We left the Saint Anne anchorage in Martinique a couple of days after a big rain storm had passed. We now had a good weather window with fairly calm seas, and it was time to go. Our plan was to head south to Bequia, one of the islands of The Grenadines, making overnight stops in Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent on our way to our destination. It was a total of 22 nautical miles to Saint Lucia, our first stop, and we were thankful to have 15-18 knots of wind coming from the east giving us a nice beam reach sail. The swells were 3-feet coming from the east/southeast, so it was a fairly comfortable ride. We sailed from anchorage to anchorage, cruising at an average speed of 7 knots. It was a great day of sailing, and after only three hours of skippering the boat, we arrived in Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, where we anchored for the night!
The anchorage in Rodney Bay is huge, with good holding in 20-30 feet of water. There are some patches of sand over rock, so it’s a good idea to dive the anchor and check the holding. Since we were only planning on spending the night, we didn’t go ashore to clear in with customs. Instead, we spent the afternoon swimming in the crystal clear waters, enjoying salmon for dinner, and watching the beautiful sunset. We made it an early night so we cold be well-rested for our longer sail the next morning.
Gregory, a boat vendor, stopped by our boat to offer fruits, vegetables, and fresh banana bread for sale. He was nice, not pushy at all, and we decided to purchase some mangos, bananas, and homemade guava juice from him. The prices were a little high ($15), but it was convenient and we were happy to support him. Not all boat boys are so friendly. Many are pushy and demanding, but we trusted Gregory.
Saint Lucia gets mixed reviews by cruisers. On the plus side, it is a stunning island with national parks, beaches, hiking trails, snorkeling, and The Pitons, two towering volcanic spires which are the island’s notorious landmark. The entire island is only 27 miles long and 14 miles wide, but it has some of the most diverse landscape in all of the Caribbean. The beauty is stunning!
There is a downside for cruisers, however. The anchorages have a reputation for being unsafe. Over the years, boaters have reported many incidences of dinghy theft, and even some boardings and robberies. It is our understanding that the country is really cracking down on these crimes, and that it has gotten a lot better, especially in the area of Rodney Bay near it’s first-class marina. We chose to bypass most of the island and play it safe for now. We read that Rodney Bay and Marigot Bay are the safest places to stop, so we felt confident that we would be fine here for the night if we just locked up our dinghy and secured our boat. We were warned about Anse Canaries and Soufriere, so we stayed away from these anchorages entirely.
After a good and safe night’s sleep, we got up early to head to Saint Vincent. The trip down the west coast of Saint Lucia was beautiful. That’s about all we got to experience of this Caribbean island, but it was a special treat to see some of its beauty on our way south, especially the massive Piton spires.
The mountains of Saint Lucia are majestic, and I understand there are spectacular waterfalls and refreshing springs, not to mention the opportunity to drive into the crater of a volcano and walk between the bubbling sulfur springs and hissing pools of steam. Now, that would be incredible! Perhaps we’ll make it back here and explore more of this natural wonder!