This island offers some of the most dense vegetation and rugged countryside in the entire Caribbean.  A road trip through the mountainous southern part of the island will take you through colorful Caribbean fishing villages as well as steep, narrow, and winding roads that offer stunning views of the surrounding countryside.  One of the most spectacular of the Caribbean islands for its natural beauty, a visit to the world famous Pitons is a mandatory lifetime stop for all cruising sailors.

St. Lucia is not your first choice for deserted white sand beaches and crystal clear turquoise waters, so do not come here with these expectations.   The rugged terrain drops off quickly into the ocean, providing only a few suitable anchorages; most notably; Rodney Bay, Marigot Bay, and Soufrière/Pitons.  The water inside Rodney Bay Lagoon and Marigot Bay is not ideal for swimming.   Excellent beaches with golden sand and clear waters can be found outside Rodney Bay and near the village of Soufrière, and you will be quite satisfied with them.   Remember, you’re really here for The Pitons, the mountain scenery, and natural beauty of the island.  Sit on your boat at first light with a freshly brewed cup of coffee and watch the morning sun illuminate the twin peaks of The Pitons, and this fact will hit home quite clearly.

How to Get There

St. Lucia is not real easy to get to, but not the most difficult in the Windward Island chain.  As with St. Vincent, it can be reached by air through regional hubs in Barbados and San Juan.  It is also served weekly by charter and scheduled airlines from Canada and the U.S.  Following your arrival at Hewanorra International Airport, you are faced with an hour and a half taxi ride through some winding roads and rugged terrain before you arrive at the island's only charter base, Marigot Bay. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

If you plan to charter out of St. Vincent, you will likely try to rationalize why you are leaving an area with deserted beaches of white sand to sail a very long full day, put up with some Customs inconveniences, only to arrive at a destination with fewer options.  My advice – don’t rationalize!  Just do it.  If you start thinking about it, you might come to the incorrect conclusion that it’s too much effort and stay in The Grenadines, missing out on a terrific destination.  You absolutely must visit The Pitons once in your life.

I would not recommend starting a St. Lucia cruise out of St. Vincent unless you are planning a combined St. Lucia - Grenadines package.  An excellent sail plan would involve a few days in select parts of St. Lucia, and the rest in The Grenadines.  If you are coming just for St. Lucia, then start your cruise there.

From St. Vincent, you must plan your trip around two constraints: the availability of daylight during the 9-hour passage from the south of St. Vincent to The Pitons, and the office hours of Customs in St. Vincent.  To make the trip, you must be on your way early, well before any Customs offices are open.  This means that you must clear out the day before your passage, resulting in a 2-day operation.

You can sail from Blue Lagoon to Bequia, clear out there, then haul anchor at first light to make the 9-hour passage to The Pitons. Alternately, you can sail 3 hours from Blue Lagoon to Wallilabou and clear out between the hours of 1600 – 1800 the first day.  Next morning, you would have a shorter sail to The Pitons.   The Bequia alternative is more difficult, but offers more as an overnight stop.

If you are chartering in Martinique, it makes perfect sense to include St. Lucia in your schedule.  Individually, neither island really has enough anchorages to keep you amused for an entire week, so combining the two in one adventure makes a lot of sense.  The passage between Le Marin Martinique and Rodney Bay St. Lucia is only 24 miles, and can be comfortably completed in less than a half day.

Suggested Itineraries

I have put together suggested itineraries for 7 and 10 day cruises starting out of St. Lucia.  These are only for illustrative purposes, so have a look and do your own thing.

Seven-Day St. Lucia/Martinique Cruise

 Ten-Day St. Lucia/Grenadines Cruise

Financial Planning

Almost all of the restaurants accept major credit cards, however be sure to check first.  St. Lucia is pretty good for this. You can use small denomination ($20 or lower) US currency everywhere, but expect change in local $EC.  The exchange rate is fixed - banks will give you $EC 2.6882/$US dollar for travelers cheques, $EC 2.67/$US dollar for cash, and hotels/fishermen/Boat Boys/restaurants will give you between $EC 2.5 and $EC 2.6 per US dollar.

Personally, I recommend using local $EC currency for cash transactions – there seems to be a “local” price, and a $US price, and it's not a straight conversion.

The Royal Bank of Canada in Rodney Bay has an ATM machines that accepts a credit card and PIN.  They also accept your bank card and PIN if the networks match up.  I believe they are on the “Plus” network. ATM machines are also available in Soufrière.

Security Concerns

Every now and then, I hear of some incident where somebody was robbed, a boat was broken into, or that lines tied ashore were cut.  I’m not certain how many of these stories are re-circulated from days gone by.   Aggressive Beach Boys have not made things any easier. 

Recent advances in Boat Boy behavior have gone a long way in making the visitor feel more at ease.  This is definitely not a “war zone” and if you apply a little common sense, you will be OK.

In Marigot Bay we got to know the locals and many of the community leaders.  We felt very comfortable as a result because I suspect they put the word out that we should not be bothered at all.  I did have a dinghy anchor stolen from right under my nose, probably by some young lad.  Interestingly, we put the “word” out later that evening, and the anchor was somehow “found” by the locals several weeks later.  I have learned that it is sitting behind the bar at Chateau Mygo, awaiting my return.

I never felt totally comfortable in Soufrière because of the Beach Boys.  While nothing bad actually happened, I was uncomfortable with the number of Beach Boys watching me all the time.  See the full report for more information on how to deal with this inconvenience. 

There is also a connection between boat break-ins and the release of a certain individual from jail.  When he’s out, break-ins occur.  When he’s behind bars, nothing.  The Soufrière Marine Management Area authorities can provide an updated status on this individual.  Special precautions need to be taken when he's at large.

I cannot absolutely guarantee that your trip will go without incident.  Common sense applies here, as with any travel destination. Don’t flash large sums of money around.  Lock your boat, dinghy and motor at all times you are not around.  That’s about it.

I don’t like to carry large sums of cash with me.  Instead, I carry enough to get me to the next bank location, then go for the cash withdrawal on my credit card.  To avoid interest charges on the cash advance, I pre-pay an estimated amount on the credit card.  That way, I never worry about losing cash or being robbed – I never carry enough to matter.

I also never bring any personal articles with me that would result in a major crisis if I lost them.  I pack T-shirts, shorts, and disposable personal articles.  Why bring expensive jewelry down if you’re going to spend your entire vacation petrified about losing it?   I feel safer knowing that I don’t have anything worth stealing, and if I am robbed, it’s a minor inconvenience to have the items replaced.  The peace of mind gained through this approach enhances the vacation experience.