A close reach on calm seas allowed us a fabulous trip to St Lucia. Rodney Bay is a tourist area with many large resorts. Shallow blue waters with sandy bottom promises good holding and a festive atmosphere. We dropped the hook between two other Tayanas and have already planned a cocktail party!

6-2 Yesterday we took the bus to the main town and walked around, did a bit of shopping and had lunch. If I was on a curse ship and this was my scheduled stop I would most likely be disappointed, but as a cruiser it was a great little town. Today we hiked up to the old fort overlooking the bay. What a great view, we took some really great pictures. Almost all of these islands have forts as the French and British fought over the islands for years.



6-3 We have become Friends with Carol and John on Aldebaran, another Tayana. We are really enjoying their company and have so much in common with them. There is a large IGY Marina here and it is almost empty so this weekend they are giving all the cruisers two free night. Tonight they are also putting on a BBQ so it will be great to meet more cruiser. We have only been at the dock for a few hours and already have meet many others. There is a pool here so we gather there to cool off. It is not terribly hot but the humidity is way up there!



Last nights Cruisers Party was a great time. It is always nice to meet cruiser and hear their tales. I love to ask about the boat name and how they decided on it. From ancestral names to the brightest star in a given constellation, everyone has put much thought into naming their home on the water. Many we met last night have been cruising for over 5 years and we were the newest in the bunch. I have organized a book exchange for this morning and a pool get together in the afternoon is a given to escape from the heat.

6-7 We have moved farther south to Soufriere, a nice little town nested among some of the highest mountains on the island. Today's adventure was to walk to the Diamond Falls and Hot Springs, about 2 miles from the dingy dock. The hot spring baths have been on existence from the 1700's and are said to have therapeutic benefits. There is a large water fall that is quite unusual. The waterfall is black in color due to the minerals in the water. It is so strange to see the water and river below bubbling over the rocks and be totally black. The property has been planted with many exotic plants, I got some fresh nutmegs (for the rum drinks) that had fallen from a tree and there was ginger and cocoa plans as well. A walk up and down the streets of the town and then a nice restaurant for lunch and a beer topped of this perfect day. It is really starting to get hot and it is amazing how much cooler it is on our boat that is anchored out in the bay, than on the streets of the town.