Prickly Bay

When Kory and I first arrived in Grenada, we chose Prickly Bay as our first port of entry to this beautiful country. Prickly Bay is a large natural harbor located on the southern coast of Grenada. It offers a mix of mooring balls, anchoring, and haul-out facilities. Customs & Immigration now provides check-in and check-out services at the Prickly Bay Marina office, so we were able to quickly and easily clear customs upon our arrival.

Prickly Bay has a lot to offer. It is surrounded by nice homes, beaches, marinas, restaurants, chandleries, the University Club, and easy access via taxi or bus to a plethora of other amenities. This bay has a few negatives, however. It can get crowded, the water isn’t super clean, and the bay can get rolling swells since it is open to the south. We’ve anchored here on many occasions and have determined that, for the most part, the positives outweigh the negatives. But when it gets too rolly, we’ve opted to move to a calmer, more secluded anchorage until the swells die down in Prickly Bay.

The cruising community stays very active here, and it’s not difficult to meet people and get plugged into a group going to the store, playing cards, going for a hike (aka “a hash”), or working on projects together. There is an active Cruiser’s Net that broadcasts on VHF 66 every Monday-Saturday at 7:30am. This is also a good way to get wind of the latest weather forecast, hear of new arrivals, and learn about upcoming activities.

At the northern shore of Prickly Bay is Spice Island Boatyard which offers a variety of marine services. There is a convenient and safe dinghy dock here, a Budget Marine, and OneLove restaurant overlooking the water. Every Friday morning, a gentleman meets in the parking lot of Budget Marine to pickup and fill propane tanks and get jerry cans filled with fuel. Just up the street, you can catch “The Dollar Bus” to head into town, but we’ve been warned that these bus drivers are fast and crazy. We have yet to try “The Dollar Bus” as we have found other fairly inexpensive modes of transportation.

We spent many days wandering around Budget Marine’s fully stocked chandlery. We didn’t need to buy something every time we entered; we often just went inside to browse and soak up the air conditioning. It’s amazing what a little AC will do to your morale after sitting on a boat in the sweltering heat.

Prickly Bay Marina is located on the eastern side of the bay. They offer diesel, water, and a nice restaurant. We’ve also heard there is a Dock Side Mini Mart, but we haven’t gone in there yet. The Multihull company has an office here for those looking to explore vessel options, and LTD Sailing offers courses for those looking to improve their skills. Prickly Bay Marina is very small. There are only a handful of berths available, so you won’t find much dock space, but the marina rents mooring balls which are scattered throughout the bay. All in all, this is a great little marina for basic needs.

One of my favorite things about Prickly Bay Marina is the shopping van that picks up passengers in their parking lot every Tuesday and Friday morning between 9:15-9:30am. The van fits about twelve people and costs only $15EC (or $5US) per person. The driver first stops at the bank for anyone needing to get cash. He collects everyones payment there and then allows those folks who want to go to Ace Hardware store to get into a different van going a separate route. After the first stop at the bank, the shopping van stops at Spice Island Mall where everyone is allowed over an hour to go grocery shopping at IGA, or peruse any number of other shops, home stores, and eateries in the mall. After the driver meticulously finds space for everyone’s groceries in the van, the next stop is to a produce market and then to C&K’s Super-Valu that sells bulk items. The total shopping trip lasts about three hours, takes passengers to a variety of stores (with AC 😃), and is a great opportunity to meet new cruisers. This has become the highlight of my week as we wait out the hurricane season in Grenada!

Since the hurricane season is a long one for us (July 1st-November 1st), I imagine we will be spending a lot of time in Prickly Bay. This summer and fall, as the weather allows, we will travel to other parts of the island, to Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, and possibly to Martinique as well. Lord willing, we won’t have to flee to Trinidad because of any more hurricanes. All in all, Grenada is a fantastic place to call home for this season of our lives, and Prickly Bay is a great little neighborhood in which to reside!