St Lucia N13 50 W61 05

Gryphon II
Chris and Lorraine Marchant
Tue 2 Feb 2010 21:35
Heading north from Bequia the next island is St Vincent the capital island of the Grenadine group (not Grenada as one might expect). In St Vincent anchorages are so deep that yachts have to use long stern lines to tie up to trees or rocks on the shore in case the deeply planted anchor drags letting the boat drift off. Like Grenada, St Lucia and Dominica it is high, volcanic and covered in thick rainforest once away from the coast. A thick mist swirled around its peaks as we sailed by.
 
The Pitons, St Lucia 

St Lucia is an impressive landfall especially when approaching from the south. Two powerful and massive peaks thrust upward from the sea dominating the sky line and framing Soufriere. The pungent smell of the sulphur lakes in the volcanic field is all pervading and alerts the senses to the island's origins. Soufriere steams in the distance framed by the twin peaks.


Our visit here this time is short, primarily to visit the dentist mentioned in our previous log. We are on our way to Martinique and will return to St Lucia in a week's time to meet Ann and Pár who will be on board with us for a week. Meanwhile we spend 2 nights in the Marina at Rodney Bay which is a massive hurricane hole surrounded by mangrove swamp, the water is so flat and still here that it is easy to forget that one is aboard a boat. We sleep like babes in the almost perfect peace, almost perfect because there is a rowdy awful dog that insists on high pitched barking at rather unsocial hours. C'est la vie in paradise.

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