The port
A historic marina and boatyard in Chaguaramas, on Trinidad's north-western peninsula, sitting outside the Caribbean's traditional hurricane belt - the industry's benchmark hurricane-season layover, alongside the classic winter cruising season.
Crews Inn Marina sits on Point Gourde, in Chaguaramas Bay, at the north-western tip of Trinidad. Developed from the mid-1990s to meet growing demand from foreign cruising yachts seeking shelter outside the hurricane belt - insurers granting lower premiums to vessels wintering south of 12 degrees north latitude, according to the operator's own published history - its 68-berth marina opened in May 1996, followed in 1997 by its landmark Lighthouse restaurant and in 1999 by a 46-room hotel. The site also includes a boatyard capable of hauling out vessels up to 200 tons, with no notable draft restriction on the approach to the basin (about 6 metres at its shallowest point according to the operator), and claims to be the largest covered boat-repair shed in the Caribbean. Free fresh water at berth, pay-per-use electricity, on-site customs and immigration, 24-hour laundry and access to the hotel's facilities round out the offer for transient crews.
