Port of Call: Trinidad to St. Lucia -April 7, 2002

 

Position: Port of Call- Trinidad to St. Lucia -April 7, 2002

Leaving Trinidad to continue our `going home' cruise we had Ken and Marie Bezdicek from Mpls. join us to cruise the islands. We made a brief stop at Grenada for spices and a quick tour of the island. After a delicious lobster dinner we departed for the Grenadines on an overnight sail.

The Grenadines are a group of small islands belonging to St. Vincent. They are an ideal cruising area for sailing yachts with many beaches on the eight inhabited islands only reachable by small plane or boat. Two large bareboat charter flights operate out of St. Vincent offering both monohulls and catamarans. As a result the Grenadines are full of boats at all the anchorages. No problems because there are so many bays and beaches and room for all. One secluded island for a Special occasion is Petite St. Vincent. We stopped for a leisure drink and beach walk. It is exceptional if one desires privacy.

St. Vincent is a large island with many banana farms but is the most undeveloped island in the Caribbean. It has a few resorts but boat charter is its largest business. Young Island immediately adjacent to Kingstown is also one of the best resorts in the Caribbean and noted as a honeymoon destination. It is isolated, with each of the cottages separated by lush green tropical plants, nice beaches, outdoor showers and good food. Difficult to reach but worth the extra effort.

The next island in the chain of Windward Islands is St. Lucia. Larger than St. Vincent and more developed with better economy. Bananas are its main export with many plantations producing for Chiata. Several banana cargo ships leave the port every week to supply England and Europe. Its main port has seen a great development over the past 10 years with daily cruise ships docking on the wharf and passengers touring the island and beaches. The island has two airports, inter-island service and international service to Europe and the US.

Hess oil has a very large storage facility in a deep-water port for storing crude oil to be sent on to various refineries. The crude oil is shipped from Venezuela and the Far East. These tanks supply the Hess St. Croix refinery.

St. Lucia has an unusual terrain feature with two pitons, very pointed 1,000 ft peaks standing alone on the shore. They can be seen at a good distance from the sea and a recognizable landmark. They remind us of the Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Our guests, Ken and Marie sailed with us as far as St. Lucia before returning to Mpls. They beached, fished (Ken caught a Tuna while we were sailing) swam, kayaked, and absorbed sun until they were red. We enjoyed having them aboard.

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