Anchorage

Îlet Pinel

Shelter: NW, N, NE, W, E, SW
Seabed: sand, rock, algae
Anchoring: Allowed

Day anchorage on the south side of Pinel, an islet off Cul-de-Sac on the north-east coast, inside the Saint-Martin national nature reserve.

Beach
Seagrass

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Anchoring is prohibited but tolerated on bare sand only, never on seagrass or coral, and night anchoring is strictly forbidden at Pinel. Yellow reserve buoys take boats up to 50 feet and 15 tonnes. Proceed slowly: swimmers and feeding turtles. Baie Blanche on Tintamarre is 1.8 NM east-north-east.

Practical

Day mooring in the reserve is free. Fishing, drones, towed sports, jet skis and hull cleaning are banned; low-volume music is tolerated. Two beach restaurants on the main beach. A shuttle boat runs from the Cul-de-Sac pier, about five minutes across.

Ashore

A short path behind the beach crosses the hill to the windward Atlantic shore. The reserve has laid out a botanical trail and an underwater snorkelling trail. Landing on Petite Clef, 0.3 NM north-west, is forbidden.

Key facts

Type: Anchorage
Coordinates: 18.10348, -63.01742 (18°6.21'N 63°1.05'W)
Country: St. Martin
Shelter: Sheltered from north-west, north, north-east, west, east, south-west winds
Seabed: sand, rock, algae
Anchoring: Allowed
Services: Beach, Seagrass
Boaters' rating: 4.3/5
Updated: October 14, 2026