Anchorage· Sandy Island· Leeward Islands
Sandy Island Day Moorings
18° 12.7′ N · 63° 7.2′ W · approximate
Government day moorings off the tiny sand cay of Sandy Island, about 1.5 nm off Road Bay. The cay is a postcard ring of white sand on a horseshoe-shaped coral plateau, with a beach restaurant and reef all around.
Practical
Coordinate approx: placed about 200 m southwest of the islet (OpenStreetMap way 195370662) in the designated mooring area described by the restaurant; pick your buoy by eye. Marine park: day use only, 6am-7pm, covered by the cruising permit. Yellow buoys are for boats under 40 ft, white for under 65 ft; red buoys are for dive operators. No anchoring on the reef. Yachts moor and take the dinghy in: dinghies and small boats enter the protected bay through channel markers on the NW side of the island. Calm in settled trades; rolly or untenable in northerly swell. The cay was washed away by Hurricane Luis (1995) and again by Irma (2017) and rebuilt, so the reef outline can change after storms; watch the water colour.
Best for
Lunch-and-snorkel day trip from Road Bay
Season
Nov-Jul in settled trades; avoid in northerly swell