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St. Lucia

 
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rleyzac



Joined: 22 Apr 2006
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 5:58 pm    Post subject: St. Lucia Reply with quote

Anybody sailed St. Lucia? Want to go in March. Have a feeling it is not as windy as advertised? Would appreciate any info.
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scott1972



Joined: 06 Oct 2015
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 8:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Had my first adult windsurf there ten years ago and as far as I can remember was ok for beginers only. Could be that the other side of island gets more wind or wrong time of year but only light winds in the two weeks I was there.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 9:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=16772&highlight=lucia

Embarassed Cool

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Mulekick84



Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 407

PostPosted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We went there for Thanksgiving two years ago. It was really squally when we were there, but there is only one place to rent gear and getting your gear to the island is EXPENSIVE and limited. Most planes to the island cannot accommodate windsurfing gear. I only took kiting gear, but mostly sailed due to the super gusty/rainy conditions.

The rental place was sweet with great new gear. Mistral stocked! Also, tons of kite gear.

The sailing was ok at best with a couple of pretty good days. There are some nice breakers on the outside, but you have to go way out to get them and you are solo out there. Not many sailors, 3 while we were there. The shore pound was also tricky for my wife/intermediates at the windsurfing bay. It comes in fast and hard and you have to time your escapes carefully.

The negative side of the island is that there is virtually "No Employment." The island is very poor outside of the large resorts. We were staying with friends on a 40 foot sailboat. Our friends dingied in to meet us at the airport and tied their dingy to the harbor dock. When we returned an hour later, someone had stolen our gas can, gas line, and the key to the outboard. WTH!! We were in the harbor dock with a harbormaster and plenty of people around?? Theft, we were told, was a fact of life.

The sailing is on the Vieux Fort end (south) end of the island. The North end, Castries/Rodney Bay, seemed better, but the winds there are offshore and there is NO GEAR to rent.

On the bright side, they were selling weed and Bob Marley memorabilia at the flea market. And, the island is very beautiful!

We will not be going back to St. Lucia. We have traveled around the world, but it is one place I can honestly say we did not feel safe, especially on the south end (poor) end of the island where the sailing is. Walking around town is NOT recommended. You'll be the only white people around and everyone stares you down. Plus, no restaurants down there except a funky Pizza Joint.

Sorry to be so negative, but that was our experience. We had to move the sailboat up to Marigot Bay, which turned out to be 1.5 hours of mountainous driving to the sailing...RIP
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Caribchakita



Joined: 05 Jun 2001
Posts: 312
Location: Bonaire

PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 5:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Rowboat Mafia has long been notorious amongst the sailing community in St. Lucia. The woman who had Tornado in SLU has now a new center I hope to visit soon:

http://www.guanahanibeachclub.com/

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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

the lady Ann refers to is Italian, Ellena, if I remember
this is in San Salvador, Bahamas, she was very good . The place was nice.

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jfeehan



Joined: 27 Jul 1998
Posts: 156

PostPosted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I spent 4 or 5 days sailing at the windsurf centre described by Mulekick.

http://stluciawindsurfing.com/

I quite enjoyed myself.

I had just finished the (2007) ARC - a transatlantic sailboat crossing with about 200 boats, which finishes in Rodney Bay on the NW tip of the Island.

A few days after I got there, I rented a car and drove to the windsurfing spot on the SE tip of the Island.

This was roughly the week before Christmas.

The gear was fine, the little restaurant (open for lunch and dinner) was great, and the sailing was also pretty good - 5.5-6.0 for a few days.

There were not that many sailors, or kiters, and many of those that were there had also done the ARC.

I agree with the comments about the poverty - I took the opportunity to drive around and explore as much of the island as I could, and definitely found myself in a few places where I wasn't sure I was welcome. I should also say everything was fine, and maybe I was just concerned over nothing - it can be hard to tell, if you don't really know a place.

I'm not sure I would make a special trip there for the windsurfing, at least not with the family - mostly because there isn't really a good family-friendly hotel near the sailing spot.
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Caribchakita



Joined: 05 Jun 2001
Posts: 312
Location: Bonaire

PostPosted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 6:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

To U2 please send photos and a trip report..I hope to head over next year...
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