We took our dinghy around to Le Marin on Tuesday and checked out for a Wednesday departure. Customs was again great and the check out was easy. They did not mind us checking out early and leaving the next day. This was a real help as we could set up our boat and get an early start. So at the crack of 0800 on Wednesday (an early start is how you define it), we raised anchor and set sail for Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. We had a great beam reach sail (wind on the side of the boat) to St. Lucia. The winds were about 20 knots, gusting to 25 in the channel between islands, and waves were in the 10 to 12 foot range in the channel - quite exciting. We had a double-reefed mainsail and a full 120% jib and Vagus flew at hull speed along the waves. One wave during our passage, one of those "rogue waves" people talk about, humped up beside us and broke into the cockpit. The cockpit floor was covered by a couple of inches of water but nothing went down the companionway. I was soaked, but as we travel in bathing suits, it was actually nice and refreshing. Vagus loves this point of sail and as we are moving South with prevailing easterly winds we are enjoying some of the best sailing yet. The passages between islands are usually quite lively as wind and seas funnel between the islands. Thus sea height, wind speeds, and current increase. In the lee of the islands, the seas are down and the sailing is more comfortable. We reached Rodney Bay at 1200, and anchored in a beautiful bay. In the afternoon, we checked in (simple procedure) and went out to dinner to celebrate arrival in a new country.

At Rodney Bay, we actually found a mall with many stores and some of them were duty free. Karen, the non-shopper, was ecstatic as you do need different clothes here than in Canada, mainly lots of bathing suits that you generally live in. There were also lots of marine supplies in the area so it would not be difficult getting supplies, mostly at duty free prices. They will even order in for you if they do not have them. Prices of marine parts were cheaper than in Martinique (due to the strength of the Euro) and were probably in line with US prices.

Next, we went by dinghy to Pigeon Island. The island used to be a British base and was used to harass the French on Martinique. Actually, St. Lucia changed hands between the British and French 7 times. Most of the towns and bays have French names and the people speak Creole and English. On French-speaking Martinique the people also speak Creole, so at least the island people could communicate together as the British and French played at empire building. Pigeon Island is a park and there are many remnants of the original fort. We hiked to the top of the hill to view the island and the channel between the islands. It was a fair hike and a fantastic view. There were even guns at the top with a munitions room and a cistern. It must have been a significant challenge getting those guns to the top of the rocky hill. Beside the park, a causeway had been created to connect the island to the mainland. In the causeway was a Sandals resort with a beautiful sand beach. It looked like a neat place to play. There was reasonable snorkeling on a reef just off the park. We had to anchor our dinghy in a sandy patch and swim from our dinghy to the reef.