Coastline and anchorages
St Lucia is a relatively high island and
the W coast is often in the wind shadow
between the Pitons and Pigeon I. You
should be prepared for several miles of
motoring. If coming from Martinique
boats head directly for Rodney Bay on
the W coast.

West coast

Rodney Bay
The approach to this large bay is easy.
Anchor close to the sandy isthmus,
partly occupied by wooden buildings
with blue roofs, joining Pigeon I to the
mainland. Don’t push too far in towards
the coast as there are shallows. There is
another anchorage off Reduit Beach, a
large beach backed by a hotel complex.

Rodney Bay Marina
Located approximately in the middle of
the bay, the entrance to the access
channel is hard to spot. Quite narrow,
it has 3–3·5m in the centre, depending
on silting and the frequency of the dredging. The channel lights are often not lit and a night approach requires great care. At the entrance and inside
keep to the middle because the banks are
cluttered with rocks close to the surface.
At present the entrance itself is marked
by two lit buoys, which mark the middle
of the channel clear of the rocks. The
marina has been taken over and
modernised by an American group and
visitors are no longer allowed to moor
in the N part of the basin. Excellent new
pontoons have been put along the quay
by the marina office and lettered from
A to G. Superyachts moor at Dock 1 to
the N. Contact the dockmaster (VHF 16)
to be allotted to a visitors’ pontoon. In
total there are more than 250 berths
equipped with electricity and water with
30 more for superyachts.

Ashore A large building holds the marina
office, the immigration office and several
small shops. On the N shore you’ll find the
Rodney Bay Marine Boatyard with its 70
tonne travel-hoist and several specialist
servicesThe fuel dock is in front of the
boatyard.
Rodney Bay is very well-equipped with
maintenance services both at its marina
and further N at Yamaha Marine, Cap
Estate. One of the features of the Rodney
Bay Marina is the large number of small
and varied bar-restaurants, often lively
until the small hours. The construction
to the S of the basin of a new
supermarket, shopping centre and night
club have further added to the area’s
popularity with St Lucians at weekends
and by night.
Provisioning can be done in shops at
the marina or in the stores along the
road towards Castries. Most bars and
restaurants in the marina provide
internet access and both hire cars and
taxis are available in the area.

Marigot Bay
A picture postcard creek: white sand,
coconut trees and mangroves. Its
reputation makes it a very popular
anchorage despite its limited waters. The
entry is narrow but easy to spot sailing
close inshore thanks to a house with a
red roof on the summit of the S entry
point. Inside, hold to the centre because
the shores are not steep-to due to the
shallow waters. Take the channel
marked with buoys (somewhat
randomly lit due to missing buoys)
before reaching the long sand strip
which partially blocks entry to the inner
basin of Marigot. It’s possible to moor
outside the channel on the right bank in
5–10m.
Anchoring is permitted in the N of the
inner basin. Elsewhere, there are
mooring buoys (approx. 20) managed
by the marina office (Marina Village,
VHF 16). Marina Village also provide
about 40 berths (water, electricity, fuel)
on their pontoons on the S shore.
Ashore An office for formalities sits at the
edge of the luxurious new Marina Village
complex. There is a supermarket and
various shops and restaurants. To the far
E of the pontoons, a footbridge crosses a
mini-harbour for dinghies and small craft
and takes you to the Hurricane Hole, a very chic bar-restaurant. Another restaurant popular with the yachting crowd, Chateau Mygo, can be found on a
large pontoon S of the entry channel. You
can pull up outside the bar by free tender.
The restaurant offers local specialities.
Next door, a small chandler has nautical
supplies.

Marigot Bay (following)

In the recent past, many visiting sailors
gathered at the mangrove-edged
pontoons of JJ’s Paradise, on the edge of
the bay. The resort has a bar-restaurant
and a number of cottages in amongst the
mangroves. The former owner, a
charming local who skippered luxury
charter vessels, recently handed the
business over to a successor.
Further N, Rainforest Hideaway barrestaurant
shares a dock in a small creek
with Mango Beach Inn. Both are
surrounded by lush vegetation. To the W,
Marigot Beach Club occupies a sandy
peninsula and includes Doolittle’s
restaurant and a diving club.

Soufrière Bay

This immense bay is part of the marine
reserve managed by the SMMA. In
principle, you should moor using the
buoys provided by the organisation to
protect the seabed. These can be found
at the edge of the reefs at Rachette Point;
an excellent spot for snorkelling.
Caution
Give a wide berth to the reef
projecting from Grand Caille Point before
you alter into this large bay. The best
anchorage is in the NE of the bay after
Rachette Pt and off two restaurants.
Tucked away in the greenery, they’re
popular with yachtsmen. Avoid anchoring
too far to the right where you’ll see, under
the coconut palms, the boats and cottages
of the fishing village. In effect, that area
is reserved for local residents.

The Pitons

The second major ‘tourist’ anchorage in
the island. Its grey sand beach is fringed
with a superb coconut plantation
forming a vast green and bronze cloak
covering the sides of the valley. The
arrival of a luxury hotel complex, the
Jalousie Plantation, has breached this
wonderful green mantle and it has now
been replaced partly by buildings and
partly by a botanical garden whose
charm is more organised but less wild.
The zone is also part of a marine park
and you must moor on the buoys
provided. Even if you have to pay, this
facility means you can avoid a very iffy
anchorage given the depths and the
intermittent gusts barrelling down
between the two Pitons.
Ashore the bar and restaurant of the hotel
are upmarket but open to visitors who
fancy brunch, lunch or dinner in the lap
of luxury. The prices reflect the venue. The
complex includes a fitness club and all
sorts of water sports. A concrete pontoon
to the S is also part of the Jalousie
Plantation complex.

Other moorings of St Lucia :

Castries - Vigie Cove
Anse Cochon
Anse des Canaries
Anse Chastanet
Laborie Bay
Vieux Fort