You don’t want to be on “the list!”
Yesterday, I posted that many cruisers opt to spend Christmas in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, or at least they did last year. There are two reasons why it’s unlikely that we’ll be there for the holidays. The first is that the island of St. Lucia is quite far from Trinidad and I don’t think we’ll be too motivated to make that big of a run right after leaving here. The second is that, in spite of the fun times that we have had there, the island has recently worked itself onto the top of our “shit list,” or at least certain parts of it have.
Long-time followers, or those who have started reading from the beginning, might remember the incident I wrote about that occurred the first time we visited Vieux Fort in St. Lucia. And perhaps you might also remember the warning we received from the police the second time we visited Vieux Fort. Old news? Hardly! Our friend JUST had his boat broken into and robbed while he was in Vieux Fort. Decidedly not cool! Check out his video below.
Now, just so that you don’t think that the security problems are isolated only to Vieux Fort, you might want to recall the fact that someone attempted to steal our dinghy when we were in Rodney Bay! Also, not cool.
Now these are concrete, factual examples, and there are others, but of a less objective nature, we have found that quite a number of the people that we have interacted with in St. Lucia have a bit of an “edge” to them, certainly more so than on other islands. Like most people, I really dislike feeling as if people talking with me have an ulterior motive, nor do I appreciate being hassled. I don’t wish to paint the entire island with the same brush but this is an observation that has been shared by a number of our friends.
Some years ago the island of Dominica had acquired a bit of a bad reputation and many cruisers avoided stopping there. Since that time they have really cleaned up their act and now it’s a very safe place to stop, Portsmouth especially where the boat boys conduct nightly security patrols in the anchorage. Luperon in the DR also got a lot of bad press and cruisers began avoiding that place as well. Although we had a pleasant enough time in Luperon, from what I have read, I don’t think those in charge have yet to figure out a solution to their (government) problems. Unless some steps are taken, I fear that St. Lucia may be heading down the same path and experience a downturn in cruisers traffic similar to these other spots. Or perhaps not, what do I know? The only thing I’m certain of is that, with so many great places to visit and so little time to spend at them, we can afford to be choosy about the islands we travel to and where we spend our money. As such, St. Lucia might just get a pass this season.
No island has a monopoly on beautiful beaches. It would pay those in St. Lucia to remember that.
Bummer about Vagabundo. 🙁 I have to say with reports such as this as well as other first hand accounts I’ve read, we are going to skip St. Lucia. Too many other islands with folks who actually want you to visit.
My dilemma in posting this is that St. Lucia does actually have a lot to offer. If it were me reading this on our first trip south, I would probably still want to go there. We have been to the island multiple times though and know that there are places which are safer and more welcoming. For those who do still want to go to St. Lucia and see the Pitons, etc, skip Vieux Fort. It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to offer the cruiser not to mention the fact that, if you are heading south, sailing there against the prevailing current is a bear!
Most of the Caribbean is third world, and “rich” cruisers are an inviting target. From my experiences down there, I don’t think St. Lucia is any worse nor any better than anywhere else.
I’ve done two things to deal with burglaries.
1) I never lock my boat, since a pane of glass or a piece of wood isn’t going to keep anyone from getting inside. Why deal with repairing your boat in addition to being robbed?
2) I have two 80 pound pit bulls who live on board with us. 🙂
Your dogs are no doubt a GREAT deterrent if they are on board when you are not. Much more so that our cat. 🙂
I do disagree 100% with your opinion that all of the Caribbean islands are equal. The incidents I cited with respect to St. Lucia are first hand accounts and I have plenty more lesser ones relating to the attitude of locals. I can’t think of a single negative experience on St. Vincent and Dominica and we spent a month on each of those islands. We also feel completely safe on Grenada, which is not to say that we don’t lock our dinghy and lock our boat. Your milage may vary.
It’s these reports from people on the ground that are one of the best ways to find out what’s really going on. It’s a big heads up.
Who knows? Others may have a totally different take on it.
Great video! Really sad to see that happen. You are right, dont think your cat will do much. Security systems are nice but require too much energy. A Kevlar or titanium metal might be strong enough so they can’t break in. Then have 10 different keys to access the cabin. OR, I can follow your blog and see your experiences of theft and avoid problematic places.
There are no guarantees. Just recently, a boat was reportedly boarded in Bequia while the owners slept and they had a pressure-sentive alarm mat on the boat. The thieves either knew what it was or, simply by luck, missed stepping on it.
I was in St. Lucia some 36 years ago…. The was problems even then. People were recommended not to travel off the resort. Some did… One was raped and robbed . I agree some islands are worse than others.
Awww that sucks to hear. As a St. Lucian living in NYC who loves your blog, this was a bit disappointing to read. I attended school in Vieux Fort as a kid and it was one of the most feared places at the time, one of the first places on the Island to have gun violence. I’m glad you were able to put your stuff back together, and admire the positive attitude that you plan to move forward with. I am going to visit Trinidad for the first time in Feb for Carnival, I have been reading some horror stories on the web and first-hand accounts from friends, however I would love to hear you take on the friendliness of people and the general atmosphere there.
Hi Garnet
Just so there is no confusion, the person who was robbed was our friend, not us. He is much more forgiving that I am!
It is a sad story because, as you know, St. Lucia is beautiful. Hopefully something will be done to curb the current state of affairs.
As for Carnival in Trini, I have heard that it is a wild party but yes, you do need to be careful. For the record, the only time I was ever “almost” robbed in Grenada was during carnival. Some pretty professional pickpockets tried on a couple of occasions to rob me. They weren’t good enough to get away with it but were good enough that I never actually saw who was reaching in my pocket (it was in a crowd and was obviously a team effort). So, have fun, but don’t carry a bunch of cash with you!