Mayreau

Mayreau is the smallest inhabited island in the Grenadines, a few hundred people in a single village on a ridge, with no airport and until recently no mains electricity. Salt Whistle Bay at the northern end is a curve of sand where the neck of land between the calm Caribbean side and the windward Atlantic side is only a few dozen metres across. The Tobago Cays lie a short boat ride east.

Background

The island covers about 0.46 sq. miles and has about 271 residents, most of them fishermen. Their village stands on Station Hill in the south-west. A central generator on Saline Bay has supplied electricity since 2002. The hilltop holds the primary school, with about 50 pupils from kindergarten to Grade 6, and the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, built of brick and stone and christened on May 12, 1930. Saline Bay is named after the salt pond just east of its beach; salt once harvested there for export is now taken only for local use. Three catchments on the east side supply much of the water.

Source: Wikipedia, "Mayreau"

What to look for

• Salt Whistle Bay - the sand neck with calm water one side and Atlantic the other.
• The single village - a few hundred people on the ridge above the bay.
• The absence of roads - one steep concrete track and no airport.
• The Tobago Cays - the reef and islands a short boat ride away.

When to go

December to May is the dry and sailing season. Hurricane season runs June to November. Ferries run on limited days.

Things to know

Facilities are minimal and the island runs on a very small scale. The ferry schedule is limited and getting stuck is possible. Salt Whistle Bay fills with yachts in season.

Nearby

Union Island is south, and the Tobago Cays are east.

Key facts