Posted: 11th January 2013.
Our Services Manager Michael Crook (better known to everyone including his parents as “Nod”), has spent most of his life playing with and working on boats. We recently asked Nod about his all time favourite anchorage and here is what he had to say..
It was a tough job picking my favourite anchorage as I have sailed extensively around some amazing places including the Mediterranean, Caribbean, the east coast of the United States and across the Pacific , as well as much of Australia.
However, the stunning island of St Lucia in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean has to be my top choice with the anchorage beneath the Pitons a firm favourite. I worked onboard MY Michaela Rose for two seasons in the Caribbean, and regularly stopped and anchored beneath the Pitons two volcanic peaks which are 2000 feet high. With stern tied to the palm trees, there is arguably no more spectacular anchorage in the world!
I remember swimming off the boat in the afternoons looking up at the two sulphur peaks that are now dormant volcanoes producing sulphur springs and hot mud pools that you can sit in. The local bread fruit grows there but I recommend you give it a miss, unlike the Piton Lager Beer which goes down a treat!
To get to the nearby village of Soufriere, you can easily dinghy around the northern mountain (Petit Piton). Boat boys are there to help you tie your dinghy up to the mooring boy if you want. Soufriere exudes the sleepy charm that Caribbean towns are renowned for, although you can find ATMs and essentials here if required. Make sure you stop at the Hummingbird Beach Hotel – the best restaurant in town by far!
The National Park status means you’ll need to pay the rangers to visit the Botanical Gardens and surrounding park – but it is well worth the money. Very good snorkelling can be found to the right of the anchorage.
Remember you’re there for the mountain scenery. Sitting on a boat at sunrise with a freshly brewed cup of coffee and watching the morning rays illuminate the twin peaks of the Pitons is an experience that simply defies description.