During late 2022, St. Lucia began getting a bad reputation, especially in the southern part of the island near Soufriere. Boats were being boarded and robbed even while occupied. It would be downright scary waking up and having a machete at your neck. Thus, I understood why some people chose to skip this island all together during the early part of the 2022-23 cruising season.
We, however, didn’t skip St. Lucia, but we also did not anchor in the south. We stayed in Marigot and Rodney Bay (see Succulent St. Lucia and its Welcoming People). In these locations we were never worried about our safety during the visit, and simply relished the beauty of the island and all its lovely people.
Much to St. Lucia’s credit, after all the bad press on social media, they addressed the problem. The people who were boarding boats were caught and jailed, and the rangers and boat guys began patrolling the anchorages. Therefore, in the last few months information regarding the southern anchorages has been extremely positive and welcoming. We were so excited to hear about this turn around, because we enjoyed anchoring by the Pitons and snorkeling in the area. In addition, jumping off from the Pitons afforded a shorter passage to Bequia. So Yay!
We love coming to St. Lucia because it is an easy island to navigate, the people are friendly, it provides easy access for guest to fly in and out, and it’s beautiful!!
We arrived this spring on April 30, 2023. We had a righteous sail over from Grande Anse D’Arlet, Martinique with Ron mainly at the helm. He finally got an exhilarating sail before his return to the States. We arrived in Marigot Bay late morning. Ben and Ron went ashore and checked us into the country and talked to JJ about a rental car. We were all set!
We had a lovely dinner at JJ’s as the sun was setting. It was a perfect beginning to our extended stay in St. Lucia as we planned to be here almost a month.
May 1
Since Ron was leaving in a couple of days, we decided to rent a car and show him around. The first day we took him north towards Rodney Bay Marina and the mall to look for some souvenirs.
We stopped at Reduit Beach which was near the police station where Ben needed to purchase a driver’s license. It was a lovely white sand beach looking out over the large Rodney Bay.
We stopped at the mall, but Ron didn’t find anything he wanted to buy. So we made our way to Pigeon Island on the northwest coast of St. Lucia as it also had a few souvenir shops. In addition, we decided that the beach adjoining Pigeon Island was the perfect place to eat lunch. However, we forgot it was May 1, which was Labor Day in the islands. So most of the restaurants were closed. Nevertheless, a very entrepreneurial guy was cooking pizza with his mobile pizza oven. The pizza was delicious, and Joe’s Grill and Chill let us buy beverages and use their tables. It was a delicious lunch on the beach overlooking beautiful Rodney Bay!
After lunch we took a long scenic route up through the mountains. I had thought it might be a shortcut around the traffic, but while the views were lush, the route was anything but short. So, we headed back to Marigot Bay to relax.
May 2
The next morning, we dinghied over to JJ’s to pick up the car. We decided to go into Castries to the market for some more souvenir shopping. The market at Castries was a fun place with its many aisles of wares, and an adjacent farmers market. Driving in Castries could be a challenge but luckily Ben had a great memory for these things and found the same parking lot that we had used before. So, this time it was much easier than when we tried to drive down the one-way street the wrong way!
After a successful shopping adventure at the market and finally finding a Roti for Ron to try, we left Castries and headed south so that Ron could get a glimpse of the Pitons.
Our next stop was the chocolate shop because their delicacies were too good to be missed! In addition, the view from their restaurant was almost as good as the chocolate!
As we drove toward Soufriere we stopped along the way so that Ron could take pictures of the town and, of course, the majestic pitons. You haven’t really been to St Lucia if you haven’t seen the Pitons.
I had read about a snorkeling beach outside of Soufriere that we thought we might check out for future reference: Anse Chastanet. I found a road on Google maps leading to the beach. We turned right just before entering the town of Soufriere. We were unsure of what we might find as the road became a mere jeep trail in no time. I told Ben he could turn around, but we were in a big truck with large wheels, and he felt confident to continue. So onward we went.
Imagine our surprise when we arrived at this beautiful property of Jade Mountain, a resort located on Chastanet Beach.
We walked down a lovely path to the restaurant and the beach.
It was high tide when we arrived so there was not much beach for us to walk on as the resort had signs everywhere indicating that unless staying at the hotel, guests were allocated to the high-water mark of the beach and below.
It looked like at times this would be an excellent place to snorkel, but today the wind was light and the sargassum was everywhere rather than being blown out to sea. So we know now to check the tides and wind before making this arduous journey again, but I think we might snorkel here in the future.
As we walked back to the car, we noticed this interesting resort on the top of the mountain that looked like a cruise ship! What do you think?
We wound our way back north to JJ’s and decided that a dip in the pool was in order. It was quite refreshing as the weather was heating up!
May 3
Much to our chagrin, today was Ron’s last day. We drove on the east side of the island to the airport as it was the shortest distance, and the views of the Atlantic were spectacular. We stopped at Nikki’s Bar and Grill for a quick lunch on the way. It was fun having Ron with us and good to know that he will probably be back!
Now, we have a couple of weeks to relax, attend to boat chores and get ready for our last set of company for the sailing season. We spent a few more days in Marigot Bay before sailing to Rodney Bay where we anchored in the blue clear water and cool breezes. I made the most of our time simply to relax and enjoy being on the boat.
This weekend, we would move into Rodney Bay Marina where the boat would get a deep clean after several months at sea. We would provision and get ready for Jana and Matt to arrive next week! YAY!
May 17
Boo Hiss! Jana and Matt’s plane was late leaving DFW, so they did not make the connection in Miami. Oh well, I’ll have to wait one more day to see her smiling face.
Got lemons, make lemonade! We texted Katy and Joe from SV Inca Cross to see if they wanted to go exploring with us. We had a car. So might as well use it. They delayed their departure to Marigot, dinghied in and jumped in the car.
We went north to Cas-en-Bas beach on the northeast corner of St. Lucia as we had not explored this area yet. We traveled through some upscale homes and a golf course. The beach was known for kiteboarding. We were excited to have some beach time while watching the kite boarders, but alas, the beach was covered in sargassum. Man, oh man, this stuff can really mess up a beach! I think it would be an idyllic beach under other circumstances.
What to do now??!! We all thought that chocolate would brighten up the day. So we took off south to our favorite chocolate factory. They had recently opened a restaurant upstairs overlooking the magnificent valley and mountain views. It was a perfect place to hang out for a bit. The food was scrumptious as we had fish and chicken wraps, plantain chips and fries. They brought a quick snack while we waited for our food which consisted of yummy hot bread with chocolate pieces, sweet butter with chocolate pieces and a chocolate dip. Wow, heaven on earth! Cacoa Sainte Lucie did not disappoint whether you were craving some chocolate bon bons or a nice lunch!
We drove around for a bit more showing Katy and Joe some of our favorite sights. Then we headed back to the marina and said goodbye for a few days as we will meet up again in Marigot Bay.
May 18, 2023
Jana and Matt arrived at last! Let the fun commence. After picking them up from the airport and making a snack stop at Nikki’s Bar and Grill on Dennery Bay, we meandered through the rainforest across the island back to Rodney Bay Marina. Once they got settled in their berth and the port hull, we walked up to the shore for dinner a Le Mesa. I had heard their hamburgers were wonderful. Ben and I split one and we thought we were totally full, until we spied the gelato store!
After dinner we sat on the bow and enjoyed the cool breezes and caught up on each other’s goings on since we had last seen them in Key West.
May 19
As today was our last day to have the car at Rodney Bay Marina, we wanted to show Matt and Jana more of the lovely island of St. Lucia. We drove through Castries with the purpose of going to the market, but the town was super busy. So we moved on down south and ended up at one of my favorite beaches, Anse Cochon and Ti Kaye Resort and Spa. For a $10 entry fee, which could be used towards food and drink, we were allowed to use the beach and have lunch. We were famished so we opted for lunch at the restaurant.
After lunch we drove back toward Castries making a few scenic stops on the way.
At the market in Castries everyone completed their souvenir shopping. In addition, Jana and Matt got to see the hustle and bustle of a true island city. After making a quick stop at the grocery store, we went back to the boat to relax and make dinner of Cajun rice and sausage.
May 20
Today was the day to get out on the water. Jana and Matt had been on our boat in Kemah, but never for a sail. So we pulled out of the slip at the marina and navigated our way into the Caribbean Sea. We had about a 2 hr. sail to Marigot Bay where we would spend the next few days on a mooring ball. The day was beautiful, and the wind was blowing 20 knots. So we just pulled the jib and had leisurely sail at 7 knots down the coast. We arrived in time to moor the boat and take a dip in the cute Marigot Bay!
Afterwards we met Katy and Joe for Happy Hour at the bar by Chateau Mygo. We had a good time hanging out and visiting. Inca Cross was going back to Rodney Bay tomorrow. So we wouldn’t catch up with them again for a while.
May 21 Pool Day
The Marigot Bay Marina had changed their policy so that cruisers could use the pool for $10 a person. We couldn’t buy food or drink, but we could at least bring our own water. It was $110 per person, all inclusive, from 0900 to 1700, if you wanted food and/or drinks, but that was a little rich for our blood and we knew we wouldn’t be at the pool that long. Nevertheless, the pool was beautiful and refreshing!
We decided to dinghy over to JJ’s Mangrove Dockside for dinner. When the weather was good this restaurant afforded some of the best sunsets and tonight was spectacular as well.
May 22
Today was a cloudy, rainy day. So Ben and I stayed aboard most of the day completing some chores while Jana and Matt went to the Dolittle Beach Bar and Hurricane Hole. We all enjoyed a relaxing day, as tomorrow, Jana and Matt would be flying back to the States. Bummer, such a fast visit!
May 23
We decided to leave a little early this morning to take Jana and Matt to lunch at Cacoa St. Lucia. Then we would drive the long way around to the airport so that they could finish circumventing the island. They got to see the Pitons, Soufriere, and the most southern town, Vieux Fort. It had been a super fun visit.
Still loving St. Lucia
We had truly enjoyed our month long stay in beautiful St. Lucia. We never feared for our safety and found the people to be truly enjoyable from Vision at Rodney Bay, Nikki at the bar and grill and the lovely folks at the chocolate factory. Everywhere we went people were welcoming and helpful.
So if you skip St. Lucia you will be bypassing a gem! So don’t miss it!
It was now time to get Daggers Down ready to head south for Hurricane Season. So see ya in a couple of weeks in Grenada, our home for the next several months! Don’t worry though, we still have many more adventures in Grenada. We look forward to catching up with old friends and making new friends. Fun! Fun! Fun! Grenada here we come!
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Also scroll down to the comment section and let us know your favorite part of St. Lucia as I know we will be back next cruising season.
May 21: the sunset photo is so nice, it almost doesn’t look real. Very nice.
Hope hurricane season is a no-show this year.
Be safe and have fun.
I have promised Pat a mid-July visit, then I’m going back home for the elk rut and fall colors. James may bring his family up in early November. After that I’ll rejoin Pat and the kids’ families for the holidays and some of the winter.
Thanks! Sometimes the sunsets really do take your breathe away! Yes we hope the hurricanes stay far, far away! We are looking forward to being in Grenada again!