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Spending Hurricane Season In Grenada

ByJill Bockenstette

When we decided to set sail from the United States for the Caribbean islands, we knew we wanted to be spending hurricane season in Grenada. Little did we know that once we sailed down to Grenada, we would be making storm preparations for Hurricane Beryl, which hit Carriacou and the Grenadine islands just north of Grenada, on July 1, 2024, but more on that in a bit.

Grenada is a well known spot for waiting out the hurricane season as a live aboard, due to its location at approximately 12 degrees latitude. It is south of where most of the hurricanes tend to develop. It is also favored by many boat insurance companies, who have stipulations about where your boat will be covered during the hurricane season from June 1st through November 30th.

I’ll go over a brief history of hurricanes in Grenada, then get into what it’s like staying here for several months, spending hurricane season in Grenada. I’ll share helpful information for cruisers such as getting around the island, the boatyards and marinas in Grenada, where to grocery shop and do laundry, and of course fun things to do while spending the summer in Grenada.

I’ll also run through the pros and cons of spending hurricane season in Grenada. 

Does Grenada Get Hurricanes?

Yes, Grenada does occasionally get hurricanes and tropical storms. However, it is a relatively safe place for spending the hurricane season in Grenada. Grenada is located outside of the hurricane box.

Hurricane Box:

The hurricane box is a region that experiences frequent hurricanes and an area to avoid keeping your boat during hurricane season per most boat insurance policies. It can vary, but ranges from approximately between 12° 30’ North (just north of Grenada) and 34° North latitude (near Carolina Beach, North Carolina). We are in St. Georges, Grenada, at 12° North latitude.

What Was The Worst Hurricane To Hit Grenada?

I would say there are actually two, including this year!

The most significant hurricanes to hit Grenada in recent history are:

  • Hurricane Beryl in 2024
  • Hurricane Ivan in 2004

Hurricane Beryl (2024)

Hurricane Beryl caused severe destruction in Carriacou and Petite Martinique (islands of Grenada) and the Grenadine islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines when it crossed on July 1, 2024.

We were in St. Georges, Grenada, only 30 nautical miles south, when it hit. Lucky for us and most other boats in Grenada, there was limited damage caused by Hurricane Beryl, and only minor damage caused to the north end of Grenada.

Unfortunately, almost every boat in Carriacou (where we cleared into Grenada about 3 weeks prior), including those tucked up in the mangroves and hauled out in boatyards, did not get so lucky.

Hurricane Ivan (2004)

Hurricane Ivan passed just south of Grenada on September 7, 2004, causing significant damage and was deemed the worst hurricane to hit Grenada in 50 years according to Wikipedia. 

Every local Grenadian whom we have asked about Hurricane Ivan say they remember it vividly (and not in a good way), and several have told us about the roofs they lost on their homes.

Having lost everything I owned in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, my heart goes out to all of those in the path of such destructive hurricanes.

Why Spend Hurricane Season In Grenada?

There are two main reasons for spending hurricane season in Grenada:

  • Location
  • Boat Insurance

Location

While there are still risks of hurricanes in Grenada, there is less of a chance of hurricanes here than being further north in the Caribbean, Bahamas and southern United States.

The further south you go, the less chance you have of being affected by a hurricane. You also have the flexibility to sail south to Trinidad if there is a threat of a hurricane in Grenada. This is what several boats did when Hurricane Beryl was approaching.

AIS screenshot of many many boats heading south from Grenada to Trinidad to flee from Hurricane Beryl.
Boats fleeing to Trinidad to escape Hurricane Beryl

Boat Insurance

Most boat insurance companies will require you to have your boat outside of the hurricane box during hurricane season. While every insurance provider has slightly different stipulations and size of the hurricane box, typically, Grenada is located outside of the box and in the safe zone. Always check the terms and conditions of your insurance policy to know exactly what applies to you.

Besides the location in relation to where most hurricanes cross, and boat insurance terms and conditions, Grenada is a great place to spend the summer as they really welcome the cruiser community.  

Whether you plan to keep your boat in a boatyard for the summer, or plan to spend the entire summer in Grenada with your boat, below is helpful information about Grenada.

Where To Keep Your Boat In Grenada?

Grenada offers a variety of options of where to keep your boat for hurricane season:

  • Haul out in one of their three boatyards
  • Keep your boat in on of their many marinas
  • Anchor or grab a mooring ball in one of the several anchorages along the island’s coastline 

We opted to stay at Grenada Yacht Club for the summer. It is the most economical marina on the island, helping us on our sailing budget, and offers us a break with air conditioning during the hot summer heat!

Grenada Boatyards

There are three boatyards in Grenada that are equipped for hauling out your sailboat and storing it for the hurricane season. This is a popular choice by cruisers to haul their boat out for the hurricane season, and return to their boat around October or November.

All of the boat yards are located at the southern end of the island, each in different bays. 

  • Spice Island Marina
    • Address: Prickly Bay, True Blue, St. George, Grenada
    • Website: spiceislandmarine.com
    • Email: simsco@spiceislandmarine.com
    • Phone: +1-473-444-4257
    • WhatsApp: +1-473-534-6996
  • Clarkes Court Boatyard & Marina
    • Address: Woburn Bay, Woburn, St. George, Grenada
    • Website: clarkescourtmarina.com
    • Email: info@clarkescourtmarina.com
    • Phone: 1 (473) 439-3939
  • Grenada Marine
    • Address: St. David Harbour, St. David, Grenada
    • Website: grenadamarine.com
    • Email: customerservice@grenadamarine.com
    • Phone: +1-473-443-1667

Grenada Marinas

If you chose to stay in Grenada for hurricane season, another option is to keep your boat at a marina. This is exactly what we did!

It is very hot in Grenada in the summertime, and we wanted to be able to run our air conditioner, get some downtime, and have easier access to land for our dog walks. We also each took trips home to the United States while the other stayed on the boat with our dog, so it was much easier to do all of this from a slip in a marina.

  • Grenada Yacht Club
    • Address: The Lagoon, St. George, Grenada
    • Website: grenadayachtclub.com
    • Email: info@grenadayachtclub.com
    • Phone: +1 473-440-6826
  • Port Louis Marina (Camper & Nicholsons Marinas)
  • Prickly Bay Marina
    • Address: Prickly Bay, Lance Aux Pines, St. George, Grenada
    • Website: None listed
    • Email: None listed
    • Phone: +1 473-439-5265
  • Secret Harbour Boutique Hotel & Marina
    • Address: Mt. Hartman Bay, Lance Aux Pines, St. George, Grenada
    • Website: secretharbourgrenada.com
    • Email: enquiries@secretharbourgrenada.com
    • Phone: +1 473-444-4449
  • Clarkes Court Boatyard & Marina
    • Address: Woburn Bay, Woburn, St. George, Grenada
    • Website: clarkescourtmarina.com
    • Email: info@clarkescourtmarina.com
    • Phone: +1 473-439-3939
  • The Cove Marina, Restaurant & Bar (formerly Whisper Cove)
    • Address: Woburn Bay, Lower Woburn, Grenada
    • Website: thecovegrenada.com
    • Email: whispermarina2@gmail.com
    • Phone: +1 473-437-5296
  • Le Phare Bleu Marina
    • Address: Petite Calivigny Bay, Egmont, Grenada
    • Website: lepharebleu.com
    • Email: hello@lepharebleu.com
    • Phone: +1 473-444-2400

Anchorages In Grenada

There are also several anchorages in Grenada where you can drop the hook and hang out. Most of the anchorages are located in the southern and southeastern area of Grenada. Three of the popular anchorages with a great cruiser community include:

  • Prickly Bay
  • Woburn Bay
  • Grand Anse Anchorage

Each of these bays offer shore access, beaches, and access to restaurants, grocery shopping and laundry. 

Getting Around In Grenada

One of the limitations of sailing and living on a sailboat is the ability to get around on land. Luckily in Grenada there are several options to get around on land:

  • Walking
  • Cruiser Shuttles 
  • Grenada Bus System 
  • Taxis 
  • Car Rentals
Scott in the drivers seat on the right side of the car in Grenada
Driving in Grenada is crazy to us with driving on the left side of the road, and the insane hills to go up and down!

As cruisers, we are mostly concerned with having access to grocery stores, laundry, and possibly a restaurant or two.

As dog owners, we are also looking for good places to walk our dog as well. Grenada has all of these things accessible from each of the popular anchorages. 

During our summer in Grenada, we have used all of the above for getting around Grenada. Each method of transportation has come in useful for us and we really haven’t felt like we have been stuck in one place at a time.

We also love that Grenada has an international airport! We were both able to fly back to the United States this summer directly from Grenada.

Laundry In Grenada

We are always looking for a place to do our laundry everywhere we travel. We are on a monohull sailboat, and our watermaker makes 5 gallons per hour. It would be challenging for us to keep up with our water usage if we were also using a washing machine onboard. 

We have had great luck finding places to do laundry in the Caribbean, and doing laundry in Grenada is no different.

When we first arrived, we found a few laundry services that will wash, dry and fold your laundry for you. We have since become more resourceful, and found places where we can do our laundry ourselves, and hang it to dry, saving us loads of money each month on laundry.

  • The Lagoon in St. George’s
    • Port Louis Marina – wash, dry and fold service
    • Grenada Yacht Club – washing machines available for marina guests
  • Prickly Bay
    • Prickly Bay Marina – wash, dry and fold service
  • Woburn Bay
    • Dee’s Laundry Service (wash, dry and fold) at Clarke’s Court Marina
    • Clarkes Court Marina – washers and dryers available
  • Petite Calivigny Bay
    • Wash & Waves – Laundromat located at Le Phare Bleu Marina

Grocery Shopping In Grenada

I was very excited to check out the various grocery stores in Grenada, as I knew we would be spending several months here. 

Grenada has several grocery stores in the area, as well as a variety of markets and fruit stands to check out.

The top grocery stores in Grenada include:

  • IGA – Real Value Supermarket
  • Ram’s Supermarket
  • Food Land
  • Caul’s Food Store
  • CK’s SuperValu
Ram's Supermarket is a three story building with a wide selection of groceries.
Ram’s Supermarket

We have checked them all out, and have found most everything we are looking for when going grocery shopping. However, we have found that we’ve had to go to two or three stores to find everything on our list.

There are also a few good markets in Grenada to check out for fresh local produce, baked goods and fish:

  • St. George’s Market
  • St. George’s Fish Market
  • Weekly popup markets at marinas

Things To Do In Grenada

When we are not working on the boat, or busy grocery shopping or doing laundry, we are looking for fun things to do in Grenada.

One thing I have loved about spending the entire summer in Grenada is exploring the island and finding new things to do. Here is our top list of things to do in Grenada:

Spending hurricane season in Grenada means getting to explore the Seven Sisters Waterfall with two of the waterfalls in view here.
Seven Sisters Waterfalls

The Pros And Cons Of Spending Hurricane Season In Grenada

I have absolutely loved spending hurricane season in Grenada and checking out what this beautiful island has to offer. It is also nice to stay in one location for a while, since the rest of the year we are always on the move from one anchorage or island to another. Below is my list of Pros and Cons for spending hurricane season in Grenada:

Pros

  • Lots of Things to Do – There are a lot of things to see and do such as the beaches, waterfalls, rum distilleries, Grenada Hashes and more
  • The People – The local Grenadians are some of the nicest people you will meet. Between feeling welcomed by the locals, and hanging out with local cruisers, it is a great place to spend a lot of time
  • Exploring a New Culture – The Grenadian culture is great to experience with their friendliness, funday Sundays on the beach and fun Carnival festivities
  • Easy to Clear our Dog into Grenada – It was an easy process for us to get Mangaux’s pet import permit for him to explore the island with us 

Cons

  • It’s Hot – Summer in Grenada is very hot. While we had air conditioning on the boat in a marina, only one of our air conditioning units worked (the marina runs 110 vo50 Hz power compared to 60 Hz power that we use in the United States and our older AC unit in our aft cabin where we slept wouldn’t run on 50 Hz) which kept the temperature in our boat above 80+ degrees at all times. It was also challenging taking the dog out after 7am or before 5pm each day as he would get too hot.
  • Cost of Groceries and Boat Parts– Things are more expensive on the islands, and Grenada is no different. The cost of groceries and boat parts are much more expensive here than in the United States. We had to have a couple of boat parts shipped in, which cost us almost as much in shipping as the cost of the parts themselves!
  • Cost of Flights – There is one flight a day in and out of Miami if you are headed to the United States this time of year. Delta suspends their service to Grenada during the summer, and JetBlue has limited flights. The American Airlines flight was great for Scott, who’s final destination was Miami, however, my flight to Michigan cost me over $1,000 with very early/late arrival and departure times out of Detroit.

I hope this helped you get an idea of what it’s like spending hurricane season in Grenada and helps you plan your future hurricane seasons. Stay tuned for additional articles that will dive into more detail on many of the items discussed here.

Read More Posts about Grenada

Jill Bockenstette has been sailing for over 11 years and has lived aboard her 1998 Hunter 450 Passage, Pelagia, full-time for more than 4 years. She has logged over 7,000 nautical miles across Mobile Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, the east coast of the United States, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Caribbean, where she is currently exploring the vibrant waters. Jill enjoys sharing her passion for sailing and the lessons learned from her salty, adventurous lifestyle on the water.