July 15-17, 2010... St. Lucia

Thursday's trip from Martinique to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia was FANTASTIC!! We sailed the entire way and have no sea stories to tell. Nothing broke on the boat; we weren't stressed at the end of the voyage; and maybe best of all -- we arrived dry! No rain, no squalls, no salt water washdowns from waves crashing into the cockpit. We anchored in the outer bay by Pigeon Island and were visited by a French family we had seen in anchorages from the Bahamas to Puerto Rico. It was great to finally meet Fred and Blondine and the kids and trade stories. We will likely see them again as we travel down the island chain.
On Friday, we kayaked over to the lagoon to check in and out of customs, emptied our pockets at the boat supplies store, then spent the rest of the day opening and closing hatches between rain storms. The rainy season. Sigh. Saturday we moved down the coast intending to stay on a mooring in the Soufriere park -- perhaps between the Pitons mountains. But, when we got there, we could barely see the peaks, and the rain!!! We decided to head for the blue skies which seemed to be around the corner on the south coast. We anchored in Laborie, a little fishing village. Some of the kids who were swimming at the town dock came out to talk with us as we were the only boat there -- so I guess we were a novelty. As they were for us. Tomorrow, passage to St. Vincent.

Rodney Bay, St. Lucia: +14° 5' 27.18", -60° 57' 50.70"
Laborie, St. Lucia: +13° 44' 56.34", -60° 59' 48.54"