Union Island - Clifton

As part of the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Union Island is the southernmost island in this nation of islands and a great stop on a crewed yacht charter while cruising in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean.  With a little over 3,000 residents, Union Island has two main towns of Clifton and Ashton and boasts an International Airport, however the international travel part of the airport description is meant to be international flights within the Caribbean as being to locations outside of the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and no night time flights are allowed as there are no runway lights.  Even with an “international” airport, visiting by crewed yacht charter is one of the easiest ways to visit this lovely Caribbean Island.

Union Island anchorage

Union Island, like many neighboring Caribbean Islands has a colonial plantation history.  However, rather than a colonial plantation history of sugar cane and molasses, the plantations on Union Island were planted with Sea Island Cotton, similar to the lowlands and Barrier Islands in South Carolina.  The Sea Island Cotton Tree can still be found on the island as well as the ancestors of the many African Slaves that were brought to this island during the colonial plantation period to work the Sea Island Cotton fields.

Union Island - Downtown Clifton

After the colonial period, many natives went to work on commercial freighters as Union Island became a hub of commercial shipping business in this part of the Caribbean.  Today the economy of Union Island is based more on services supplied to visiting yachtsmen, day charters offered to the Tobago Cays and a strong ferry service offered throughout this part of the Caribbean, along with tourism. 

Union Island view from Happy Island

Union Island does have two big celebrations, which are the Holy Week of Easter, a weeklong festival called Easterval, with celebrations in both the towns of Clifton and Ashton, and in late May, the one day event called “The Maroon”, which begins before dawn and lasts well into the night, with drums, dancing, feasting, and merrymaking.  The Maroon Festival is designed to entice the Gods to join in and end the dry winter and bring on the rainy season.  Either time period, or anytime in between, is a great time to visit Union Island while on a crewed yacht charter of the Windward Islands of the Caribbean.   

Labels: boat, Caribbean- The Windward Islands, charter, chartering, sailing, yacht