logo Imagine Of Falmouth Online Log
Date: 10 Jun 2009 15:20:00
Title: Soufriere, St Lucia
[<< Prev Post] | [Next Post >>]
[Back to Index/Map]

Weds 10th June 09 to Thurs 11th June 09

We've been in Rodney Bay long enough now to get all our chores done so time to move on.  We've decided to head a little further south to Soufriere, home of The Pitons.  We've been there before but not seen much of the place so we're going to do an organised tour this time.  Astarté and Marie Galante have already left St Lucia and Nunki will be following us to Soufriere shortly.  The winds were fluky all day ranging from as little as 6 knots to a bracing 28 knots and we sailed pretty much on a beam reach for most of the way.  Not a quick trip, doing 17 miles in 4 hours but quite pleasant.  It's good to be moving on again.  We had the fishing rod out all day and guess what?  No fish, even with the new lures and fishing handbook!

                                                              
                                                                                          Approaching Soufriere and the Pitons

We initially took a mooring ball in the north of the bay by the Bat Caves but the swell was horrendous so we headed to the southern part of the bay to a place called Malgretout where Shane, one of the boat boys helped us pick up a mooring ball (we didn't really need help but what do you do) and told us that the Rangers would be around later to collect the mooring charge.  There's no anchoring allowed here. 

What a beautiful, sheltered bay.  We are moored right below the Petit Piton (the smaller one although in the pic above it looks taller) which is 2,460 ft high (the other one is called the Gros Piton and stands at 2,619 Ft high), there are no other boats around, the sun is out and there's no swell.  Fabulous.  There is a strong current here though and we keep banging the mooring ball as the wind and current are not working together!  We later put a stern anchor out to keep us off the ball, with permission from the Rangers of course!  We had a lovely refreshing snorkel in the clearest water.  There's a large sand eel garden right under the boat and we spotted a couple of flounders and a crab on the seabed along with the usual conch, small fish etc.  Not too much else to see really and we know the snorkelling is much better over by the Bat Caves but we're not prepared to put up with that swell so we don't mind too much. Nunki arrived a little later and took a ball just behind us.  Tomorrow, the 4 of us have arranged to go on a sight seeing tour together.

                                                                           
                                                                                               Moored below the Petit Piton

Shane picked us all up in his water taxi this morning and took us on a very speedy trip to the town where a land taxi was waiting for us.  Our first stop, the Diamond Botanical Gardens.

      

    
                                            Trembler                                                                                                          Hummingbird

   
                                                                                 Amazing flowers - can't remember their names!

     
                                   It's a jungle in here.                                                              One of the rivers naturally discoloured by the Sulphur springs

        
                                           Heliconia                                                                                         One of the many waterfalls

Next stop the Sulphur Springs.  Quite impressive but very smelly!  It reminded me of chemistry lessons at school.  Remember the one with the iron filings?!?!!?

    

And finally a dip in one of the hot baths fed by the Sulphur Springs.  The water was very warm and actually quite hot under the waterfall.  Thankfully there wasn't a hint of the smell of sulphur!  The water is naturally filtered as it makes its way to the baths so I guess the smell disappears on its way down.

                               

It was a good half days tour and we later headed back to town for a very late lunch - chicken roti. Yummy!  It's been a very hot day and the cold Piton beers went down a treat too.  Jon and I had brought the boat papers with us so we nipped into Customs & Immigration to clear out of the country as we'd like a fairly early start tomorrow morning for the trip to St Vincent.  Shane then took us all back to our respective boats.

                                                          
                                                                      A great view of Soufriere taken on the taxi drive back to town
[<< Prev Post] | [Next Post >>]
[Back to Index/Map]

Diary Entries