Month: May 2019

Leaving St Lucia we didn’t get off until 11am because of having to clear customs and a stop at the fuel dock. We intended to stay in south St Lucia overnight but once we got there the anchorage was really rolly so we decided to press on to St Vincent, 3 hours away.

Arriving at 6pm there was only one other boat in the anchorage. We discovered why quite quickly. There are alerts for crime on all of these islands but this was the first time we actually felt uncomfortable. So much so that we pulled in everything off the outside, started up the generator and a/c and locked the boat down for the evening.

Young boys and men were on paddle boards and row boats and wanted to hang on our boat and sell us things or take us on tours. We told everyone we were only there overnight but no one wanted to take no for an answer. So we moved on first thing in the morning and headed to Bequia.

Bequia is a jewel. We pulled into Admiralty Bay and dropped anchor amid all the sail boats. Lots of restaurants, craft stalls,  laundries and friendly people. Boats go around each day selling, water, ice, fuel and the laundries pick up and deliver to your boat.

There are water taxis if you don’t want to mess with a dinghy and a floating bar a couple hundred yards away. This really is too easy!

We’re now in the “off season” and some of the restaurants and services are closed or have limited hours. There still seems to be plenty of boats so it will be interesting to see how busy it gets on our return trip in December.

We spent a couple days cleaning the last of the algae and most of the barnacles off the underside of the boat. It’s a never ending process but the new bottom paint does seem to slow down the accumulation.

It was a lazy week but we ended it by having a dinner party on board which forced me to clean the inside, not my favorite thing to do.

May 4

Yaooooooo! That is the greeting of the fruit guy every morning in Rodney Bay Marina, St Lucia. And this is what you see when you look out the window.

I’m not sure his fruit is cheaper or fresher than the grocery but you can’t beat the service. I bought some bananas and mangos and he threw in a huge bag of mint so we’ve been having mojitos!

St Lucia is a beautiful island and definitely one of my favorites. The people are warm and friendly. They love to tease and have fun. Rodney Bay seems to be where everyone goes to work on their boats.

We arrived on a Monday afternoon and had barely tied up to the dock when a hoard of workers descended, each one with their own speciality. We hired someone to clean the inside of the boat, wash and wax the outside of the boat and since our dryer in not working the local laundry “Suds” picked up our sheets and towels and dropped them back at the boat all nice and clean two hours later. I could get used to this!

Day two more people showed up at the boat trying to find something that they could do for us. My inside cleaning lady showed back up and brought me some local fruit that I’ve never seen before so we might have to have a tasting session later.

There is no need to rent a car as the taxi stand is at the end of the marina and for a few dollars will take you anywhere you need to go. Linus took me to the big grocery store and came back an hour later to take me back to the boat. The next day we found the pet store for cat food and kitty litter (difficult to find in the islands sometimes) and the gourmet grocery store. The day after that he took us and a couple friends on a 4 hour sight seeing tour which included a quick stop at the “big box” store to check on a part that our friends needed.

Like most of the islands here in the south, St Lucia is very hilly and the water is deep right up to the coastline. The views from up the mountain are spectacular. It’s an island of big cities and small towns. Marigot Bay is beautiful and has a first class resort if you are interested in someplace to go off the beaten path.

We stayed a week to enjoy the amenities and wait out some weather. Next stop St Vincent and the Grenadines.