St Lucia…A Milestone

On our first trip out from the States we made a plan with our friends Joe and Cheryl to meet each other in St. Lucia in February of 2013. Our original plans had been to be well south of the Virgin Islands by early 2013, but a series of events found us still in Virgin Gorda facing one last opportunity to make a longish direct passage to St Lucia.

On February 3, 2014 we headed east from Virgin Gorda into weather we knew was less than ideal. As we reached the open ocean we found strong headwinds and steep seas. We decided that the plan of beating into weather for 3 days to reach St Lucia in time was unwise; we made a “U” turn and scooted back to the Virgins. While Joe and Cheryl graciously accepted our news and tempered their disappointment with a couple of extra days at a fine St Lucia resort, Mary and I continued our slow amble around the north east Caribbean. Eventually we would travel a couple of hundred miles further to Antigua, decide we wanted a different boat, sail to the US, purchase our new ECHO, spend a summer on the Chesapeake, and eventually make a long passage from Florida back to the Virgin Islands to pick up our path where we left off. Although as we have headed south from the Virgins we are once again experiencing the excitement of new islands, it still feels as if we are somehow back tracking. On 25 May 2015, as we finally reach our previously aborted destination of St Lucia, 15 months and a few thousand miles later, we feel ourselves rejoining the glowing path of our dreams as it stretches out in front of us. A milestone!

Vision, Meshana, and Anthony

We arrived in St Lucia from the north and made our entry at Rodney Bay. Although the bay is very beautiful and protected we elected to check into the very nicely appointed Rodney Bay Marina inside the lagoon instead. It had been weeks since we were at a dock and we looked forward to a little air conditioning, unlimited wifi, and fresh water. Our first several days were spent catching up with boat chores and seeing some local sights. Upon arriving we met a couple named Vision and Meshana who offer a variety of services to cruisers. We arranged to have them do a major clean up inside and out while we concentrated on other chores. This worked out well and ECHO was soon back to 100%.

Chores

The Rodney Bay Fruit Guy

Rules…Rules

As we entered Rodney Bay we could see the 2 large hills that make up Pigeon Island and the batteries of the old fort. As this was walking distance we set off from the marina to see the sights. Our path took us through the little fishing village of Gros Islet. Where Rodney Bay Village on the opposite side of the lagoon is quite upscale with shopping and fancy restaurants, Gros Islet seems quite authentic and largely untouched by the tourism that surrounds it. Friday nights they host a big street party called “Jump Up” with street food, music, and rum (we had hoped to attend but way got detoured by happy hour at the marina.)

Gros Islet

Rodney Bay

Pigeon Island from the Bay

Kings of the Castle

Drink after Hiking

Little bit of Everything

Pigeon Island had all the attributes to make it an ideal spot for Admiral Rodney to construct a fort. Sticking out of the north west corner of St Lucia it offers a commanding view north to Martinique and south for at least 1/2 of St Lucia. Accessible summits on the twin hills placed the guns up high to protect the bay and approaches. Although not really an island since the causeway was built in the 1970s, the Pigeon Island name was retained and today it is protected as a National Park.

Vision and Meshana also offer island tours and we arranged to set off with them to see some of the sights.

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We rented a car the next couple of days to try and fill in a few areas we missed on our day tour. We traveled south down the coast and stopped at several beaches on the way. Most every beach in St Lucia that is in any way accessible by road will host a resort. The beaches, by law, are public and the resorts must allow passage to visitors. They are not required to make it a welcoming visit. Some resorts made it clear we were tolerated, but not welcome. Some welcomed us as honored guests. Different styles for sure. The highlight of our road trip was certainly our overnight at Ladera Resort.

I am something of a connoisseur of architectural location and harmony.  I love a beautiful view and always imagine how a structure could perfectly frame the view yet remain as unobtrusive as possible and not detract from the natural beauty.  Ladera Resort  has accomplished these goals to an amazing degree.  The resort is built on a semi circular crater of rock that spans the space between the Pitons about 1,000 feet above sea level.  All the structures are low and blend into the crater rim as viewed from the sea.  The topography resembles an enormous amphitheater with the resort on a mezzanine balcony 1/2 mile wide and the soaring 2,000+ foot Gros and Petite Pitons framing the vast bowl stretching a mile or so to the Caribbean Sea on stage below.  Each room has 3 walls with the side facing the sea completely open.  The rooms are constructed such that the balance of the resort is not visible from the room and each guest imagines the vista a personal panorama.  The rooms and grounds are decorated with original wood carvings, gardens, stone works, and water features.  Nothing ostentatious, quiet…elegant…and beautiful.

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As awed as I was by the resort, I am also a short attention span sort of guy.  For me, a visit of 2 or 3 days would be perfect there.  Just enough time to experience the resort and see the surrounding sights.

Next stop…the islands south of St Vincent.