BEQUIA, SVG TO MARIGOT BAY, ST LUCIA

BEQUIA, SVG TO MARIGOT BAY, ST LUCIA

APRIL 20, 2017

We departed Bequia at 0545 hrs in the morning on Thursday April 20^th for Marigot Bay, St Lucia: 62 nm.  It is a beautiful well protected bay and considered a “Hurricane Hole”.  In the mid 90’s, I worked for Hess Oil on a docking tug in Cul de Sac Bay just three nm north of Marigot. I used to walk over the mountain to Marigot Bay.  There wasn’t much there other than a single bar/restaurant.  The entrance to the bay runs east/west so the sunsets are spectacular.  The bay is still beautiful but it is now an Official Port of Entry and the developers have built a small marina, mooring buoys, restaurants, condos, water taxis, and the myriad water sports that go with a first class yachting center.  It has been tastefully done but no longer has the intriguing charm of remoteness.

Most of the islands have found a lucrative resource in yachts:  A typical mooring buoy costs anywhere from $18-30 per night, with $30 being the usual rate.  This seems to fit in with the increased affluence in the yachting community.  There is a plethora of chartered boats, mostly catamarans, plying these waters.  All of this generated money is reflected in pricing at the marinas and on the mooring buoys.  There are still many places to anchor but the local fishermen and entrepreneurs are reducing the anchorages with mooring buoys.  It becomes difficult to anchor near boats on moorings because the swing room is different.  In many places, a yacht entering the anchorage area is greeted by a motor boat asking to escort you to a mooring buoy.  After being made fast to the buoy, the fee is paid in cash.  As long as the moorings are well cared for and inspected, it is a convenience that has merit: caveat emptor.  In times of strong winds, many poorly maintained moorings fail.  Our policy has been to research the area before going there, read reviews and rent from locally established marinas.  We visually look at the mooring pendants and lines to see if they are in reasonably good condition.  It’s hard to beat a well set anchor with adequate scope.

The sail from Bequia to St Lucia was good: E-ENE wind 15-20 kts with a favorable current.  Close in to St Vincent, the katabatic winds can be gusty and fluky.  Occasionally, we had to motor sail to overcome the calm areas created by landmass.  The straits between the islands kick up a 4-6’ sea but nothing too uncomfortable.

At 1652 hrs AST, we picked up a mooring buoy in Marigot Bay: 13-57.978’ N; 061-01.430’ W.  There is a lot of activity and noise here that detracts from the natural beauty of the area.  We decided to leave the following morning.  We were able to Check In/Check Out at the same time; no clearance fees were charged.