I don’t believe I’ve ever seen an island so breathtaking as St Lucia. The tourism board uses catch phrases “Simply Beautiful” and “Let her inspire you”, but neither quite captures the majestic beauty of this lush volcanic island. To be moored beneath the Pitons, to watch the colors and shadows change through the day, and to feel the wind gusts, calms, showers and sunshine is just magical.

We had a “boisterous” sail from Martinique and arrived at Rodney Bay on 4 Feb, on the NW sector of St Lucia. Nine foot seas refracted around the island’s north coast, practically rolling us into the protected harbor of Rodney Bay. Fort Rodney stands prominently on Pigeon Island, made famous by the pirate Jambe du Bois (Peg Leg) and later by England’s Admiral Rodney, for whom the fort is named. When securely anchored, Andy, Rick and I headed ashore to climb Fort Rodney and the Signal Hill. Rick (a friend and neighbor from Solomons) has been sailing with us for 10 days, and last visited St Lucia when his adult sons were tweens – so the visit brought back lots of memories. The fort has a commanding view of the bay (and KINETIC anchored below), its entrance, and the northern channel between St Lucia and French Martinique (England/France battles were commonplace). The signal hill was returned to military service during WWII, when the US established a communications site. From the fort, we could also see the expansive Sandals Resort, and massive Rodney Bay Marina – a village in itself. Descending to sea level, we stopped at the waterfront café/gallery Jambe du Bois for a Piton beer, and decided to stay for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next day, we sailed downwind (finally!) to Marigot Bay, encountering several squalls blessings. It was nice to get the salt washed off the boat! Marigot is a sheltered hurricane harbor, hidden from the eye until you’re right upon it. The 1967 film Dr Doolittle was filmed at Marigot, long before the marina and mansions were built. The channel now leads back to a mangrove-lined harbor seeded with mooring balls. To the right lies Marigot Bay Marina and Capella Resort – our destination. Taking a $30 mooring ball grants access to the marina/resort facilities, so we enjoyed the infinity pool while Rick checked into his new suite at the Capella. After a couple of days of restaurants, relaxation and a few boat chores, and we said farewell to Rick and sailed south to explore a few anchorages enroute the Pitons. Anse Cochon (Bay of Pigs!) proved a secluded and beautiful harbor; we were assisted to a mooring ball by Titus, who also sold us some fresh coconut from his kayak. Ashore, the Ti Kaye hotel presided to the right, with a strip of pristine beach to the left. We noticed a number of boat boys with kayaks and SUPs relaxing in the shade, and wondered what business they might have with so few moorings. By mid-afternoon, we found out. Anse Cochon was a snorkeling stop-off for the many day catamaran charters loaded with cruise ship passengers! At one point there were 4 “cattlemarans” on the beach, with hundreds of passengers snorkeling by the boat. The boat boys were hanging onto the cats, then towing snorkelers for a tour. By sunset, all were gone, and shared the quiet bay with 2-3 other cruising boats.

Arrival to the Pitons is always a mystical experience – catching that first glimpse of the iconic lava domes of the Soufriere volcano, then having them loom over you. The Soufriere Marine Management Agency (SMMA) controls access to the area; yachts smaller than 125’ may take a mooring, and those larger may anchor after being cleared by SMMA. We took a mooring mid-way between Petit and Gros Piton, which afforded fabulous views of each.   Andy and I agreed that engaging a guide to hike Gros Piton was not in the cards this trip, in an effort to preserve our knees – but we instead walked “the steepest road in the world” to the village of Morne la Croix.  (Note: Rick DID hike Gros Piton) Snorkeling at the base of Petit Piton was excellent, after the day-trip crowds departed. We enjoyed a selection of fresh fruit delivered to the boat by Cletus, on his boat Distant Thunder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides the majesty of the Pitons, two other aspects gave great entertainment. One was the daily parade of colorful narrow fishing boats, where 1 man drove (and bailed), and 4-5 men  stood in line ahead, often wearing snorkeling gear. Occasionally we saw one dive over to retrieve something, but we think they were going to and from areas where their nets were set. The other entertainment was the fantastic collection of superyachts. ACE and her toy carrier GARCON, the classic NERO, ELYSIAN, LAURENTIA on a photo shoot – just to name a few.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After two days between the Pitons, we moved around to Malgretoute on Soufriere Bay, now moored at the north base of the omnipresent Petit Piton. This was a surprisingly sheltered mooring area, with a lovely, uncrowded beach. While walking the beach, I was startled  to find 3 cows, a calf and a bull running down the hill to the beach, where they stayed for the weekend. Each had tethers, and were sometimes accompanied by a Rasta cowherd. From the beach, we took a tropical uphill hike to Piton Mineral Falls, and relaxed in the pools of warm mineral water at the base of the falls. While the Pitons mooring field was mostly full of charter boats, this field had a number of cruisers, and we hosted sundowners for our mooring neighbors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We dinghied into the town of Soufriere to explore the Creole architecture and markets. The town seems much neglected – collapsing buildings, trash, poverty – quite different from the picture painted by the cruising guide. After an excellent fruit smoothie at Zakas and quick trip to the grocery, we departed to dinghy along the northern shore of the bay. Hummingbird’s boutique resort looked promising, and we stopped in to see if they might be showing the 6 Nations Rugby game that afternoon. They did their best to accommodate, but didn’t have the right channel. Nonetheless, we had an excellent lunch overlooking the bay and Petit Piton, then checked out their batik shop (the owner’s son David is the batik artist, as well as the chef). Upon returning to the dinghy, a swarm of local boys followed us up the dock to “help”; two jumped into the dinghy to untie it for us. Payment for their help was a sleeve of Oatibix cereal from our grocery bag, which was immediately shared out and consumed with gusto.

 

 

As happens when cruising, parts fail, and we discovered our engine blower wasn’t getting power. This blower had already been replaced, and the quality was suspect, so I ordered a new blower from the Island Water World at Rodney Bay, contacted a technician, and secured a marina slip to get things repaired. Next day we departed the Pitons and motorsailed north against a very stiff breeze and big seas to Rodney Bay Marina. Our first marina stay since Christmas! Huge slips, full length finger piers, plenty of fresh water, chandlery, laundry, restaurants, sporadic power, and technical support! We picked up the blower, and the technician was onboard that afternoon to diagnose the electrical problem, which he repaired the next day. The old blower works again, and we kept the new blower as a spare. Happy Valentine’s Day! We celebrated with a terrific Indian dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a chance to take the local bus to the “mall” – expecting to find an industrial park that generally passes for a mall in the islands. I was stunned to find a multi-story US-style duty free mall!  Even more impressive was Reena, a schoolteacher on the bus who insisted on walking me from the bus to the particular shop I needed – to be sure I wasn’t scammed. We ran into a few cruising friends in Rodney Bay, and enjoyed a couple of evening get-togethers with old and new friends.

With still one more day before weather allowed a passage, we boarded a local bus into Castries to see the famed cathedral, as well as the markets and waterfront. Two cruise ships were in, so the town was hopping. There was a huge market featuring fruit and veg, fish and handicrafts, all in a Creole setting. The wooden cathedral was impressive, and will be even more so when restoration is complete. We walked through the neighboring Walcott Park, where a group of local school kids were on a very active field trip, and encountered what seemed to be their first white children (cruising kids).  Having checked the Castries box, we headed back to the marina, and departed on the morning tide for Martinique.

What was planned as a short visit turned into 12 days in St Lucia – each a new adventure, and new delight!