At the end of a long transatlantic crossing, the island of Saint Lucia is a dreamlike landfall. Its hills and Atlantic-facing cliffs emerge slowly over the horizon, taking shape in lush, tropical greens, while on the sheltered west coast, the twin conical peaks of the Pitons plunge into the sea to form one of the most breathtaking anchorages in the world.

As the destination of the ARC rally for most of its 40-year history, Rodney Bay in Saint Lucia is widely considered the gateway to the Grenadines, and is a key base for crew changes and bareboat charters. The IGY Marina situated in Rodney Bay lagoon is the principal port of entry. It’s a world class facility with a full range of marine services including a boatyard with a 75t travel hoist.

This all makes Saint Lucia a great place to recover and replenish after an Atlantic crossing or to prepare for voyaging through the Caribbean islands or onwards to Panama Canal and the Pacific.

The island is well connected with regular direct flights to the US and the UK, albeit the international airport, Hewanorra, is at the south of the island, 90 minutes’ drive from Rodney Bay. Its convenience as a transit island for crews intending to sail south to Bequia and the Tobago Cays means that many quickly leave the hustle of Rodney Bay without exploring Saint Lucia in depth. Yet the island has plenty to see, especially if you are prepared to venture inland.

The yachting haven of Marigot Bay. Photo: David Tomlinson/Getty

Recover and prepare

Rodney Bay has rapidly developed during the last decade. Supermarkets, shopping malls, restaurants, hotels for every budget, mega villas that spread ever higher up the hills have all proliferated — the area is almost unrecognisable if you’ve not been back for a few years.

Everything you would need to re-provision or repair is right at hand. “You have a real wealth of facilities around the marina and boatyard. Crews really enjoy it after the ARC and before departure for the World ARC; it’s convenient for preparations and recovery in one place and there’s plenty for crews to enjoy in the evenings,” says Paul Tetlow, managing director of World Cruising, organisers of the ARC.

Kenny Abernathy has been a sailmaker and a rigger since the early days of chartering in Saint Lucia back in the 1970s. He has pretty much seen it all – he’s certainly mended it all. His loft at Rodney Bay Marina is usually full of sails piled up for repair, predominately spinnakers and code sails. He is always a man worth listening to when it comes to preparing for a tradewinds passage.

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Egbert Charles, a marine engineer, owns MarineTek and likewise has decades of experience with engine repairs. Jon White runs Regis Electronics and is the go-to man for electrical and electronic repairs. The nearby chandlery, Island Water World, has an impressive breadth of equipment and a network that means it can source almost anything you could need.

Most work can be undertaken here, though owners of French-manufactured yachts often choose to sail north to Martinique, where there is an established dealer network.

As it has developed as its own economic hub, Rodney Bay has become very busy and is often choked with traffic to and from the capital, Castries. However, it still has its own local colour and places to see. The weekly Friday night ‘jump-up’ at Gros Islet, famed for its music and street food, is a must – generally safe, but go in a crowd, don’t stay late and don’t walk home alone.

Through The Cut – the entrance to Rodney Bay lagoon. Photo: World Cruising Club

Spinnakers Beach Bar on Reduit Beach is a must-visit for lunch and a swim with wonderful views across the white sand bay and a chilled vibe that post-ARC crews love. To escape the crowds, Pigeon Island national park is the closest place for a hike, or lunch at the delightfully unpretentious Jambe de Bois restaurant. Perhaps less well known by sailors are the beaches and cliff walks along the Atlantic coast from Cas en Bas beach, a short bike or taxi ride from the marina. Walk north from the beach, or go to try kite foiling and horse riding.

Between the Pitons

Few sailors know the island better than Ulrich Meixner. Meixner, originally from Austria, came here to work in the yacht charter business 35 years ago, loved it and stayed. Today he owns and runs DSL Yachting, a bareboat charter and yacht services business based at Rodney Bay.

What are the best things to do on the island, in his view? “To wake up between the Pitons is spectacular, and shouldn’t be missed,” he says. “And there are many other things you can do down [in the south of the island]. You can book a course to make your own chocolate. That’s great fun; I really recommend it as a group experience. Cocoa Sainte Lucie in the town of Canaries runs good workshops.”

View from The Pitons to Jalousie Bay. Photo: Elaine Bunting

If you like to go hiking, he recommends getting a local guide to explore some of the gorges near the village of Choiseul. “One of them is hundreds of feet deep and very narrow,” he says. Or, closer to the marina, climb the Mount Pimard trail, to the top of the 200m peak on the south side of Rodney Bay. Pilot book author Chris Doyle adds: “This is a great hike to do from your boat, it takes about two hours from the JQ mall dinghy dock to go up and return.”

Meixner recommends, when sailing south, stops at Anse La Raye and Soufrière, as well as the village of Laborie, although that can only accommodate three or four mid-sized boats. To the south, Vieux Fort is a popular stop the night before the passage south to St Vincent Channel, and convenient for a crew changeover.

From here, most will continue south to Bequia, and the varied islands of the Grenadines: the Canouan, Mayreau, the Tobago Cays, Union Island and Petit St Vincent.

On the way back northwards, a popular final stop in Saint Lucia is the anchorage in the shelter of Marigot Bay before returning to Rodney Bay.

The marina here is a good, secure place to leave a boat to return home, though during the hurricane-prone months between June and September, most cruisers leave the Caribbean altogether or lay-up outside the usual hurricane belt at yards in Grenada or Trinidad.

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