Bequia to St Lucia 17 March 2010

Given the trade winds had been light for a few days I decided to sail north up the east or windward side of St Vincent to reach the southern tip of St Lucia. The benefit of this was to avoid the erratic and often very strong winds encountered on the west side of the island caused by the valleys and mountains. Sam joined us in his Shannon 51 foot ketch. We kept together all the way north although by the halfway stage Plane Song began to overhaul the larger yacht. We both took some action pictures en route on what turned out to be a wonderful sail in near perfect conditions.

We checked into St Lucia at Vieux Fort which has a container port and the main airport where Mary would land two days later. It was the easiest check in todate and best of all didn't incur any charges unlike any of the other ports of entry. The town itself is very poor but does have a reasonable supermarket to stock up at. The anchorage suffered from blustery winds and junk on the sea bed which snagged anchors on at least 2 yachts including PS.

Mary arrived on time laden with all the many things which can only be obtained in the UK. The next morning we set off for the Pitons with Sam and Semezana for company. It was a memorable short sail with only the main up we covered the ground at over 11 knots at one stage with 4.5 of current underneath us. To add some spice we had to round up into 34 knots of wind to get the main down.

The Pitons which I suppose are volcanic plugs are truly spectacular. Mary had her first taste of snorkeling and was greatly impressed. Later we toured what is billed as a drive in volcano and bathed in hot sulphurous baths-my first bath for 6 months! It was a wonderfully relaxing experience. Later we dined at the Harmony Beach restaurant which has the most spectacular view out over the bay.