Happy birthday Tracey Grace! We tried to skype Trace with no luck so we left a singing skype message for her instead. Paul and Tracey are very good friends and Robbie says Paul is his “brother from another mother” Robbie’s other best mate is also called Paul and they are coming to visit us on the 29th and I can’t wait. Maree usually cuts Robbie’s hair and she’s gonna freak when she sees what I did to his hair. Oh well maybe she will fix it!
I was first out of bed this morning, couldn’t wait to get out of Chateaublair. It just didn’t feel safe there. We had the anchor up by 7am and were on our way to Saint Lucia. Once we got past the end of the island it got rough again, but Robbie did have the lures out hoping for a Mahi Mahi but that didn’t eventuate.
We heard a familiar voice on the radio calling us about half way across the channel! Yes it was Starlet and so good to hear them again. Mark had picked up Jennifer from the airport the day before and they were heading to Soufriere Bay so we could meet up. They ordered a Tuna for Robbie to catch but it was a no show for that too.
From a distance we could see the twin Pitons. Twin peaks, covered in tropical rainforest and quite stunning. Mark had checked out the bay of Soufriere and decided that just around the corner, Jalousie Plantation, this was the better anchorage. We arrived at 1.15pm and took a mooring in the Bay. Yes its gorgeous, white sandy beach with a Hilton resort which looked to have only a few guests. There were maybe 4 people on the beach.
It was really gusty when we arrived in the bay and there is also a lot of current at the head of the bay. We were concerned about whether the mooring would hold us or not, so Robbie backed down on it up to 1000rpm and it held tight.
We picked up Mark and Jennifer in our duck, had a quick hug it was good to see them again. We headed off into the town of Soufriere so we could check in (Saint Lucia is a new country) and Mark and Jennifer needed more internet. We just received an email from Doug at Nordhavn before we left with a link to the interview he did with us all and Dirona. Here is the link if you would like to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrxAjHjkGFQ]
Soufriere is a small and very picturesque town set next to the towering Pitons. The surrounding bays are all marine park and the water is very clear. I was able to complete the check in procedures with both customs and immigration, in two different buildings very quickly. The others all had a drink at a small beachside bar whilst I did the check in. We then had a stroll through town to find the Lime store for Mark and Jennifer’s internet and the digicel for ours.
We then strolled along the waterfront, amidst local children swimming and playing, mothers sitting and chatting, fish drying, huge pet rabbits in cages, and the odd bar with young lads smoking weed and playing dominoes. The smell of the dope was quite prevalent. Some of the women had their washing strung out along the waterfront. We had another drink in a bar (where you can buy a “Climax” for $7!! It’s an energy drink!) Robbie got talked into buying a handmade walking stick for $5 EC by a local, who said he needed the money for food. Not so sure about that.
We continued on and found another bar that was more like someone’s house, kids and all. We made conversation with a couple of young kids. One small boy was 3 with his hair done up in the braids and I first thought he was a little girl, he was real cute. The little girl was 9 and she was washing dishes in a plastic container and helping her mother.
We found a nice waterfront restaurant for dinner and had the long awaited for game of 500. Robbie and Jennifer claimed the win but I’m not so sure about that. Jennifer and I snuck over to the craft shop, they had neat handmade wooden masks and turtles but were ridicously expensive. We headed back to Starlet where we watched the interview video, Doug from Nordhavn did a great job and the boats look great.
