Backtracking Part 2: Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines to St. Lucia
Backtracking Part 2:
01/03/2024
Admiralty Bay, Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines to Sourfriere, St. Lucia
By Linda
Heading out past St. Vincent with other boats on the horizon.
Bright and early, at 655am, we were off to St. Lucia! The first few hours of the passage we had nice wind. While passing by the large island of St. Vincent, we flew our screecher headsail along with the main sail. Ocean Song was sailing at 6-7 knots in 10 knots of wind. Once we passed the northern tip of St. Vincent the wind picked up and the sailing angle was less favorable, so we furled in the screecher, and unfurled the smaller jib headsail and had one reef in the mainsail. We turned on the port side engine and motor-sailed into Soufriere at 3:30pm. We were greeted by Jahleel of Jahleel Taxis and Tours and he had us on a mooring ball at the base of the famous Pitons by 400pm. It was a nice day on the water!
Ocean Song at the Petite Piton St. Lucia.
In many of the islands the host boats (or “boat boys”) have agreements and even associations to organize and alternate hosting cruising boats as they come into anchorages. Not competing for boats entering the bay makes it a lot less stressful for everyone! The host boaters are locals on small inflatable boats or hard skiff type boats. They will assist you in picking up a mooring ball and collect the fee. They can set you up with pretty much anything you need. for this they mainly work off tips. For an additional fee, they can take you to Customs and Immigration clearance, local tours, taxis,fresh produce/fish, and offer recommendations for restaurants or shopping. While it’s not required to use a host, and many cruisers wave them off, we like to support the locals. They are working hard to make an honest living and keep the area safe for cruisers.
Jahleel always happy to assist/
While at Soufriere, we toured the volcano, the botanical gardens, and took a dip in the warm springs that the hot underground volcanic gases create.
Touring the volcano.
Volcanic gases always steaming.
Mineral springs create colorful rock waterfalls.
Cocoa fruit on the tree.
Brief intro to the Botanical Gardens.
Fancy Sushi
Sunset at Rodney Bay.
On Jan. 6, we made a short 3 hour motor trip to Rodney Bay on the north side of St. Lucia. We arrived mid afternoon, ate some decent sushi, and checked out of the country. At Rodney Bay we anchored just over night, so we could continue heading north.
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