friendly.
Travis and Joanne
s/v Calico Jack
Gallery Cafe Tyrell Bay with shared jetty. Open from Monday – Saturday 0800 – 1600 for Breakfasts, Lunches & Snacks. Free WiFi. Budget Marine Agent.
Tel: +1(473) 443 7069
Email: gallerycafecarriacou@gmail.com
Duty-free fuel (Diesel & Gasoline) plus water available on new fuel dock at Boatyard on S side of Tyrell Bay.
Gas refills at Shell Garage in Hillsborough – takes several days as bottles are sent down to Grenada. A refill facility is planned for the Boatyard.