The harbor is set back into the surrounding hills and is very protected.  It splits into two; the Carenage to the north that forms the harbor in the main part of the town, and the Lagoon to the south.  Anchoring is permitted only in the Lagoon.

St. George’s is the capital, business center, and largest city in Grenada, so you can expect the harbor to be busy and noisy.  If you are looking for peace and quiet, go elsewhere.  You may have seen postcard photos of this anchorage that make it look more appealing than it really is.  The water is dirty because it does not circulate, and the noise from the daily bustle of the city permeates the entire harbor.  There are ongoing reports of theft here, so lock up everything and don’t leave anything important on the boat.  This is also the only anchorage in Grenada that has Boat Boys.

St. George’s is definitely worth a day of your time, but you do not have to anchor in the Lagoon to enjoy it.   You might be better off at one of the anchorages in the southern part of the island, and visiting St. George’s only for the day.  If you are adventurous, however, a night here would be quite interesting.

Getting There

The entrance to the harbor is protected from the sea by two large hills on either side.  Fort George is at the top of the hill on the left side of the approach, and the ruins of Butler House are on top of the hill to the right.  Once inside, turn left to enter the Carenage and right to enter the Lagoon.  There is no anchoring in the Carenage, despite what anybody tells you.

The Lagoon is busy and full of boats and moorings, so choosing an anchoring spot might be a bit of a challenge.  I took my own advice on my one and only trip to Grenada and chose not to anchor in St. George’s, so I cannot say first-hand how difficult it would be to find a parking spot.  Each time I drove by the Lagoon in a taxi, there did not look like a lot of room to anchor.

I do intend to anchor here on a future trip to Grenada because it has the potential to be an interesting and completely different experience.

Services

There is an abundance of excellent services within walking distance of the Lagoon.  Customs, banks, grocery stores, bakeries, The Best Little Liquor Store in Town, taxis, tours, the public bus system, the Grenada Yacht Club, and Grenada Yacht Services (GYS) are all here.

The City

The feature attraction of course is the city.  The main part is on the Carenage side, so it is a good 20 minute walk from any dinghy dock in the Lagoon.  You could also dinghy the half mile from the Lagoon and tie up anywhere along the Carenage.  Either way, you have to travel a little to get to get there.  For this reason, there is no overwhelming advantage to being in the Lagoon.  You are likely better off in one of the prettier anchorages on the south shore.  Given that you’ll likely plan a full day in St. George’s, you could taxi or bus in for that one day.

Read a more complete description of a day in St. George’s.