Location: Soufriere, St Lucia
The day really began yesterday when watch teams 1 and 3 mustered on deck at 23:45 to slip the mooring and set sail for St Lucia. The passage was nice, a little swelly between Bequia and St Vincent, then a quiet motor in the lee of St Vincent. Upon reaching the northern tip of St Vincent, watch team 2 put another reef in the main as we motored out into the channel. Unfortunately, the wind was from the northeast, so it was a fairly upwind motor sail, but still enjoyable. At about 07:30, the crew was awakened for breakfast, enjoying a good bowl of cereal on deck as the creepy-looking Pitons emerged from the hazy clouds. We picked up a mooring in the shadow of Petit Piton – which is still huge – and all enjoyed a swim in the crystal clear and deep water. At 09:00, we began BA while Dan cleared us into customs, and I restocked with some fresh provisions. After lunch, we meet James for our tour of the Soufriere area. Stopping off at the botanical gardens, the “drive-in” volcano, and then bathing in hot sulfur spring pools and waterfalls. We were back on the boat for showers and dinner. After dinner, we watched a movie on Soufriere and the SMMA (Soufriere Marine Management Area) in preparation for our Reef Check surveys tomorrow.