Savannah Sky in a berth at Rodney Bay Marina, St. Lucia
Our friends Hayden and Radeen on “Island Spirit” (Island Packet 35)
More friends: George and June on “Fathom This” and Maria (missing Hugh who took the picture) on “White Pearl”
Fishermen in Bequia with a great catch of three Yellow Fin Tuna (137 lbs, 138 lbs and 137 pounds). Some say the fishermen just earned enough money for a new house.
Stag beer. Trinidad advertising claims “It’s a Man’s beer. But women like it too.”
S/Y Savannah Sky – February 8, 2025 – Log #21
Savannah Sky Position: 14 degrees 05’ N, 60 degrees 57’ W
Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, Caribbean
St. Lucia
After spending a month in Sweet Bequia it was time to set sail once again.
Leaving Bequia’s harbor at 1:30 am was quite a challenge because of all the unlit sailboats and ferries blocking our exit. It seems seamanship has been lost at sea these days.
Luckily our engine started, more about that later, and we sailed into the black of night along the west coast of surly St. Vincent.
The volcano at the north end of St. Vincent is always something to dread. Many sailing vessels have been damaged, dismasted and sunk in this treacherous stretch of water due to confused winds and seas. The volcano rules everything around it including the sea.
Savannah Sky leapt through tumultuous waves as strong trade winds filled her sails.
There was green water flying across our deck as Savannah Sky’s bow knifed through the towering sea.
Luckily our windlass was already non-functional as more salt water could not cause any more damage with the anchor bubbling underwater.
Daylight come and we just wanted to be in the lee of St. Lucia, taking shelter from wind and waves.
The picturesque St. Lucia Pitons cast long shadows across our sails as the sun rose in the east.
Winds always shift behind da islands and sailors rely on engine power to make their way up and down these leeward coasts. Savannah Sky’s engine purred like a well-trained kitten pushing us further north towards Rodney Bay, St. Lucia.
Ah the engine story…
We arrived into Rodney Bay Marina and docked in a nice slip without any drama. I switched the engine off once we were safely secured and ready for some rest.
I decided to restart the engine to check something and guess what? The engine was dead. Dead, as in DEAD.
Luckily, we managed to escape Bequia in the dark of night before our engine decided to take a rest.
It only took two weeks to get the mysterious hidden part to fix the blasted engine. It seems we have a secondary solenoid that is necessary to start our engine, unbeknownst to Captain Steve. Several hundred dollars later we had the part, repaired the engine and even got a new windlass installed and functional. Ah, life at the dock is always filled with a long list of repairs, maintenance items and of course happy hour after happy hour with oh so many sailor friends in St. Lucia.
St. Lucia’s Rodney Bay has become a mecca for sailors we have met throughout the years down in the Caribbean. It is always like coming home when we arrive here.
Restaurants, bars and even a gelato place line the “Boardwalk”, beckoning sailors to imbibe, visit with like-minded adventurers and even make new friends.
The southern Windward Islands tend to be the more remote and undeveloped part of the Eastern Caribbean. Yet Rodney Bay gives sailors a chance to experience what lies ahead, to the north, with much sought after amenities we all seek, like modern well-stocked grocery stores!
Sail on, sail on Savannah Sky…
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