TravelTalkOnline Forums Trip Reports (Read Only) Trip Report and Photo Archives Day 5 - St. Lucia

19 Dec. 2011
We awoke to a beautiful morning with in the bay as some of the larger yachts were getting underway. After showers we had cereal and fresh fruit onboard for breakfast. We had intended to clear out of St. Lucia here, but by 9:00 the customs official had still not shown up at the office and it was getting too late to try to make our intended waypoint of Wallilabou Bay in St. Vincent. Dan decided that we would sail down to Soufriere and check out there, spending the night in the shadow of the Pitons.

Underway

Approaching the Pitons
While Dan and Em were clearing out we strolled around the quaint town of Soufriere, one of my favorite towns in the Caribbean. Our first stop was the gift shop owned by St. Lucia Debs, a destination expert on TA. It was funny because a couple years ago on my first visit here she directed me to Archie’s when I enquired about a good local restaurant, and to this day it remains my favorite in Soufriere, yet I didn’t realize until recently who she was. We bought some tee shirts and local concoctions then headed off for a couple drinks. Our first stop was the Creole Waterfront Restaurant, located upstairs in a building that had seen better days. From there we hit a couple more places finally ending up at a food and drink shack next to the Hummingbird. The nice young lady who runs the place sat and chatted with us as we drank our Pitons and watched the many chickens chase each other around the trees.

Having a drink on the beach with Petit Piton in the background
We phoned Dan to meet us at the dingy dock and while we were waiting a young lad asked if we would throw some coins in the sea so he could retrieve them. I flipped 3 EC dollars in as he dove and he quickly came up clutching all three. There were a couple young boys swimming alongside the dock and I gave them each one of the fishing kits I had put together for the trip. The kits are packed in ziplock bags and contain some line on a wooden spool, a cork with fish hooks, a sinker and float. The boys were very happy to receive them and thanked us profusely with smiles from ear to ear. An older Rasta who was standing on the dock gave us a nod and smile for our generosity towards the young lads. Dinner was to be at Harmony Beach Restaurant, Dan phoned Benny for the nights menu and we placed our order, and arranged to be picked up around 7:00. As always we were not disappointed with the meal at Benny’s, I had the mahi-mahi with garlic sauce. The large pieces of fresh fish were served with plantains, and a garden salad; rice, mashed yams and steamed veg (carrots and christophine) were served family style. We all settled on the bananas flambeau for dessert. The meal with tax and tip was 85 EC each. Back to the boat we went, but as the swell was running quite vigorously it was a very rolly night at anchor.

Sunset at anchor