Well, before we get to St Lucia, we need to talk about the Silent Disco. This is a thing that’s been on my bucket list and finally we got to give it a go. So we were in the Squid and Anchor bar with about 50 other people and we all had our headsets on. This was a competitive Silent Disco with two channels to choose from Red or Blue. I think it was meant to be something like UK vs The Rest of the World. Who knows but it was far from silent as we all sang along to the epic tunes on our chosen channel with the two DJs encouraging each team to be louder than the other! We had a great time with Shami and Jo singing loudly and dancing the night away. It was hard to know whether the swaying was a result of the ship moving or something else but at least Jo said it wasn’t just me.
I had a good nights sleep again but we had to be up at 6-30am and by the time we went to breakfast we’d already docked in Castries, St Lucia. Our trip today was a 6 hours trip on a catamaran to Pigeon Island and then the famous Pitons. This would be another big bucket list tick for me. There was a bit of phaffing about whilst they got us organised and then we just walked a short distance along the dock to our beautiful, huge catamaran called Carnival of the Seas. On board there was plenty of space for the 50 or so people taking the trip and we wisely chose to sit in the shade. The crew were introduced by Samantha the tour guide and they were all lovely and friendly and helpful all day.
We set sail along the west coast of the island upto Pigeon Island National Landmark. St Lucia did not disappoint with its lush tropical vegetation, mountainous backdrop and beautiful blue waters. Pigeon Island is a fortified rocky outcrop right at the top of the island. It’s famous for being the site of the battle between the French and the British who swapped the control of the island 14 times between the mid 1600s and early 1800s. There is a lovely park where the St Lucia Jazz Festival takes place and there are a couple of gorgeous sandy coves with turquoise waters.
But this morning we fancied a hike so we made our way to the fortifications at the top of Pigeon Island. It was a steep and hot climb but the 360 degree views were well worth the effort. There was no time for a swim as when we got back it was time to get back on board.
Now we turned round and sailed south again and as we did they announced that it was time for lunch. It was only 11am but as soon as they put a big bowl of salad on the table, the whole boatful of starving wretches jumped up and formed a disorderly queue. It was like some sort of feeding frenzy and Jane and I watched agog as the queue went twice round the boat and out onto the sunbathing nets . How come these people were so keen to eat? Was it because:
A) it was at least 2 hours since they’d eaten their full English breakfasts?
B) they’d read on Trip Advisor that the Cajun Chicken legs were likely to run out
C) they were all very keen snorkellers who wanted to fully digest their food before our next swim stop?
Who knows but eventually the crew got everyone organised and fed the starving masses. Jane and I meanwhile sat patiently and waited for the queue to shrink. Lunch was in fact very good and Jane particularly enjoyed her Bob Marley Fish!! Or was it Mahi Mahi that the lady said?!
After lunch we sailed a bit further and pulled into another tropical sandy cove where we could snorkel. It was called the Bay of Pigs but not THE Bay of Pigs. It seemed appropriate after the lunchtime feeding frenzy. Jane obviously did not partake in this activity after her recent history but I gave it a little go. It was a-bit crowded but I saw some nice coral on the huge boulders and a few fish. We only had about 30mins but it just wasn’t the same without Jane and her wonderment at the underwater world.
Now we’d finished snorkelling it was time for Ruby to serve the rum punch as we sailed along until we got the classic side by side view of the Pitons. These are ancient Volcanic plugs and truly impressive. We didn’t really get as close as I would have liked but I managed to do a little sketch.
On our way back we took a little detour into Marigot Bay. This was an absolutely stunning inlet with deep emerald green waters, white sand coves with colourful saily boats and skinny palm trees. Wow…now here’s a place we could return to!
We sailed back to Castries listening to gentle reggae music and drinking a few more rum punches! What a superb day it had been and it was only 3-30pm with the rest of the evening yet to come….
Where shall we go to next? 