St. Lucia or Bust!

11/30/2010

Our friends Diane and Ken have been welcome crew for our whirlwind, blustery, nine country journey and Don and I were very happy to have them aboard. 

Anxious to reach St. Lucia in time for our next guest, for the first time in a long time the Starship had a schedule to meet and were forced move more quickly than we prefer. 

Ken and Diane have a beautiful villa in the mountains of St. Lucia, open for bookings, with an incredible view of the southern tip of the island and surrounded by tropical forest and farms.

Anyone interested in a fabulous tropical vacation with a local flavor let me know and we will put you in touch!

St. Lucia is another island with a colonial plantation history and formerly occupied by both the French and British at various times. 

Now independent with a thriving banana export and tourist based economy, St. Lucia is also a major yachting destination. 

The transatlantic ARC rally terminates here in Rodney Bay where we watched as the winning 80ft Swan sailboat with a crew of 10 arrived after their 2 week journey from the Canary Islands. 

We picked up our friend Mike at the airport in Viex Fort on the extreme south end of the island and then made the long winding trek back to our boat in the north via the local minibus system. 

Don and I prefer the local form of travel over a private taxi, not only cheaper but a fantastic way to see the local off the beaten track sights. 

Our next port was Soufriere and the famed twin volcanic coned Pitons of St. Lucia, rising up 2500 feet from the waterline.

 The formerly French town of Soufriere sits in the lovely curve of the bay and is a major tourist and charter boat destination.

Part of the marine park and steep to it is necessary to use the moorings provided by the park as the wind and currents here are always contrary. 

Unfortunately St. Lucia was hit hard by Hurricane Tomas in October of this year. 

Tomas was a late season surprise that devastated the banana crop and destroyed much of the pristine rainforest and tourist sites. 

The many mudslides caused by the torrential rains forced people from their homes and vastly affected the water supply. 

Still recovering, in many places water is an issue, connecting roads are still being cleared, and the local population is very frustrated with the lack of efficient government assistance.

 Despite the disaster, the town of Soufriere is full of friendly locals and interesting architecture proudly displaying its European roots.

Another thriving market, fresh citrus and excellent chicken, the incredible view of the Pitons from our boat made this a paradise.

Despite the murky runoff from the mudslides the views below the water were still incredible. 

The unusual colors of the corals due to the rich mineral runoff was amazing and seemed from another planet.

Our last day in the park brought a quick squall of 30 knot winds and rain with a rainbow straight out of a travel brochure.

A few days anchored off the southern town of Vieux Fort where our friend Ken is from allowed us to spend a little more time visiting, fishing, and swimming. 

 Next stop St. Vincent and the Grenadines……