Rodney Bay to Bequia

Hi everyone,

Last night we sailed from Rodney Bay in St Lucia to Admiralty Bay, Bequia in St Vincent & the Grenadines.  We only stayed in St Lucia for a few days.  We toured the island in 2016 as described here.  It was great to see Rodney Bay again.  It was also great to catch up with Kevin and Anna on sv Lady of Lorien.

In Bequia

Rodney Bay anchorage is very well protected but the bottom has variable holding.  We found the charted 10m deep 'trench' has excellent holding in sandy clay.  The shallower areas appear to thin sand over rock.

Yesterday we departed Rodney Bay at 1400 for the 70nm passage to Bequia, a small island south of St Vincent.  Winds were 15-20 knots E, gusting to over 30 knots.  And the NNW current ran up to 2 knots , particularly at the SW corner of islands.  Our track was 72nm and our log 80nm so the current set us back 8nm during the 16 hour passage.

Here are out track and graphs...

Track

Arrival Track

Graphs

The sail down the W coast of St Lucia was spectacular.  We had to motor for an hour through the lee of the pitons.  Once out of the lee we sailed under double-reefed (trisail sized) main and triple-furled yankee across the St Vincent Channel and down the leeward side of St Vincent.

St Lucia's Pitons

The passage was our first for a while with a good moon and little cloud.  Amazing how much nicer it is to sail in bright moonlight!

We realised we were going to arrive before dawn so reduced sail first to double-reefed main and storm jib, then to double-reefed main alone.  This reduced our boat speed to 2.5-3.0 knots and we 'ferry glided' across the channel between St Vincent and Bequia.  We arrived spot on time at dawn and picked up a mooring.  We sailed in company with sv Lady of Lorien and were in sight of them all the way.

Entering Admiralty Bay, Bequia at dawn

After tidying up the boat we contacted Daffodil's who we'd arranged as agents.  They sent a boat to collect us and Lady of Lorien and took us all ashore to the hospital.  There a nurse administered Covid tests - our own UK-sourced rapid antigen tests.  This saved us US$50 per person.  The agent service cost EC$130 per boat.

After the Covid testing we proceeded to the Bequia Revenue Office on the waterfront.  There we cleared Customs & Immigration at a cost of EC$70 for a cruising permit.  We were cleared to stay for up to 3 months.

Clear In Here!

Once cleared in we were shown around town by the Lady of Loriens who have been here before.  Many cafes and restaurants, fair supermarket considering the size of the island and good fresh produce.  It seems that there's a vibrant music scene here so we expect to stay for up to a week to explore and experience!

Trust all's well where you are!