Ship’s Log Week Seven
Location: St. Lucia - 14°07’52.78”N, 60°94’96.26”W
Final miles and arrival.
At the start of Boxing Day, just after midnight, we were 83 nautical miles from our destination to the north of St Lucia in Rodney Bay.
At daylight we found ourselves surrounded by the delightful sight of a pod of dolphins, fins surfacing and dipping below the water as they swam alongside and around Walrus. The dolphins seemed to be helping Walrus on her way, going back and forward around her bow for 10-15 minutes before disappearing off into the ocean. Dolphins are cetaceans, marine mammals classified as a toothed whale, of which there are more than 36 species (excluding the 4 species of river dolphin). Onboard we have a book of whales, dolphins and seals to aid identification. The dolphins accompanying Walrus were larger than those seen previously in European waters and a distinguished black colour, about 2–2.5 meters in length. They may have been Atlantic spotted dolphins (note to self, improve knowledge of dolphin species in 2025).
About 30 nautical miles from St Lucia (on Dicky’s watch) we first spotted the faint outline of land. After 22 days at sea, you can imagine the excitement, everyone was on deck, all straining their eyes, or peering through binoculars to make out any and/or every feature of the land.
We watched with eager anticipation as the distant pale outline of the rocky Piton mountains grew more distinct and started to take shape over the course of the next 5-6 hours. Those hours felt as long as any we’d experienced since starting out on 4th December on the voyage from Las Palmas.
The winds were fluctuating up and down, they were relatively light, and Walrus was sailing with poled out foresail, making on average about 5.1 knots, sometimes dipping down as low as 4.3 knots, frustratingly. Gradually as the hours passed and the day progressed, we started to see sea birds swooping across Walrus’ bow, then a smattering of other vessels. After days and days without seeing a single other vessel, just miles of empty ocean, there was an almost overwhelming sense of being reconnected to humanity and the outside world.
Towards mid-afternoon the relief of the island started to become distinct, and we could see two mountains (the Pitons) rising from a rocky outcrop with sheer drop into the ocean, crashing waves below and wooded slopes above.
When you visit the seaside, you may have noticed you can smell the ocean. I had read that when sailors have been at sea for some time, they can smell the land. As we approached the northern most point of St Lucia and were within a mile or two of land, we debated whether and or what we could detect in terms of smells. The rocky slopes were thickly covered in dark green vegetation, there was a tiny hamlet just before the most northerly point and then nothing but rock, greenery high up and tumbling down, nearly as far as the sea, perhaps the hint of a cave or two. There was a ruined fort, the remnant of many, many past battles and, yes… a distinct smell of forest, vegetation… perhaps a hint of herb or two… at last the smell of land.
A couple of large catamarans passed us, and we rounded the corner of the rocky outcrop to reveal Rodney Bay. A plethora of gorgeous yachts were at anchor around golden beaches. A wrecked boat was beached midway between one beach and another as if in warning of the wilder side to this idyllic scene’s past. There was a large Guinness sign above a beach bar… beckoning us on.
By now we had lowered all sails and were motoring. We motored on past yachts, towards the narrow entrance to the marina on the southern side of the bay. Much studying of the available pilotage information indicated that the marina office was closed for a public holiday on Boxing Day. Our arrival on land was, as a consequence, to a mooring alongside the fuel pump and a basic supper of pasta and tomato sauce, with a celebratory beer and red wine – but no Piña Coladas.
Over the course of the morning of 27th December we moored Walrus on pontoon E berth 13. Cleared immigration… after some tooing and froing… debated whether to shower first or go ashore for a drink in one of the shoreside marina bars. Suffice to say, Piña coladas and beers won out.
It was Lydia’s last evening with us and we decided to take a water taxi to the area outside the marina and sample the flavour of real St Lucian life, heading for Dukes Place. The queue along the edge of the area with brightly coloured tables set higgledy piggledy around a tented area below a small bar and to the side of an enormous hot open grill signalled a delicious, authentic supper. The air pounded with the sound of reggae and a good St Lucian Friday Night Street Party, the bar served good strong rum punch and the food on offer was ‘lamti’ or conch and rice (no choice – you get what’s on the grill that night). We had arrived.
Next week Walrus and the preparations for the start of the World ARC on 11th January.