[Matt]

Hello,

I’m leaving in 5 days with my wife from Martinique to the Grenadines, passing through St. Lucia. We have two weeks in total on a small catamaran (Mahe 36).

After doing some research, I understand that it’s best to avoid stopping in St. Vincent, especially with a small crew (risk of theft/aggressions).

My planned route:

• Le Marin
• Rodney Bay
• Soufrière
• Bequia
• Mustique
• Canouan
• Mayreau
• Tobago Cays

Then start heading back.

On the way south, sailing downwind from Soufrière to Bequia shouldn’t be too much of a problem, as long as we leave early (4-5 AM) to arrive in daylight. But I’m wondering about the return trip.

Sailing upwind from Bequia to St. Lucia (55-60NM) must take forever, right?

Any advice? I’d like to avoid arriving at night as much as possible. Of course, there’s the option of leaving around midnight and doing the entire passage overnight to arrive in the late morning, but that seems pretty rough.

Also, I’m open to any itinerary suggestions—nothing is set in stone yet.

Thanks a lot!

[Sylvain]

I also remember doing Le Marin to Marigot Bay, then Marigot Bay to Bequia, so it took two days to sail south.

Instead of Mustique, which isn’t particularly interesting, I’d go further to Union, or even Petit St. Vincent and Petite Martinique (with Morpion).

For the return trip, it’s best to plan shorter legs.

As for St. Vincent, Blue Lagoon Bay seems fairly safe (in front of the Sunsail base), not far from Kingstown.

[Dany]

Hello,

Why make two stops in St. Lucia on the way down? In my opinion, it’s better to sail south as quickly as possible to spend more time in the lower Grenadines—Petit St. Vincent is definitely worth a stop.

The return trip is much easier with shorter legs, though of course, it depends on the strength and direction of the trade winds.

In St. Vincent, we’ve often stopped at Wallilabou Bay without any issues, anchoring in front of the bar—where, by the way, the rum punch is excellent! You can also clear out of customs there, which is much easier than returning to Bequia.

At the northern tip of St. Vincent, the wind picks up significantly, and to avoid being pushed too far downwind of St. Lucia, it’s best to motor up along the coast of St. Vincent as far north as possible before crossing.

[Author]

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