Written by Mia:

We seem to just about manage to write a blog post per island stop we make. St Lucia was a really lovely stop for the Itchy Foot crew. When we were leaving Fort de France in Martinique after dropping off Clive, we were feeling blue. Everyone was very quiet, when suddenly Jon exclaimed ”Celtic Spirit! Can you believe there is another boat called the same thing as the boat we met on?” and then after checking the stats on AIS and confirming the rig configuration and the colour of the hull with binoculars, we were convinced it was indeed THE Celtic Spirit. We couldn’t hail them on the VHF but we did connect with them via FB and email so we found out it was the same Captain and First Mate and they would be in St. Lucia for a few days at the end of January and we were so excited.

As we left for St Lucia, we were saying goodbye to Sta Vast and we were sad as we have really bonded with those lovelies! I am sure that is not surprising to anyone reading this, since we gush and gush about them. Anyway, we were leaving in the morning wishing them a good trip to Dominica as we headed the other way to St Lucia, when they yelled “We are coming with you to St Lucia!!!” There was much cheering and dancing on Itchy Foot, and there might have even been a very off key version of “We’re so excited” but let’s not dwell on that.

So we set off to St Lucia flying high and we had a gorgeous crossing, with perfect wind, glorious sunshine, rather shallow turquoise water,  a lovely meal of home made chicken fingers and Roald Dahl audio books for entertainment. It was a wonderful day and as the light turned that golden colour that makes everything dramatic, we turned into Marigot Bay. This place screams, “take my picture!” and there were a few boats moving around including a party catamaran that was blaring “I feel good” and we were giggling. The next moment a dinghy came zinging out of the harbour with a James Bond flair, and all of a sudden Ansis was on Itchy Foot, helping us with lines and fenders and waving people off with a “That guy? He doesn’t even work here!” In a few minutes we were nestled in next to Celtic Spirit. We wasted no time and were soon sitting on their deck catching up with Michael, the owner,  and Geraldine, his girlfriend,  and Ansis, the first mate. What a treat! The first thing Teo did was check out the engine room and came up and complimented Michael on it, he was very impressed with all four engines. Michael complimented Teo on being a true sailor. In the evening they treated us to rum tasting and we all had a ball! Teo probably had more fun with the slingshot that Ansis and Michael gave him, but he was very well behaved and we had compliments.

The next day, Ansis came over on his paddle board and picked up Teo up to go snorkelling. He was just jumping around when they got back. Sta Vast arrived later in the day and tied up right next to us on the other side. It was so cozy to be surrounded by good friends. The kids were full of cheers of joy. Jon made a big pot of green thai curry and the adults came to dinner and the kids ate on Sta Vast, so there was in effect not a kids table but a instead a kids boat. It was a lovely evening! Marigot Bay marina comes with access to the resort’s pool and we made use of that several times. Katrien even treated me to a rum cocktail at the pool bar, such luxuries are few and far between for us and we hold them dear!

Simon hosted his 11th birthday at the local beach around the corner and we had a party, complete with bunting in the trees, bonfires for BBQ, cake and presents. Bonaire joined us and Sta Vast treated us all to a  fabulous day with yummy food, swimming and collecting coconuts and shells. Some locals came and helped us onto and off the beach with the dinghies and treated us to coconut and sugar cane. Jon made Simon a slingshot of his own and Ansis came with a palm frond hat that Simon loved!

Jon and Teo and I made a short trip down to see the Pitons, which are a pair of gorgeous mountains which are a symbol of St Lucia’s national pride. They are impressive and we had a great time snorkelling but for us the magic of St Lucia would have to be the people that we spent our time with.