The Caribbean from St Lucia to the British Virgin Islands

Sailing from Santa Lucia to the British Vigin Islands we visited numerous islands all different with the influence of their colonisation pasts but all, whether flat, mountains or volcanoes, with crystal clear blue seas home to colourful coral, exotic fish, dolphins and turtles and beaches with palm trees and brightly coloured vegetation. Too much to detail, so we have chosen just a few highlights. We’ll skip the many immigration and customs complications of checking the boat in and out of every island!

We first anchored in Pitons Bay, Santa Lucia, thus named because of the two mountainous volcanic plugs. Our lovely Swiss friends, Pia and Köbi, were awaiting us and not having seen them since Gran Canaria in December we had much to catch up on. We swam with turtles, «enjoyed» a mud bath at the sulphur springs and via local buses saw some of this beautiful mountainous island.

Martinique boasts the dormant volcan Mount Pelée reached by driving past fields of banana plantations. Fort-de-France is a colourful and vibrant contrast to the quiet bays. Another chance to meet up with courageous Susan and Rémi from the Port St-Louis-du-Rhône days, last seen in December in Tenerife.

Arriving for the night in Portsmouth, Dominica, we discovered that a critical part holding the mast to the boat had become unsoldered! We upped anchor and motored all night to Pointe-à-Pitre for urgent repairs. Once completed we sailed to Marie Galante and Les Saintes renowned for their beauty before sailing up and around Guadeloupe ending with a trip in our dingy up a river – Grande Rivière à Goyaves – amongst the mangroves watched by mongooses!

In English Harbour, Antigua, home to many pelicans, we visited Nelsons Dockyard and Museum. More history! In Deep Bay André dived on a 1905 wreck whose tallest mast is just visible above the surface at low tide. Diving at high tide André almost gave up but eventually found it! Snorkelling off nearby islands we saw many colourful fish such as the Parrot Fish, but were shocked to witness sometimes extensive bleaching of the coral.

A few hours sail away lies flat, sparsely populated Barbuda, We swam ashore and walked along part of the 10kms white sandy beach backed on by a salt lagoon. We were utterly alone.

We had seen and sadly were to see again, especially in Saint-Martin and the BVIs, much devastation caused by the 2017 hurricane Irma. Broken boats cast ashore, roofless churches, half-destroyed houses….By stark contrast St Barts was less affected and even the poorest houses well-maintained. The colourful architecture of the capital Gustavia has a Swedish touch. Since its discovery by Columbus in 1493 St-Barts changed hands several times finally being sold by Sweden to France in 1878 for 1 franc!

Saint Martin was fought over by the French and the Dutch. They decided to divide it between them. A Frenchman walked from the north and a Dutchman from the south and where they met a line was drawn to define the border! We left with memories of gorgeous isolated bays inhabited by iguanas and yet more turtles.

After a frosty reception in Anguilla we sailed to the BVIs apprehensive of how we would now find these idyllic islands that we first sailed around in 2003. It was indeed a shock. The attractive flower-strewn harbour of Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, was no more. Houses had been flattened and no shops existed. In Trellis Bay, Beef Island, the shores were littered with broken boats and the famous Last Resort restaurant on Bellamy Cay islet was no more. Many places we once knew no longer existed except for the legendary Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke which had been rebuilt. So extremely sad. Our friend Dominique flew into Beef Island Airport, where chickens and other animals happily cohabit, to spend 12 days cruising with us. She proved a valuable and active crew member and easy-going, which was just as well as we had failed to find much fresh food to buy. Despite the awful devastation, the BVIs have retained their magic and beauty. We revisited Salt Island, Ginger Island, Cooper Island and many others whilst discovering new places. The Baths hidden amongst granite boulders remain unique. Flat, low-lying Anegada is well-known for its secluded beaches. The large coral reefs are stunning and the lobster simply delicious!