So nothing has prepared us for this. We have made many friends as the ARC boats go their different ways many promises are made by us to meet up in some future anchorage on some Caribbean Island that until now existed only in travel brochures.

Antiqua, Martinique, Grenada, Mystique Aruba to name but a few, all of these are within easy sailing distance for Out~Rageous.

We have enjoyed the company of Kate who flew out with Lynn two weeks ago, within a very short period quickly browned and became one of the locals, together the four of us explored both inland and the leeward coast of St Lucia.

The sea is so warm we swam and snorkelled and dived in clear blue water.

We moved from Rodney Bay down to Soufriere which is a coastal town some twelve miles down the coast, the bay lies within the shadow of the Pitons which are two volcanic pinnacles which are part of the rim of St Lucia’s only Volcano.

We decided to take a taxi tour and explore some of the Island which is largely rain forest and banana plantation who export largely to the UK. Our tour included the Volcano and Botanical Gardens pictures of which are on the blog.

It rained for most of the day but who cares as it is a welcome relief and helped wash the mud off!

The local people are very much characters who are quite religious and all believe in the one God, Bob Marley. Reggie music is played throughout the island where car status is not measured in horse power but watts and the size of the sub-woofers that boom from within.

Large woolly hats that contain dread locks. The boat boys are something else offering all kinds of services as they paddle all kinds of craft carrying things from fresh fruit and veg to shells, jewellery, they will wash your boats laundry your clothes and remove your garbage, they will arrange a tour fetch your shopping anything thing you require.

The island has a certain mystique there are defiantly no go area’s but so has Falmouth on a Friday or Saturday night! The main income is tourism Last night we introduced Kate and Lynn to the fishfry and Jumpup party at Gros Isleet which basically is a street party in a normally for locals no go area where the base music rattles the loose change in your pocket. The girls so colourfully dressed strut their stuff amidst the young macho Rastafarians. The dance style varies from tribal to erotic. Fish, Chicken and Pork are cooked over charcoal in half cut oil drums and the smell is awesome.

Young ladies of the night mingle with the western holiday makers hoping for some trade also there are some very confusing looking females who are not all they appear to be, there is a story circulating amongst the ARC boats of two crew members from an all-male German crew who after completing the crossing escorted two of the said lady things back to their boat and introduced them to the crew how and when the mistake was discovered is not clear but it could not happen to a better race!

It was quite sad today to say goodbye to Gary who after sailing with us for 5,000 miles is returning to the UK, both Lynn and I will miss him greatly a man of many talents and skills his latest being number 1 rum punch and cocktail maker, a task that will fall to me so stand by for further news on that one. 

Out~Rageous