The sail from Grand Anse D’Arlet, Martinique to Rodney Bay, St Lucia was only 28 nautical miles, so with 15 (+/- ~3) knots of wind out of the East (as usual), a course of about 170 degrees and a sea that became flatter as the passage progressed, we made quite a fast passage (average speed over ground was 8 knots), even with both mainsail and genoa reefed. Along the way, we were entertained for about an hour or so by two Boobies (sea birds) that circled the boat and dived for fish nearby. Sometimes it looked as though one of them was interested in taking a rest on our solar panels but he never quite managed to do so.
Rodney Bay is quite impressive so we now know why it has become a yachting center. The outer bay is flanked to the north by Pigeon Island (really a peninsula) and is then lined by wonderful sandy beaches that are home to a Sandalls resort amongst others. There were lots of water sports (jet skiing, Hobie cats, windsurfing, etc.) going on when we arrived. We decided to enter the Rodney Bay Lagoon and pick up one of their moorings just so we would be closer to services and be assured of flat water. That part of the lagoon is lined with apartment buildings, private homes and condos, many with their own private dock. The lagoon is entirely controlled by the IGY Rodney Bay Marina that has a huge range of docks to cope with mega yachts as well as more modest ones. They try hard to keep the marina safe but one does have to be aware of scam artists, one of whom tried to take advantage of us in a small way when we went into town one day. There were plenty of ARC flags flying, some from boats that had recently crossed the Atlantic, and about 20, most of which were dressed overall, that were about to embark on their 18-month world circumnavigation; they departed on Saturday, one day ahead of us and included one boat that had done the Salty Dawg Rally with us in November.
We wanted to do a few little jobs on the boat but as often happens, ran into a few hurdles along the way. The pressurized fresh water system on the boat has an in-line strainer to protect the pump. However the clear Perspex cover on the strainer is cracked and is leaking. Howard did a great job of strengthening it using glue, a plastic disc and duct tape but we wanted a more permanent solution. We tried installing a replacement that we had purchased in Guadeloupe but it proved to be useless. So, off to Island Water World chandelerie we went. They did not have the proper part either with the necessary quick-fit attachments but came up with a possible work-around. In the end, we decided to hold off doing anything until we can get the correct part either shipped or delivered to us (hopefully, thank you John). So, two days later, we are back to where we began….
We did, however, rent a car so we could see some more of the island, which was very rewarding, even if it tested Howard’s skill at avoiding potholes and negotiating tight hairpin bends and steep inclines in an under-powered little Chevy that really shouldn’t have been an automatic…. The Pitons were the highlight, first viewed when approaching Marigot Bay (which apparently hid a fleet of British ships from the French … and we could see why), then from a lovely short walk through Tet Paul’s Nature Trail, then from Sugar Beach a most wonderful beach resort in between the Pitons (and where Howard’s driving skills were really put to the test; almost vertical twisty roads; the best destination wedding resort we have seen). The photos don’t really do them justice but maybe you get the idea. The snorkeling off Sugar Beach underneath Petit Piton was fantastic, as were the the Tapas that we enjoyed afterwards that rewarded us with a free trip on the resort’s shuttle back up to the car park several hundred feet up!
We also visited the Sulphuric Springs, also known as the world’s only ‘Drive-in volcano’. Although rather stinky because of the sulphuric gases, the steamy, bubbling puddles of mud were interesting to see from the platform above. St Lucia hasn’t had any volcanic eruptions for a very long time but they do occasionally get small earthquakes. The Pitons were formed by volcanic plugs that solidified and never erupted.
On Sunday we sailed from Rodney Bay down the west and southern coasts of St Lucia, past the Pitons to Vieux Fort, at the most southerly tip of St Lucia. The Dutch yacht, ‘Tulip’, in the photo above was clearly having a whale of a sail coming the other way. We had to harden up into the wind after we rounded the Pitons and then encountered significantly steeper seas that we pounded into for a while. Fortunately it was much easier once we tacked back towards land so we made it into Vieux Fort by the middle of the afternoon. We anchored just outside the fishing harbor wall, along with one other (Canadian) yacht. So, we practically had the whole bay to ourselves – what a difference from the other end of the island! Ashore, we checked out a local bar and had a pleasant conversation with the female bartender and a patron who was a local fisherman. It felt a lot more real, even though there were very few other white faces around. Next morning we checked out with the port’s customs officer then departed for Bequia.