Ile de Saintes to St. Lucia

Ile de Saint was a great stop.  The harbor can be a little rolly, but its beautiful and the water is clear.  The shore is lined with French 'plat du jour' type restaurants and other café type places often labeled as bars in the European tradition. They aren't actually bars, but serve food and alcohol at such a slow pace that you actually get thirsty drinking there. I don't know what it is, but some cultures just don't understand the concept of a 'bar'.


The harbor at Ile de Saintes

On Wednesday July 23rd, I slipped the mooring and headed south toward St. Lucia.  For once the weather was forecast to be mild, and there were no squalls on the horizon. With steady east winds, Valkyrie took off toward Dominica at around 5 knots.  After about 5 hours I reached the north end of Dominica, and the wind gradually died as the mountains blocked the breeze from the east.  Dominica is said to be one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean with tall jagged mountains, rivers and dramatic waterfalls. Sometimes I find natural beauty a bit dull, so I continued on with the feeling that I'd stop someday when I have more time.  Toward evening, I approached Martinique, and the wind again lightened to almost nothing in the wind shadow of the Island, so I motored southward on the calm moonlit water. 

 

The next morning Valkyrie passed the south end of Martinique and turned easterly toward St. Lucia.  The wind by this time had filled in from the ESE at about15-20 knots, and it was actually a tough beat into Rodney Bay.  Arriving at the mouth of Rodney Bay, the wind increased to around 25 knots from the east, and I was getting a bit nervous about docking in the marina, especially since no one would answer me on the VHF, and there were 3 other boats also circling trying to get an answer on the radio.  After waiting a few minutes, I put out some lines and fenders and headed in the narrow cut to the marina.  About 20 yards from the docks, I tried the radio once more, and the dock master immediately answered and directed me to a very convenient slip were I tied Valkyrie up without incident.  Rodney Bay is a very nice marina complex, and while the wind blows fairly steadily, the water is flat calm and landlocked on all sides.  Most of the vessels here this time of year are either waiting out the hurricane season, or local commercial boats. 

This is my 3rd time visiting St. Lucia, so I know my way around fairly well.  Its a large island, and most everything is available here.  I don't know why, but the locals seem much more friendly here than St. Thomas.  I understand why some cruisers never leave here.  Rodney Bay Marina is very convenient and you can dinghy to nearby shopping malls and beaches.  At the end of the Dock, there is a bar called the Boardwalk, and I spent lots of time there.  Below is a picture of the lovely ladies that work at the Boardwalk.

There always seemed to be three or four of them working, even if there was only a couple of customers.