St Lucia to SV and Grenadines - Return vs. 1 way

Hello all. Well time of the year that we are planning our next sailing adventure. After a very successful 8 day cruise with my wife and 3 other couples on a DYC 47 Saona from Grenada to the SVGs and back - Looking to get back to the windward isles but this time thinking of starting in St Lucia. Basically this is because of flight logistics. St. Lucia has flights from Canada on multiple airlines multiples days. St, Vincent only has Air Canada Thursdays and Sundays. This would allow us to get in on a Friday, sleep aboard, get off as early as possible on the Sat and then return on the Sat as well.

We are trying to decide if we want to do a St. Lucia return cruise down to the Grenadines and back. We know that the first day down from the Pitons to Bequia will be a long sail but mostly a broad reach. We are concerned about the trip back, however. How bad can the return trip be? Is it generally as bad as the leg from the Top of Grenada - Carriacou? not sure we want to subject ourselves to 9 hours beating back

Also thinking of looking into Barefoot charters as an option. Any feed back on them? thanks!

We will be 4-5 guys (no wives this time) and we will be travelling in April 2020. thx

Jeremy

Jeremy,

The southbound legs are a fun sail.

The northbound legs from Canouan to Bequia, Bequia to St Vincent, and the northern end of St. Vincent to St. Lucia will be similar to going from Grenada to Carriacou. This can be an upwind slog especially if the wind is from the NE and you have to make multiple tacks.

Depending on how far south you wish to go (Union?), a start/stop in St. Lucia can be ambitious for 7 days. I would suggest either a 10 day charter, start/stop from St. Vincent (Barefoot, DYC or Horizon), or a one way. DYC may also allow you to drop off in St. Vincent if you wish to start in St. Lucia. We have used Barefoot 5 times with good experiences. They also have brought on some newer boats recently as their fleet was a bit long in the tooth. We have found that the best way (most reliable) to get to St. Vincent is via BGI on SVG Air. It is a bit pricey, but the peace of mind as compared to Liat is worth it for us.

We are planning a 10 day start/stop from St.Vincent later this year, and did a one way St. Vincent to Grenada last year.

We did a 11 day one-way from St. Lucia to Grenada a couple years ago. We had some great sails and it was a fun trip. The sail between St. Lucia and St. Vincent was especially fun with 20-25 knot winds and some nice sized swell. BUT, we were glad we weren't going to have to bring the boat back in those conditions. That said, the return could be a fun trip or a bumpy ride depending on wind and swell direction. We really enjoyed our visit to Mustique - though it might not be everyone's cup of tea as it is expensive and doesn't have the same barefoot beach vibe that a lot of the islands have. We did not enjoy dealing with the boat boys in St. Vincent as they were very pushy and wouldn't take no for an answer. I think if the logistics work for you a one-way to Grenada would be ideal. You don't want to spend half your trip battling into the swell and wind to get back to the base. With an early start you could wave to the St. Vincent boat boys as you sail by on your way to Bequia. Since you've already been to the area you can be selective about where you stop and maybe try a couple new places too.

BTW, how did you like the Saona? We are chartering one in the BVIs in early December. Were you on the Owner's version or the five cabin model? Plenty of storage space for clothes and other personables?

Matt

Really liked the Saona! We were on the 5 cabin version. We were 4 couples so unfortunately one of the couples had the Captains Cabin (or at least that is what I referred to cabin that is accessed from the cockpit.) This cabin was a little smaller than the other three larger cabins. We used the bunk cabin as storage for beer basically (12 beer/ person/day! = a lot of beer! ) Didn't have a problem with storage but we ate out most evenings.

Most of the time the sitting area above the bimini was full and allowed for a lot of company for the captain/helm's man. Sailing wise she performed pretty well although did not do a lot of up wind sailing. seemed to handle the swells with ease. We had a fantastic down-wind sail from Union to St. George.

Thanks for the reply. Looking forward to trying the Saona.

We just got back , along with six other friends , on a saling adventure with Dream Yacht Charter out of Martinique . We left Martinique on 10/5 and returned on the morning of 10/12 . We sailed at 10P.M. to Bequia to clear in to the Grenadines . As a bonus our captain is a great fisherman and we caught a 500 pound Blue Marlin about 2 miles off the northern coast of Bequia around 8 A.M. ,That was a memory for the ages !! After the fishing , checking in at Bequia , we set sail for Mayreau and spent he night in Salt Whistle Bay . The next day was off to the Tobago Keys for a day of exploration and snorkling . The next morning we headed south to Umbrella island , Petit St.Vincent , Palm Island and Union Island to re-stock on Ice and BEER . We left Union and went back to the Tobago Keys to spend the night . The next day was a half day sail back to Bequia and then off to St. Vincent to spend the night . St. Vincent was pure magic ! Thursday found us on our way to St. Lucia . St. Luicia was the cherry on top as we anchored in the bay between the Pitons . The next morning was spent going to the Volcano for a Mud bath to exfoliate a weeks woth of Rum and Beer away . We set sail for Martinique after lunch . About a mile off the northern tip of St. Lucia we hung into what we all thought was a even larger Marlin . After a two hour fight , we pulled up a gill net . After we had a good laugh , we drank a lot more rum and beer to rehydrate ourselves . We got into Le Marin just after the sun went down and headed to a restaurant at the dock. Early flight the next morning to Barbados , changed planes and on to Grenada . We spent the night in Grenada going and coming back from Martinique at the Radisson , Grande Anse Beach . Our group left Nashville , Tn as Boating friends and returned back home as boating Family.

Wow sounds like an amazing trip! Unfortunately we do not have the luxury of sailing at night. What happened to the Marlin? how do you eat 500 pounds of marlin in a week?

Our Chef , not a cook since she has just graduated culinary school , grilled Marlin steaks when we got to Mayreau . The next day for lunch she prepared some of it raw and it was to die for ! Our Captain froze some for the next boat travelers and the rest he gave away and traded for fresh veggies , fruits and Mahi-Mahi. The Captain could not sell any of the Marlin because he did not have a commercial fishermans license . It was treat to see how well the grapevine telegraph worked when he gave fish away at our anchorages !

The trip reports sound fantastic. I'm curious of there were any issues with crime or sketchiness? When reading some of the other reports they make it sound like this area is full of issues. Aggressive boat boys, stolen motors...I know you always need to be street smart and use common sense but curious if anyone had any issues or concerns.

Having done 10 or 11 trips through the Grenadines, leaving out of St. Lucia in the last 10 years, we've never had an issue except for a crazy banana man in Marigot Bay (my fault, I threw him a dockline as we were preparing to dock at Chateau My go and then he wanted a obscene payment for his service, ended up just giving him 10 EC). You do have to lock your dingy, motor and gas tank at night and whenever ashore.
We usually make Cumberland Bay our first stop in SVG, it's much nicer than Walilabou (sp), more restaurant choices, nicer boatboys, and more beautiful bay.
One mistake people sometimes make is when the boat boys are showing their wares, instead of just telling them they are not interested they say "maybe later/tomorrow/ ect" and then when the guy returns they feel they are being pestered.
We always have a guy tie our stern line ashore for us and usually pay 10 EC, that buys a lot of goodwill.
I've got several trip reports here on our Grenadine charters

We’ve chartered with Barefoot and I really liked them. Their chart briefing was excellent. We had an older boat but it handled well. We did have engine problems and the charter company was responsive although we had to pay for the work done and were reimbursed. When we had similar issues when on a Sunsail boat we did not have to pay. I highly suggest doing a one way. We’ve done both and felt rushed when we had to return to St. Lucia. We were pretty lucky with weather so the upwind sails weren’t too bad but still long and uncomfortable. One way is so worth it not just for the fact that you don’t have to do the slog back but because you get to see so much more of these beautiful islands. I grew up down there so I’m sort of biased I have to admit. Oh and I also recommend starting in St. Lucia...it’s such a beautiful island! The Pitons are breathtaking.

Thanks for all the responses and suggestions... as it turns out we will be returning to the BVI. Chartering a Bali 4.3 (aka a floating hotel) through DYC out of Scrub. Bequia will have to wait another couple of years...Still looking forward to going back as it will be three years. Haven't been back since before Irma.