Trinidad Yachting: Full Guide to Hauling Out For Hurricane Season
- Telicia
- Jan 13
- 8 min read
Updated: Feb 12
Known for its warm climate, jungle terrain and vibrant annual carnival, the dual island nation of Trinidad and Tobago is considered a safe destination during the North Atlantic hurricane season.
Over the course of three years we spent about two and a half in Trinidad, so during that time we got to know the place pretty well. Based on our experiences, here's some of the tips, tricks and things to know when it comes to hauling out in Trinidad.
CONTENTS:
Arriving in Trinidad by boat
The port of entry for Trinidad is Chaguaramas, which doubles as the island’s yachting and boating hub. Anyone visiting Trinidad by private yacht will need to go here, even if you’re just coming across from Tobago.
Checking into Trinidad does take more time than anywhere else we’ve been. That said, the process may change during 2026 or 2027 as there has been some headway in convincing the government to introduce SailClear. For now though, this is what you need to do:
Step 1: Government Port Health Clearance
First, you need to get a Government Port Health Clearance. In the past this was organized by liaising with your marina office or MSATT, but as of February 2026, Port Health have an office in Chaguaramas.
Monday to Friday: 8am - 4pm
Weekends and holidays: 6am - 6pm
The office is located at Crews Inn the blue long building with all the marine shops. Conveniently, this is also close to Customs and Immigration. The easiest thing to do is take your tender over and tie to the dock closest to the office.
Trinidad authorities generally do not take photocopies so you'll need to bring your own. Take originals and (multiple) copies of your yacht papers, passports, exit paperwork from the last port of call, and pet paperwork.
Step 2: Pet clearance
If you're coming to Trinidad with your cat or dog then you'll need to go through the pet importation process before you can visit Immigration. Check out our guide to bringing a pet to Trinidad for more information on that.
Step 3. Cash
For now Trinidadian Customs and Immigration only accept cash. The closest ATM is at the Peake Chandlery, so the fastest, easiest way to get there is to take your tender to Peake's dinghy dock.
At Immigration, not all nationalities have to pay for a visa waiver, but as Australians we did. Previously the fee was 400 TTD per person, but this was doubled at the start of 2026 to 800 TTD per person.
At Customs, the fee Customs Declaration Fee should be around 80 TTD, plus 10 TTD extra for pet importation
There are also additional fees at Customs and Immigration for checking in during "overtime hours", which is anything outside of 8am-12pm and 1pm-4pm, Monday to Friday.
Step 4. Immigration
Immigration and Customs are next to each other at Crews Inn. Immigration is upstairs in the yellow building and are open 6am-12pm then 1pm-6pm. Here's a few things to keep in mind.
For now, private yachts undergo the same immigration process as a commercial ship so you'll need to fill out forms that don't really seem relevant and multiple copies of the same form - take a pen!
All crew members must visit Immigration as there's a passenger arrival form that needs to be signed.
Dress neatly; shorts and t-shirts are okay as long as they're clean and appropriate length.
Step 5. Customs
The last step is visiting Customs, which is next to Immigration in a blue building. Take copies of everything that you took to Immigration and expect to fill out a few more forms, but you don't need all crew members to attend.
The main form is the Customs and Excise Division Marine Pleasure Craft (PLC) Declaration Form. Keep it safe, as you need to present it when you leave.
Hauling out in Trinidad
There are three places for sailboats to haul out in Chaguaramas:
In general Coral Cove is seen as the cheaper option while Peake and Power Boats have more facilities and services, such as the free courtesy bus Peake runs to take people shopping.
The type of boat you have will impact whether or not a yard can haul you.
Coral Cove | Power Boats | Peake |
Small travel lift | Small travel lift and a catamaran trailer | Large travel lift |
During our first stay in Trinidad we chose Power Boats, who hauled us using this trailer.
Our second stay was at Peake Yachting Services, with the travel lift. Personally we prefer Peake because for a similar price we had the advantages of air-conditioned toilets, hot water in the showers and a free courtesy bus for shopping and airport trips.
Marinas, moorings and anchoring
If you want to stay in a marina the main option in Chaguaramas is Crews Inn. Coral Cove, Power Boats and Peake also have some dockage; the Peake dock can be rolly so the Power Boats C-Dock is generally considered the better choice.
On the other side of the point is the TTSA which has mooring balls available for long and short term rental. There are also some mooring balls for hire in Chaguaramas in front of Peake and Power Boats.
People on anchor tend to sped time in other locations like Scotland Bay, Turtle Bay and Chacachacare Island.
Living in Chaguaramas
Chaguaramas is a shipbuilding, yachting and boating hub with most of the shops and services in the area being focused specifically on the marine industry. Large swaths of the peninsular are protected with no residential housing, so it can feel quite isolated from Port of Spain.
Recreation
Aside from going for a walk there aren't any specific leisure facilities around the boat yards, but there are cruiser organized trips, a weekly BBQ on Thursdays at the Roti Hut (Power Boats) and a Friday "Lime" at Peake. During the 2024 hurricane season a group of motivated cruisers started a "Walking Club" which ended up developing into free yoga sessions, bike rides, morning walks and pizza lunches.
If you have a bicycle, car or don't mind a longer walk, here's 14 things to do in Chaguaramas, which make for a pleasant escape!
Security
In our experience, the shipyards in Chaguaramas are safe and security is good. Out in the bay there were cases of dinghy theft so make sure you lock up, as you would in most countries. For the latest you can check the Caribbean Security and Safety Network interactive map.
In other areas be sensible. Situational awareness, vigilance, avoiding problem suburbs and using common sense are advisable.
Finding marine supplies in Trinidad
Almost all of the marine suppliers in the Port of Spain area are in Chaguaramas, with the most significant exceptions being LP Marine and EchoTech watermakers. The main chandlery's are the Boaters Shop at Power Boats, Peake Chandlery and Budget Marine, with businesses like Dumore and Foostols also being useful.
If you need a specialty part or item you may need to order it in from the US, but more on that later.
Trades and service businesses
Across the shipyards and along Western Main Road there are a range of trades and smaller stores including riggers, canvas workers, wood workers, machine shops, painters, electricians etc. It is best to speak to other cruisers and look at examples of people's work to get a sense of which businesses are better as there are very few online reviews.
When you do hire trades, be specific in what you want, the products being used, costs and timeline, keeping records to help avoid in disagreements down the line. For more advice, check out our Yacht Repairs Advice.
Importing Yacht in Transit goods into Trinidad
If there's something specific you need for yourself or your boat it's likely you'll need to import it into Trinidad. If you get the process right it can be very easy and as a bonus, yacht in transit goods have no tax.
To go into this topic in more detail I've written a complete guide on how to import Yacht in Transit goods into Trinidad tax free.
Grocery shopping and provisioning
Food shopping in Chaguaramas is largely limited to the Dockside Mart at Power Boats, or Daniels Grocery which is on the opposite side of Western Main Road from Peake. Peake and Coral Cove also have a small stores,but stock is more snack based.
To go food shopping outside Chaguaramas:
Get a Price Smart membership (Similar to Costco) and have groceries delivered to the boat
Use a maxi taxi, TTRideshare or hire car to go to Massy Stores or West Bees
Go on one of the weekly shopping trips organised by external providers
If you're at Peake, use the courtesy shuttle bus to join a shopping trip
Join the cruisers bus to the Central Market, which was our top shopping destination for fresh produce
Aside from these options, there are a few other food stores to be aware of:
Naughty Grape is a good place to buy foreign alcohol; they're connected to the importer and will deliver to your boat
Blooms Imports in Diego Martin has gourmet meat and was the most affordable place to buy imported lamb
Peppercorns and Seafood Enterprises at The Falls shopping mall both sell gourmet and foreign foods.
Transportation
To get in and out of Chaguaramas you can use the big public bus (tickets MUST be pre-purchased), yellow maxi taxis, TTRideshare app, hire a car, or hire someone you've met to drive you.
Personally we stuck to the TTRideshare app, hiring cars and using drivers we'd met at the yard or through the Market bus trip. If you want to get a car then keep in mind they drive on the left in Trinidad and make sure the car has insurance.
Restaurants and eating out
While I still maintain the best Trinidadian food is home cooked, there are some good restaurants and eateries around.
The local food delivery service is foodDROP and they deliver to the yard - we ordered a lot from Casali's Pizza Cafe, Papadums Indian Joint and Canton Asian Kitchen.
If you're heading out for a special occasion, the food and service at Samurai Japanese can be outstanding.
For local craft beer and cider there's Tommy's Brewing Company, which is also served at Patches Bar and Grill at Peake.
The Wheelhouse just past Coral Cove is popular with cruisers.
At the Central Market there's a food court with great local food - be sure to try the Aloo pie!
Basil Bistro is a tiny place on Ariapita Avenue which serves great Italian inspired food with quality ingredients
Extending your Trinidadian visa
Trinidad allows you to apply for a visa extension of up to 3 months at a time. Check out this blog for our experience.
Other tips for your haul out in Trinidad
Here's a few other things that might be helpful!
You can get gas bottles refilled at the NPS Filling Station or see the guardhouses at PowerBoats or Peake; there's a local called Ian who does a well priced weekly gas run for cruisers.
Diesel is subsidized by the government for locals so the petrol station prices are much lower than the yacht fuel docks.
If you're going to be in Trinidad at the start of the year then be aware it's Carnival time, with celebrations starting months in advance. Having experienced it for ourselves, we've created a break down of the different Carnival events you could choose to go to.
Finally, Trinidad's greatest gems are outside the boat yards. So do yourself a favor, and take the time to explore a waterfall or two.
Cheers for the tips, always good to get the inside scoop