Chatham Bay

Chatham Bay is a deep sheltered inlet on the western side of Union Island backed by steep dry hills, with no proper road to it: the choices are a boat round the coast or a rough track over the ridge. A handful of beach shacks cook for yacht crews on the sand and there is nothing else. Because the bay faces west it is calm in the trade wind and the sunsets are the reason boats stay.

What's there

• The sheltered bay - a deep inlet calm in the prevailing trade wind.
• The dry hills - the steep scrub-covered ground rising behind the beach.
• The beach shacks - the informal kitchens cooking for yacht crews.
• The absence of a road - a bay reached by boat or a rough hill track.

When to go

December to May is the dry and sailing season. Hurricane season runs June to November. The bay is quiet outside the yachting months.

What to expect

There is no road and the track over the hill is rough. Facilities are informal beach shacks with no fixed hours. Hurricane Beryl in 2024 damaged the bay's structures.

Nearby

Ashton Lagoon is south, and Clifton is east.

Key facts