Caribbean Anchorages

St Lucia Security

2008-02-21T21:10:00.003Z

Following some security incidents for cruisers in St Lucia last year, Police Stations at Marigot Bay, Rodney Bay, Soufriere and Moule-a-Chique lighthouse will be maintaining a listening watch on VHF Channel 16.

Also, by dialing "HELP", "4357" on a cell or fixed line phone, you will be able to speak to emergency services in Castries.

Caribbean Customs Clearance

2008-02-21T10:08:00.003Z

On my most recent trip to the Caribbean, sailing a charter group through both the Windward and Leeward Islands, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the islands are cutting their own throats through the implementation of painful customs procedures. This fundamentally limits where you can go and when you can go.

English Harbour, Antigua was particularly dreadful and it took me some 3.5 hours to clear customs here. Papers need to be filled in SIX times to meet the needs of the Antiguan buerocracy. When you have 8-10 crew on board, this starts to become ridiculous. Presumably super yachts with even larger crews really struggle. Clearing out in Jolly Harbour took 1.5 hours. The staff were stiff and surly. I have to be honest, I will now actively discourage visits to Antigua because of this as it is likely that charter crews will suffer the loss of almost a whole day of the charter by visiting here.

St Lucia seems similar but I suspect that this is a result of poor integration between government departments.

Similarly, St Vincent can be a little onerous.

I think one of the issues is that yacht entry fees to islands are an important source of revenue and this is fine however, on this last trip for example I had to clear in and out of customs and immigration some 8 times. Inevitably, this takes up half a morning / afternoon and limits what crews can do whilst this process is taking place. This seriously damages the vacation time (particularly with American clients who have such poor holiday allowances) and leads them to the conclusion that the Caribbean is simply to beurocratic to allow a good free flowing holiday.

I do not understand why CaribCom countries cannot come up with a single scheme that issues arriving charter parties with a Smartcard that can be quickly swiped at clearance anchorages. Fees can then be quickly calculated and paid and crews and enjoy the islands quickly, spending money on the island. All the time that crews are sat on a boat waiting for Skippers to return to announce they can go ashore is time that these crews are not spending money on the islands.

Given that the typical charter crew may only visit an anchorage / island for a night or two, this can mean that islands are losing 30-40% tourist dollar spend time on their islands. Is this not more valuable to the overall wellbeing of the islands and their communities than $25EC clearance fee?

During this trip, I came across two yachtsmen, both of whom had been coming to the Caribbean for over 20 years, both had come to the conclusion that the onerous paperwork generated by these countries made the Windward & Leewards Islands a less enjoyable place to visit and thus they were both electing to move their boats North to escape this beaurocracy.

Very interested in others opinions on this as I would at some point like to make representations to government officials about this.

Bequia

2008-02-20T18:20:00.003Z

Admiralty Bay, Bequia marks the start of the Grenadines and is an ideal calling point when heading south towards Grenada. Bequia is a lively little island with a great atmosphere that I have always enjoyed.

Entrance to Admiralty Bay is simple. Be careful to ensure that you anchor is holding well here as the sandy bottom is fairly hard and it is important to ensure that it is holding. You can get some quite big gusts here in the bay from time to time.

You can clear in and out of customs here and there are a few good small supermarkets to visit for provisioning. The fresh market is also good but be very careful. I once had a charter client spend £25 (around USD$50) for a Cabbage.

Frangipani's on the front is usually full of sailors from around the globe and there are also plenty of options in terms of diving and other activities here.

I will be revisiting Bequia during my next trip through the Grenadines in April so will provide a more detailed update of the area upon my arrival.

Enjoy Bequia and enjoy The Grenadines!

Pirates of the Caribbean - Again

2008-02-17T11:13:00.001Z

Funnily enough, after my recent posting about Pirates of the Caribbean in Wallilabou, it turns out that I am taking my 3 year old son to a Pirates of the Caribbean Birthday Party this afternoon!

I look forward to the day when he is old enough to sail to Wallilabou with me and see the actual set!

Kitesurfing & Windsurfing

2008-02-17T11:03:00.003Z

I remain interested in meeting anybody in the WI who runs a Kite or Windsurf operation. I'm getting significant enquiry from people who like the idea of a Cruise n' Surf holiday aboard a 46' catamaran. If you are running such a Kite or Windsurf operation the southern Caribbean then please get in touch. I think there is some profitable and interesting business to be done here!

I'm currently in the UK and off to meet some of the Hayling Kite & Windsurfers to talk about the type of kitesurf / windsurf vacation product that they would like to see. I'll update more on this blog as we get further down the track with this.

Pirates of the Caribbean. Wallilabou, St Vincent

2008-02-16T12:00:00.004Z

A trip to the anchorage of the interestingly named Wallilabou in St Vincent to the south of St Lucia is always and interesting stop. Particularly if you've got kids on board.

With the ability to clear customs, Wallilabou makes a good stop. On shore the Pirates of the Caribbean film set is still in place and it is interesting to see how the film set looks.

With two great bars and not a lot else here, Wallilabou is worth an overnight stop.

The boat boys here can be a bit painful at first. But plenty of firm, polite "No, thank you's" should have them off your back pretty quickly.

This is a good place to clear out when heading North to St Lucia.

You may need to tie your yacht to the shore and anchor in fairly deep water here.

Be very careful of the Rum they serve you here. On one particular visit here a few years ago, most of my crew were rolling around the floor of the restaurant in an uncontrolable fashion by 8:30 in the evening. Needless to say, the Northbound Windward passage to St Lucia the next day was something of an effort for all crew aboard!

Coming Soon - Rescue at Sea

2008-02-16T00:22:00.003Z

I recently took one of our catamarans across the Atlantic Ocean, sailing from the UK to St Lucia in the Caribbean whilst participating in ARC 2007. We were involved in the rescue of 50 immigrants 300 miles off the Mauritania Coast. The boat was spotted around 1 mile behind us. It was a small 8-9m open fishing boat, 300 miles offshore with 50 people aboard it. Two of them were dead.

Read the full story here soon.

Four Seasons Hotel, Nevis

2008-02-15T16:19:00.003Z

We were dissapointed when getting a taxi from Charlestown back up to the Four Seasons Hotel, where we wanted to get a drink. Whilst we were allowed in to the Four Seasons compound, the taxi driver wasn't. The nerve of these hotels, denying local traffic. Especially when as legitimate as a taxi driver.

Nevis, New Years Eve

2008-02-15T13:37:00.000Z

Just North of Charlestown in Nevis is Pinney's Beach. On this occasion, we didn't visit the almost famous Sunshine's beach bar but instead visited Double Deuce. We got there the night before New Years and had a great time the night before.

Our man Nick landed up DJ'ing on the iPod and presented an especially lovely tune for the American Diners at the time. Dedicated to George Bush, "War. What is it good for?". It went down a storm.

This was a great time and the chef from England was excellent.

Pinneys Beach itself is a glorious spot nestled at the base of Nevis with 3,000ft of mountain towering above you. There are plenty of good mooring buoys to pick up and it is a short ride away from Charlestown by

dinghy to clear customs and so on.

The overwhelming thing about this island is just how friendly it is. It is incredibly friendly. When you ask for directions people almost take you by the hand and walk you there! Charlestown has the atmosphere of an English market town.

Don't miss this place. I'm going to go back there, spend a bit more time there and come back and make a real feature on this blog about Nevis.

Jolly Harbour, Antigua

2008-02-15T13:33:00.000Z

What a strange place. The strangest thing is the casino in Jolly Harbour. It is this huge palatial building that is half sports bar and half casino. But it is empty. It has more staff than clients. Really, Really struggled to get my head around the place.

The marina isn't bad and the beach here is great fun. Rented a couple of jet ski's here and had a great time charging around!

Atlantic Rally For Cruisers

2008-02-15T11:14:00.000Z

Owners requiring the delivery of their yacht from Europe to Caribbean for the 08/09 season please get in touch. I have completed 4 transatlantic crossings now as a commercial skipper. I have sailed both catamarans and monohulls extensively.

English Harbour, Antigua

2008-02-15T10:52:00.001Z

Famous throughout the sailing world, English Harbour is an interesting place to visit. Usually you can see a few interesting superyachts and meet up with a lot of
transient yachties.

Here if you can get space, you can tie to the dock, or you can anchor.

The rooms in the Hotel in English Harbour have received good reports although, it seems that the restaurant and bar are struggling a bit. I wouldn't recommend it particularly.

English Harbour is a nightmare for mosquitos, particularly to the North of the Harbour.

Plenty of facilities here for the yachtsman with trades of all types operating out of here and Falmouth Harbour.

Between the Pitons

2008-02-14T15:36:00.000Z

Sailing Cruisers, welcome to one of the Caribbeans most stunning anchorages. Pick up a buoy or anchor here. This is a marine park area so please be careful to observe government regulations. Rangers are active down here.

From here you have access to some of St Lucia's finest areas. On the beach you have the Jalousie Hilton. Also don't miss Ladera, one of the world's finest hotels, Bang between the Pitons, The Sulphur Springs, the rain forest, the 'drive-thru' volcano, Soufriere and a wealth of other wonderful activites.

You can use the Jalousie Hilton facilities and they have a dock that you can tie your dinghy to.

Many people sail by this anchorage in a rush to get to the Grenadines. Personally I think that a night or two here can be great.

The boat boys are generally OK here, just make sure that you agree prices with them up front.

Rodney Bay Marina - Get things fixed

2008-02-14T15:33:00.000Z

Chinaman - In the boatyard - good at fabricating and welding
Ulrich - DSL Yachting can give you plenty of advice on how to get things done and where to go.
Judah - Boatboy who can help get you provisions.

Marigot Bay St Lucia

2008-02-13T15:46:00.000Z

Just a short 1.5 - 2 hour sail from Rodney bay is Marigot Bay, one of the Caribbeans most important Hurricane Holes. Famous for its roles in assisting the British in achieving a major French defeat (you'll know why when you find it!). This place has come on enormously in the past few years.

The new resort there has really finished the place off with excellent dining, and bar. A new mall development here means that sophisticated boutiques and eateries are available. Over on the other side of Marigot, The Rain Forest Cafe remains one of the best restaurants you can visit in an anchorage in this part of the world.

Walk up the steep hill for the market. Be aware that it is very steep and you may be better getting a taxi from the road just buy the mall.

Moorings run the marina here. Contact them for a stern to berth. You can also fuel here.

Rodney Bay Marina, St Lucia

2008-02-13T15:36:00.000Z

Rodney Bay Marina is soon to have some new development works carried out under the new ownership of Island Global Yachting. Rumours have it that the pontoons are going to be changed and extended significantly and that the entrance through the cut is going to be dredged further.

Speaking to Cuthbert Didier, the marina manager, there is currently no finalised plan for the buildings.

However things remain as normal within the marina itself. Scuttlebuts continues to offer decent food as does Bosun's Locker upstairs. Cafe Ole is still great for a nice sandwich, coffee or good croissant.

The chandlery, Island Global Yachting does an excellent job here and you will find one of the better stocked chandleries in the English speaking islands here.

Down on Beach Road, by Reduit beach, everything keeps going and a bear up at the St Lucia Yacht Club, now managed by Randy is still as enjoyable as ever. What a bay!

Apparently a new restaurante / deli is opening up on the strip. Its called Delirious and is being opened by Michele & Duncan Ince. When I return to the Caribbean in March, I'll report back on what its like!

Unfortunately, The Great House is now closed meaning St Lucia has lost one of its better restaurants. Shame.

Its all really changing here now what with developments like The Landings, the changes at the marina, the Raffles development. Some are saying that St Lucia is the new Barbados. Rodney Bay is clearly at the forefront of this change.

Some have eaten at The Edge during our last trip over Christmas and the reports are that the food here is as good as it ever was.

At Cas-en-Bas essentialy over to the east of the island from Rodney Bay, Discovery Resort have built a fabulous little bar, perfect for that romantic drink.