Trip Report #3:  St. Lucia

Filed from Bequia, the Grenadines

13  00.17N   61  14.57W

March 4, 2005 

Photo:  The Pitons on St. Lucia

    St. Lucia is the largest of the 4 large islands that, with the Grenadines and Tobago Cays, form the Windward Islands in the Caribbean.  It is volcanic, mountainous and covered with lush greenery.  Our first stop in St. Lucia was in Rodney Bay at the northwest corner of the island.  Rodney Bay is a mile long with plenty of room for many boats to anchor and good holding.  At the extreme northwest end of the bay is Pigeon Island, which is no longer an island.  The marina and inner lagoon, a very large area, were formed by dredging and are accessed via a dredged channel, and the sand and mud that was dredged up was deposited in the area that now forms an isthmus between Pigeon Island and the mainland.  A large Sandals resort has been built on that isthmus.

Photo:  A New Zealand boat at anchor in Rodney Bay

    There are many shops and restaurants surrounding the marina, with a small grocery store in the marina and two large grocery stores within walking distance, one, in the Rodney Bay Mall, with a dinghy dock very nearby and many shops around it.  There is a chandlery in the marina and one across the main road from the marina.  It was very convenient for provisioning. We could also take a "dollar" bus into Castries, the capital city, getting on just outside the marina entrance.  It actually cost 2 EC dollars, or $.80 for the trip into the heart of Castries.

    We sailed down to Soufriere to see whether a trip to the Pitons would be good for the family.  We arrived there, 10 miles from Marigot Bay, at about 3 pm and were unable to obtain a mooring. And we discovered that anchoring there is no longer allowed.  We were escorted by a boat boy to the dock, tied up stern to the dock and bow to a mooring ball.  There was a grocery store in the town for provisions and there was an interesting Batik shop on the waterfront street, but the boat boys were so persistent that we felt harassed and threatened.  We left when the marine patrol boat said there was a mooring at Anse Cochon, a good snorkeling area.  We put out a stern anchor that held us bow to the incoming waves, but we still spent a very miserable, rolly night with little sleep.  We don't really know how the other two boats there, who did not put out a stern anchor, were even able to hang on to their bunks.  We did note that they left at first light.

    We were looking forward to the arrival of family and went to Marigot Bay to check out the villa where they would be staying and to reserve a mooring for Starboard Home.  The price for a mooring was $20 US per night, but we negotiated a price of $100 for our entire stay.

Photo: Lia and Ali arrive via water taxi in Marigot Bay

Photo:  Tom, Lia, Ali, Sandy, Garth at dinner in Marigot Bay

    Once the family arrived and settled in, we starting lining up some very neat activities.  Lia and Ali had been taking riding lessons this year and we all went riding - quite an adventure.  The girls were extremely good at it, while Peg's horse had to be led around the course.  One hour was a very good amount of time and it was such a good course.  We went through a little local community, through a forest and along the sea shore - all very interesting.

Photo:  Lia, Sandy, Tom and Garth ready to ride

    We also took a tour of the rain forest, riding an open jeep to the site, with our guide pointing out local vegetation, showing us coffee beans, banana plantations, and handing us guava fruit to munch on.  We walked with a guide through the rain forest, learning a lot along the way about the kinds of things that grow and live in a rain forest.  We saw a tarantula in his hidey-hole, and scraped some aromatic white matter from a tree that is used to produce incense for religious ceremonies.  We saw root systems in trees that could form life-size "fairy houses" for the girls. 

Photo:  Ali and Lia at the root of a "fairy house" tree 

    And we saw saprophytic bromeliads growing on the sides of trees and would have loved to see them in bloom.  The rain forest was very different than we had imagined it.  It is home to the few hundred remaining St. Lucia parrots, who are very shy and who we did not see.  We were able to see them, however, caged, in a hotel lobby at the start of the trip, and they were beautiful, very colorful birds.

Photo:  In the Rain Forest, St. Lucia

    We did some snorkeling along the edge of Marigot Bay and lots of swimming in the bay.  The bay is very shallow along the beach and very safe for children.  Ali and Lia are very good swimmers, however, and we just needed to keep an eye on them.

Photo:  Ali, Sandy and Lia on the beach

Photo:  Lia and Ali ready to swim or snorkel

    We took a trip to Rodney Bay from Marigot Bay, about an hour each way, just to give the girls a little time on the boat and to do a little mid-week provisioning.

Photo:  Ali tries out the settee

Photo:  Lia steers the boat while Sandy and Tom look on

Photo:  Ali watches the bow

Photo:  Garth gets a photo with Ali

Photo:  Sandy, Lia and Ali watch as Garth prepares to snag the mooring

    The housekeeper at the Villa St. Lucia, Samantha, was very adept at braiding hair and she did Lia and Ali's.  The braids lasted through swimming, sleeping, snorkeling and until, at least, the first day back to school for showing to classmates.

Photo:  Ali with her newly braided hair

Photo:  Lia before braiding

Photo:  Lia after braiding

    We had such a good time with them and were sad to see them leave to go back to school, work and snow.

    Our next destination is Bequia, south of St. Vincent, and 70 miles from Rodney Bay.

                   73s, 88s, love & hugs,

                   Peg & Tom

                   S/V Starboard Home

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