More St Lucia

 There was no need to rush out on the balcony at 6.30 this morning so we had a lie in. We had a trip booked for the afternoon, A Cruise to The Pitons, so plenty of time for our customary Epicurean breakfast. Our good friend seated us, and guess what? We were right behind Chesney Hawkes! In fact, he stole our orange juice, and we had a bit of a chat about what a wonderful view to eat breakfast. He was also very, very nice to the wait staff. I am now an official Chesney fan. I can report he drinks decaff coffee and is not a vegetarian.

After the customary spin around (no sign kath) we went back to the cabin to sit on the balcony and chill. 

Ian got some amazing news. He had won the award for most improved athlete at the Harriers awards evening. He was dead chuffed and even got a trophy as well. Not sure how big it is, but will either be on the windowsill in the downstairs bathroom, or on the floor replacing the standard lamp!

Huge, or tiny?

After a spot of lunch we set off for our trip. It was by catamaran. A big one. So, being pale, we sat upstairs under the canopy. 

Pale persons position

First stop was a swim stop in the Bay of Pigs. This was a small bay with a resort at one end. There was a long list of don’ts such as ‘don’t go to the right’, ‘don’t go near the cabanas’, don’t enter the resort’. There was also a lot of locals canoeing round trying to sell, coconuts, conch shells, bits of grass (🤷🏻‍♀️), the way to the local fish beds (🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️) . One of them was pretty fierce with a teardrop tattoo. We did manage to avoid them though, and we also tried out the waterproof phone case I got from Amazon. It worked really well.

Special catamaran steps

Swimming by the forbidden beach

Sea selfie

Ian and a canoe salesman 

Our boat in the Bay Of Pigs

Once we were all back on board we sailed to the southern point of the island to view The Pitons from the sea. Our guide told us all about them, they are a world heritage sight and one of the things St Lucia is famous for. We could have done a hike to the top on a ships excursion, but decided against it in the 30 degree heat! One of the crew members was a great photographer and took some very nice photos on our phones, including one in which he told Ian to give me ‘a little island sugar’!

Views of the pitons and some ‘Island Sugar’

Leaving them behind

On the way back we called into an exclusive bay, called Maygo Bay, where the rich and famous have homes. Including Mick Jagger. It was very nice but we could only look.

Maygo Bay

From what I can tell these trips all involve copious amounts of rum punch on the way back, and lots of loud Caribbean music, and this was no different. Mindful of the trip to Brighton Beach I limited myself to one rum punch. Ian decided that three was about the right amount! He could still walk after we disembarked, which was better than one lady who had a very pronounced wobble. 

As we were late back again it was almost time for sail away by the time we had got back to our cabin. Captain Afoot gave his usual, monotone, recap of the day, and we were off, sailing towards our next port. 

Leaving St Lucia

We managed a much needed afternoon nap before going down to the main dining room for our tea. Foolishly we both had our invisibility coats on, so neither waiter spotted us. We had to ask for water and bread (like convicts, I know) and each course took an age. All of their tables except ours seem to be in the next section, so maybe that’s why we are the forgotten ones. It’s a far cry from the friendly waiters on Royal Caribbean though. They have shown no inclination whatsoever to interact with us. 

Despite the late hour, 10pm, we decided to go and see the lady singer we had enjoyed earlier in the week. She seemed very good again, but sadly the rum punch had taken its toll and we were both nodding off! Time for bed and the dulcet tones of the Live Lounge to lull us to sleep.