Many cruisers have been skipping the area of Les Pitons this year due to some nasty incidents late in 2022. Recently, the cruisers networks have been reporting that it has been safer, so we decided to visit. We called ahead to local guide Jean Claude, who met us in the anchorage, guided us to a mooring and arranged a tour for us. His huge smile was a great welcome, and everyone in the area seemed to be a cousin of his!

Our anchorage stunning, between the two Pitons, with a lovely beach at the head of the bay. We went ashore for lunch, walked along the shore a little, and did some great snorkelling along the cliffs.

Next morning, Jean Claude picked us up to go on a local tour. We didn’t tackle Les Pitons (next time!) and instead did an easy hike at Tete Paul, where there were great views of les Pitons.

Our next stop was a mud bath! The water is about 100 degrees and runs down from a nearby vent in the volcano. The mud bath was a multi-step process; fortunately our guide held onto our phones so we were able to get photos without getting sediment into the phones.

We spent the afternoon swimming and snorkelling off the boat, and had an early night before making an early start the next morning for Bequia. This stay showed us the value of the sailors networks on What’s App, Facebook and elsewhere, for current information on conditions, trips, and helpful guides. We loved St Lucia and were glad to have stopped here. We always felt safe, although we took a few precautions, and everyone was friendly and helpful. Hopefully we’ll be able to stop here again on our way back north in just a few weeks.