St. Lucia: The land, the people, the light

We left St. Anne in Martinique after a busy morning of check-out formalities that involved some frustrating emails to the immigration authorities and a last minute bus ride to Le Marin to receive our check-out documents.  Finally we were on our way to Rodney Bay in St. Lucia, across the channel that separates the two islands.  It started out calm enough but once in the channel, it was a choppy sail with 6ft-8ft seas. Jajabor would climb a wave and then come crashing down on the other side.  All that meant was that in a short time I was laying in the cockpit, trying to fervently keep down my breakfast, while Sunil navigated the channel and kept watch.

This trip was not part of our Southern migration out of the Hurricane zone. We were planning on returning to Martinique for some boat work later in the month. Our neighbors Tracie and Eric were going to visit us in St. Lucia and we were planning on bay hopping with them in a few days.

Close to the half way point we saw St. Lucia rise in the haze, and the seas became calmer.   We were soon on the lee of the island, passing Pigeon Island and turning into Rodney Bay. This horseshoe shaped bay sits on the northwest tip of Saint Lucia and is the island’s most popular destination for sailors, with beautiful white sand beaches and a bustling Marina.  We dropped Anchor in the middle of the bay, away from other boats, and some distance away from the beaches. 

(T) The beautiful Rodney Bay
(B) Jajabor docked in the Rodney Bay Marina in the inner lagoon

Clearing into St. Lucia meant a dinghy ride into the inner lagoon where the Marina is situated. Rodney Bay Marina is a vibrant place with many restaurants and businesses catering to Sailors.  The Immigration and Customs officers were friendly and offered us some tips on the best places to eat St. Lucian food. We took note of their suggestions mentally planning to visit as many places as we could muster in the 3 weeks we were to spend in St. Lucia.

Back to Jajabor, we settled in for the night enjoying the darkness growing around us.  The stars were beginning to twinkle in the night sky and we could hear faint music playing at the beach bars.  The waves slapped against the boat and it was all very peaceful until we heard loud raucous laughter and what appeared to be a carnival approaching us at breakneck speed. Peering out, we saw a tour boat -one of those large catamarans jam packed with limbs poking out from every direction, forward to aft of the boat.  There were even revelers sitting on the Bimini top and around the mast.  As the caterwauling boat disappeared into the Marina lagoon, we breathed a sigh of relief. It was short lived  and we were surprised to see the boat reappear at the mouth of the lagoon at equal speed.  Were they chased out by outraged Marina staffers brandishing fists and batons? 

We learnt soon that we were in the path of a regular tour route, as similar boats appeared at regular intervals marring the peace and quiet of the bay.  The tours would do a quick “float by” the popular destinations around the island.  It explained why most of the boats were huddled together at the far North end of the bay away from this circus. Too tired to lift anchor and move, we stayed put

The morning woke us up with the regular sounds of sea birds and the ocean.  As we pottered around with our morning routine, a curious little boat approached us.  There was a small garden growing on the roof of the boat, and calling out to us was a large man with a pineapple in his hand.  Gregory, as we learnt was his name, sells fruits and produce to boats in the Marina and the harbor.

Buying bananas and tender coconut water from Gregory

Later in the day, we made a provisioning trip to the local Massy store.  We took our dinghy into the inner lagoon which brought us conveniently close to the grocery store. The dinghy dock was hard to spot, until a fellow sailor pointed it out to us.  At the dock we met Danny- the local self appointed minder of dinghies.  10 EC was the going rate, quibbled down from 20ECs.

Massy’s is well stocked with imported produce and packaged goods from the US, with eye watering prices we had learnt to expect in the Caribbean.  It’s comforting to see familiar products but also disappointing as we mostly prefer to shop local foods.

We stopped for coffee at a local café and I longingly eyed a nearby Indian Restaurant “Spice of India”  It had been sometime (OK Just two months) since I had last tasted Indian Restaurant fare.  A later trip to the restaurant was a satisfying experience.

Back to the Dinghy with our full grocery bags, Danny was where we had last left him.  We learnt, that he is on dialysis twice a week.  Danny was probably in his twenty’s or early thirty’s.  I felt rotten about quibbling over the 20 EC. Unable to have a regular job, he supports his family by watching over dinghies.

A few days later, our friends arrived after a harrowing 4 hour ride through the winding island roads. By then, we had moved Jajabor to the Marina and docked her “stern to” facing the lively Marina. Tracie and Eric met us on the dock- our very first guests from Colorado on Jajabor!

(L) Enjoying meal time with the Thomases on board
(R) Tracy and Eric chilling out on a Pigeon island swing

Our first visit was to Pigeon Island at the North end of Rodney Bay. This was once a separate islet from the mainland but was later artificially joined to the mainland in 1972 by a man-made causeway built from dirt excavated to form the Rodney Bay Marina.

Exploring Fort Rodney

It has an interesting history of Pirates and Armies, both British and French, that used its strategic location and high vantage point as a look out. Several Forts were built in the area and operated by both the French and the British. The ruins of their presence are scattered over the island. A curious little restaurant “Jambe de Bois ” is named after a well known pirate who settled in St. Lucia and used Pigeon Island to keep an eye on the Spanish Army. The restaurant was a lovely stop in the day, followed by a swim and snorkel from our boat to the Pigeon Island beach.

View of Rodney bay from Pigeon island

We also spent a few days in Marigot Bay, which is a small bay with an inner lagoon that is located a little south of Rodney Bay. It offers good protection for boats during storms and hurricanes. And historically, it was used both by the French and British Navies. The marina here hosts an interesting mix of boats – huge superyachts with all sorts of luxuries and a fulltime crew to cater to the owners whims as well as regular sized sailing boats like ours. Its a bit tricky to anchor in this bay, as it is narrow with large boulders at the bottom, that can appear randomly throughout the anchorage. Anchors don’t hold in rocky bottoms and there is always the fear that either the anchor or the chain will wrap itself around a rock making it hard to raise anchor when its time to leave. After a couple failed attempts, we finally found a sandy patch to secure the boat. Being a small bay, all restaurants, coffee and ice cream shops are just a short dinghy ride away and like most bays in St Lucia, fruits and vegetables will find their way to your boat. We bought bananas and a papaya from a father and son team on a hobie cat.

Navigational map of Marigot Bay

(L) Sunset at Marigot Bay (R) Local fruits and vegetables delivered to the boat

Many of the must-see sites in St Lucia are close to the town of Soufriere. It is small fishing town that also caters to tourists. This was our base for a couple days while we explored the island. We met an enterprising young man Jahleel Harrison who makes a living as a local guide. Jahleel helped us find a mooring ball, and also arranged our island trips which included a visit to the Sulphur Springs and the Botanical Gardens. Tracie and Eric visited the Chocolate Factory and treated us to some amazing chocolate some of which they had made themselves during their tour.

Jahleel supports his family through his water taxi business and arranging tours. He is helpful and available on short notice. On subsequent trips to St. Lucia, we always sought him out for help with mooring or local trips.

The view of the town of Soufriere from where we were moored.

Soufriere Sulphur Springs

Mud bath in the hot pools of the Soufriere Sulphur Springs and a cool refreshing shower under a nearby waterfall.

The Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens is a small part of a much larger historic estate granted to three brothers by King Louis XIV of France in 1713. It sits in a natural gorge that begins higher up at the bubbling Sulphur Springs. Our guide was passionate about the estate and went to great pains to explain all the unique plants that grow there in great detail. We walked past the ruins of old baths – there are newer ones that one can use for a therapeutic dip.

Finally, we arrived at Diamond falls. The water is black from volcanic mud flowing over the rock face, staining the stone wall with the many colors left behind by the minerals dropping into the pond below.

The Diamond falls is picture postcard perfect

Just a short water taxi ride from the Soufriere Bay, the resort of Anse Chastanet with its the scenic bay and beach makes for a wonderful way to spend a day. We chose to swim, snorkel and laze, breaking for drinks and lunch at the resort restaurant.

Soon it was time for the Thomas’ to leave. We bade them good bye at Marigot Bay where they would spend a night and then fly back to the States the following day. We then made our way back to Martinique where we were planning to continue with some boat work and upgrades.

On subsequent trips we visited the Tet Paul Nature Trail. The trail is an easy hike that takes no more than an hour, but offers incomparable views of the two prominent pitons in St. Lucia. The tall pitons, also known as the breasts of the islands by the locals, are responsible for the abundant rainfall that has created a tropical paradise of breathtaking flora and fauna. Below you can see our catamaran in the Piton Bay Inlet in front of the Sugar Beach Resort. The scale of the pitons is impressive in person.

(L) Wild pineapple plants (R) Cashew trees

The mountain slopes are full of wild pineapple plants, cashew, papaya, mango, soursop and various other fruit trees. The spectacular views along the trail can be enjoyed from strategically placed locations that have been arranged for the purpose. These are also wedding venues with the amazing backdrop of the Pitons and the Caribbean Sea.

High perch from where both pitons are clearly visible

Our final stop in St. Lucia was Sugar Beach next to Soufriere Bay. With Jahleel’s help we took a mooring ball close to the beach front adjacent to the luxurious Sugar Beach Resort. The Resort is built on an old Sugarcane plantation with over 100 Acres of tropical rainforest. Night time is magical in the shadow of the Petit Piton, which looms over the bay wrapping it in its dark blanket, with only the moon and the dim flickering lights from the tiki torches on the beach to light the night. Laying on the trampoline staring up at the stars, I felt incredibly blessed to have experienced this magical place.

Sugar Beach Resort villas. In 2013, Matt Damon booked the whole resort and bay to renew his marriage vows – so we felt a bit special being here 🙂

One of the few evenings when we clean up good to go for dinner at a truly special place

Finally it was time to move south in advance of the approaching hurricane season. We hoisted our anchor in the early am, while it was still dark, to begin our sail to Bequia in St Vincent and the Grenadines, our next destination.

View of the Petit and Gross Pitons in the early morning