Anchorage· Utila· Other Caribbean
Utila Cays Anchorage (Pigeon/Suc-Suc Cay, west Utila)
16° 4.5′ N · 86° 58.4′ W
A quiet grass-bottom anchorage off Utila's south-west shore, about a mile from the stilt-house village on Pigeon (Suc-Suc) and Jewel Cays, with dive buoys on both the south and north sides of the island within dinghy range.
Practical
Coordinate is a GPS position from a 2004 sailing log (N16°04.514' W86°58.442'): 15 ft over dense turtle grass, where a CQR 'completely buried itself'; good shelter from E and N, calm with E winds over 25 kt. An earlier spot near the western point (N16°04.73' W86°59.26', 10 ft over grass) held through a 48-kt squall, but wind wrapped around the end of the island and built a chop over about 2 miles of fetch, so the boat moved here. The same log describes a channel about 50 ft deep running roughly 100 yards off the beach along the western end, easy to follow in most light. These positions are 20+ years old and we found no newer published soundings, so verify locally and enter in good light. The whole island and its cays are a Ramsar wetland. Dinghy to the cays: shops, churches, a few bars, Sue's and Herman's Cay View for food, a fish factory that will fillet your purchase; no ATM, so bring cash. Clear in and out at Utila Town (East Harbour).
Best for
A quiet night near the Utila Cays and the west-end dive sites
Season
Settled weather; exposed to S and W winds and to northers that wrap around the west end
Nearby
- Cay View Restaurant (Jewel/Pigeon Cay, Utila)0.8 NM away
- Utila Cays (Pigeon & Jewel Cay)0.8 NM away
- Water Cay (Utila Cays)1 NM away
- Water Cay Day Anchorage (Utila Cays)1 NM away
- Raggedy Cay (Utila west end)1.6 NM away
- Neptune's Dock Snorkel (Coral Beach Village, Utila)2.6 NM away
- Turtle Harbour Wildlife Refuge (Utila north side)2.6 NM away
- Duppy Waters (Utila)3 NM away