Saint Lucia > Sailing Around Saint Lucia

The ship docks in the harbor of Castries, the capital of Saint Lucia. When I look out from my balcony, I recognize the surroundings from last year. Last year we took a tour to the two Pitons mountain peaks and the sulfur springs. Today we board a catamaran to view the Pitons from the sea. At the pier, everyone receives a colored wristband. Each group consists of sixteen people. When everyone is present, we walk to the boat. This surprises me because according to the program, we were supposed to first drive part of the way in a jeep and then transfer to the catamaran. It turns out there are two groups. We do the route in reverse order. The other group boards this afternoon. The order does not really matter much. From the foredeck, we see the captain sail the boat out of the harbor using the motor. Then he sets course along the west coast of Saint Lucia. The sun is shining and there is a strong wind. The foresail is raised, but the motor remains the main propulsion. I order a drink and enjoy the view. We start talking with an older German couple, Klaus and Diana. They originally come from Wiesbaden. Fortunately, they also speak a little English.

Saint Lucia - On board the catamaran around Saint Lucia

At least they understand it. Because of the conversation, I don’t even realize we have already approached the volcanic crater with the famous two Pitons. From the sea, I see the town of Soufrière lying inside the old crater. The large crater exploded 300,000 years ago. The crater rim shows the enormous size of the volcano at that time. The Pitons are two pointed mountains formed by lava and volcanic rock. The highest of the two is almost 800 meters tall. After viewing the Pitons, the ship turns around. We sail back a bit to dock in a bay by a beach. The beach is only accessible by swimming. I jump into the sea water. It’s not cold. The sea’s swell creates a current. If you stay still, you’re gently rocked back and forth. After three quarters of an hour, everyone is back on board. The captain signals with three short blasts that we are about to leave. Rum punch is available at the bar. There are also bananas, sandwiches, and cakes.

Saint Lucia - The two famous mountain peaks of Saint Lucia

The captain sails the catamaran into Margarot Bay. This is sometimes called the most beautiful bay in the Caribbean. This location has often been the backdrop for films. When we dock, the jeeps have not yet arrived. We have to wait a while. When they arrive with the afternoon group, chaos erupts again over jeep assignments. And this while everyone already has a colored wristband. One staff member calls the red group forward, another simultaneously calls the green and blue groups. Eventually, everyone gets into a vehicle. Deasy guides our jeep. He talks enthusiastically and at length about Saint Lucia as we drive around the island. We stop at a rum shop and in the fishing village of Anse la Raye. Despite Deasy’s enthusiasm, I notice that I’m no longer absorbing his information well. I’m fine with going back to the ship. I see we are approaching Castries. From a hill, there is another viewpoint on the ship. How big a cruise ship is compared to the city. Around half past three, we are back in the harbor. We decide not to go into Castries anymore. In the buffet restaurant on deck nine, we have something simple to eat.

Saint Lucia - One of the most beautiful bays of Saint Lucia

Then we go with a drink to our own cabin. At six o’clock the lines are cast off. The AIDA Perla leaves the harbor of Castries. From our balcony, we see Saint Vincent slowly get smaller. Tonight we have a reservation at the Steak House restaurant at eight o’clock. Before that, there is a German comedian in the theater. His show mainly focuses on the absurd aspects of traveling. For example, he mocks reserving seats with towels and airplane boarding. It’s a fun show, but I don’t always catch the jokes in German. At eight, we check in at the Steak House restaurant. When we sit at the table, it turns out this restaurant is not included in the cruise package. We decide not to pay extra for the meal and cancel the reservation. We also cancel reservations for the coming days. Because the wine had already been poured (which was included), we take our glasses to the buffet restaurant. We have to hurry here because it closes at nine o’clock. We finish our dinner just in time. Apart from a repeat of the comedian’s show or a movie on deck 14, there is not much happening on the ship. We check out the special bar at the very front of the ship. It’s quiet here as well. We order another drink and take it back to the cabin. It was a nice day today.