Anchorage· Banco Chinchorro· Mexico
Cayo Norte Anchorage (Banco Chinchorro)
18° 45.0′ N · 87° 18.4′ W · approximate
The lee of the Cayo Norte islets at the atoll's north end - historically where visiting yachts moored inside Chinchorro, beside the old lighthouse, the Navy outpost and the CONANP pier.
Practical
Coordinate is approximate and NOT a sounded anchorage: placed about 340 m west of the Cayo Norte shoreline as mapped in OpenStreetMap (islets span roughly 18.737-18.751 N; the 'Muelle de Cayo Norte' pier is at 18.7515 N, 87.3008 W and an 'Estación Naval Avanzada' is mapped beside it); checked to fall in water against the OSM coastline. Access rules: Noonsite (2015) reports the anchorage and moorings at Cayo Norte are no longer open to yachts and the Navy uses the area for drug interdiction; the Majahual Port Captain (January 2019) said cruising boats are not generally permitted to land, though permission might be sought from CONANP (Cozumel or Cancún offices) or the park rangers. Arrange written CONANP permission before you sail and expect a Navy boarding (a January 2009 yacht was boarded - politely - as soon as it picked up a mooring). In practice Noonsite says yachts may no longer anchor or moor here, so treat this as the place to be met and inspected, not a stop you can count on. Inside the reef the lagoon is 2-7 m deep over a mostly sandy bottom (Spanish Wikipedia), but coral heads are scattered throughout - eyeball navigation only, with the sun high and behind you. Hazards nearby (GeoNames): the shoal Cabeza Chinchorro about 1.8 nm WSW and Arrecife Cabeza de Coral about 2 nm NNE. The SEMAR beacon on the north point was reported unlit in January 2022. Cayo Norte Mayor (28.8 ha) and Cayo Norte Menor (14.6 ha) were cleared of invasive rats in 2012 (GECI) - do not land animals or food scraps. About 23 nm from Majahual.
Best for
Permit-holders only: Navy/CONANP contact point at the north end of the atoll
Season
Settled trade-wind weather, Mar-Jul; avoid northers and hurricane season
Nearby
- Cayo Norte (Banco Chinchorro)0.3 NM away
- Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve9.8 NM away
- Chinchorro Wrecks (40 Cannons)9.8 NM away
- Lobster and Conch Closed Seasons (Banco Chinchorro)9.8 NM away
- Cayo Centro (Banco Chinchorro)10.1 NM away
- Chinchorro American Crocodiles10.1 NM away
- Frigatebird Nesting at Cayo Centro10.1 NM away
- Cayo Centro Anchorage (Banco Chinchorro)10.8 NM away