12 may 2025
Monday, we get up early to be able to fill up with diesel and water at the marina around 8:00. And, rain again, until we moor at the Fuel Dock. All water tanks and jerry cans are filled again and the diesel tank is full. It is 9:30 when we leave the marina. We sail out of the bay on the engine and Genoa. Large rain clouds hang over the land and we have occasional small showers, not too bad. A number of boats sail in the same direction. We hope to get a mooring at Soufrière close to the village. On various sites and Facebook we come across the name of a reliable ‘boat boy’ called `Jahleel`.
We want to contact Jahleel by whatsapp just before we arrive. At 5 miles distance a very fast boat suddenly arrives, we tell the man that we are in contact with `Jehleel`. When we get closer we whatsapp Jahleel and explain that we would like help finding a mooring. As soon as we see Soufrière the rain starts to pour down. Not only rain but also thunder and I hate that. We thought we had a lot of rain yesterday, but this surpasses everything. A boat arrives and the man says that Jahleel sent him because he is busy with another boat. Unfortunately, one of the sailing boats we saw along the way beats us to a nice mooring. We are now a bit further away from the village. Jahleel also comes by to give us information about possible tours, we agree to app him if we want to do something. We give the boat boy who helped us EC$20.00 (€6.50), an amount that was advised. It continues to rain very hard, everything is wet, clothes and the cushions in the cockpit. We have just tied up when a boat in front of us moors. This boat is very close and also the boat in front of them. Because the wind drops, we turn in all directions and the neighboring boat comes very close. We both shorten the lines of the mooring and hope that this is enough. Now only the ball is banging against the boat again, nothing can be done for now. We hang the wet clothes in the shower to dry. As soon as it is a bit drier, we tidy up outside a bit and make the lines rattle free. Suddenly a large burst vein is visible on my left wrist, a bruise, swollen and painful. I have no idea how this happened. As soon as we are inside, Fred gives me a pack of frozen meat (which we are going to eat tonight) to cool my wrist. It helps a bit, but I should probably just let it rest as much as possible. We look on the internet for interesting things to see here and conclude that most of the tours that are offered are very expensive, usually over $ 100.00 per person. As described before, there are waterfalls and mud baths quite close by, but we also read that if there is a lot of rain it is closed. I can imagine that, the road to it will be almost impassable after all that rain. According to the weather forecast it does not look like it will stop raining for a while.
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13 may 2025
Saint Lucia is located in the tropical zone and has a tropical rainforest climate. The rainy season in Saint Lucia officially starts in June and lasts until December, after which the drier season begins. The average annual rainfall is 2300 mm on the coast to 3800 mm inland (for comparison: the Netherlands and Belgium average around 800 mm per year). We think the season has already started!
After a good night’s sleep, we see that a boat has left behind us and we decide to take this mooring. A little further from the shore (and the rocks) and also further from the mooring in front of us. The moment I grab the mooring line, too much force is applied, causing me to let the boat hook slip out of my hands. Fortunately, it is one that floats. I dive into the water and swim to it, which is not easy without swimming flippers and a current. But… I make it. Climb back on board and we go for attempt two. This works and now we are in a much more favorable position compared to other boats. We hang the wet laundry outside and yes, a little later it starts to rain again. During the day, the sun alternates with rain showers. My wrist is doing a bit better now, it is still painful, but less swollen. In addition to trying to dry all the wet clothes, we continued with our website. We also laze around a bit while waiting for better weather. To be continued!
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