Union Island, Grenadines – Clifton, Ashton, Chatham – so hard to pick a favorite. Each anchorage had it’s own unique flavor! The Perfect Island for Saiing Cruisers – Small town airport, taxis, food, fun, peace, parties.
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About Union Island
We left Mayreau Island for the short 4 mile sail to Union Island, eager for more great times on these islands! We decided to start at Frigate Bay in Ashton Harbour and then head over to Chatham, before we ended our stay at Clifton and Happy Island! This way we could check out at Clifton, as this was our last stop in Grenadines.
Ashton Harbour – Frigate Marina – Union Island
Ashton Harbour was more than we expected! Large bay with cliffs on one side and the town on the other. In the middle, mangroves, and the defunct marina. One of the first things we did was a dinghy tour through the marina that never was.
The marina was supposed to hold 300 boats but the project died after only a year, leaving a clogged up harbor that was growing algae due to the constrained water flow. There is a super interesting story about the rebirth of this area here. It is well worth a read to understand the damage that unchecked development can do to an area.
A recent restoration effort built a walkway over some of the waterway that seems to be maintained for day trip boaters to hike around the area. We did some snorkeling while in the marina waters and did see some interesting fish but not pretty coral.
Our second day, we hiked Mount Taboi. There are actually two vantage points-one about halfway up at 500 ft, the other at about 1000 ft. We chose the 500 ft one. From there we could see Mayreau, Palm, Tobago Cays, Clifton and of course Frigate Bay. On our way back, we ran into a Sea Moss farmer. Sea moss has been used in traditional medicine for hundreds of years for its role in boosting immunity, thyroid health, and heart health. It contains iodine, tyrosine, and phytochemicals that support a healthy thyroid, and it’s also rich in fiber, which acts as a prebiotic and slows down digestion. Sea moss is also a good source of calcium and magnesium, which are important minerals for heart health. It’s a source of the food additive, carrageenan, which is a thickening agent.
Chatham Bay – Union Island
Leaving Frigate Harbour, we headed to Chatham. We experienced super calm waters in this bay. And spotted a Sunroof Eco 70 – solar powered to the max. https://sunreef-yachts.com/en/launched/sunreef-70-eco-one-planet/ We spent some time at Tenuti resort – highly recommended! Dinner there was fantastic, but since it was so calm, bug spray was needed. https://www.tenutachathambay.com/
In stark contrast, the beach had Tenuti Resort on one end, owned by an Italian investor and your beach bars and shacks on the rest of it. The beach even treated us to a rare site – krill shrimp washed on shore. While in Chatham, we were assisted by very kind local boat guys who knew where to get the fresh produce we had been craving!
Clifton Harbor – Union Island
Next stop was Clifton Harbor, took a mooring ball right behind the reef – protected but a great view. And of course Happy Island – the bar built on conch shells. A bit noisy on the weekends but it was nice being outside the busy bay. Clifton had plenty of restaurants to choose from, cute places that seemed to cater to us tourists. They had a produce stand market area where we were able to source some of the food we were needing. We even mapped our Tsunami Hazard Zone out during out walk through town.
Lastly, we visited Sparrow’s Beach Club on the other side of Clifton Harbor. Beautiful beach but more of a day anchorage.
While in Clifton, we also watched the kite boarders once the wind finally picked up! Interestingly enough, Stephen’s uncle actually built a church here on Union Island back in the 90s.
