A Floridian Chef brings his unique seafood concept to a new St. Lucia restaurant, Soufriére
Snapper Tiradito, Lionfish Ceviche and Wahoo Sashimi are a few of the new seafood
dishes served at the Anse Chastanet Resort’s Treehouse restaurant near Soufriére,
St. Lucia. The novel menu for the new St. Lucia restaurant, titled Balawoo, for the Creole name of a small local fish, embraces a sea-to-plate philosophy in concert with local fishermen.
The menu comes to life with the help of Chef Allen Susser, a consultant to the Caribbean property who ran his self-named Chef Allen’s for more than 20 years in Aventura, Florida.
Other popular choices for this new St. Lucia restaurant include a whole fish of the day roasted in a banana leaf and, during the island’s lobster season from August through February, Grilled Local Spiny Lobster with Passion Fruit Butter. Additionally, guests staying at the resort who come back with their own catch after a day of charter sports fishing can get their fish deliciously prepared by Treehouse chefs.
After a quarter century of successful jazz concerts that put St. Lucia on the map for great international entertainment, government officials have decided to spread the wealth by now offering visitors six festivals to enjoy from May through November. Soliel kicked off in May with the traditional jazz fest at Pigeon Island National Landmark. The party continues this month with Roots & Soul, June 16-18, featuring reggae, hip-hop and R&B. Then, it’s St. Lucia Carnival, a three-week extravaganza from mid-June to mid-July that revs up to the big Parade of the Bands July 17th and 18th. The tenor takes a notch down to a more laid-back pace from August 24-27 for the St. Lucia Food & Rum Festival. This taste-tempting event features culinary demonstrations, rum and wine tastings, and dining experiences that pay tribute to both St. Lucian and international dishes and drinks. The Country & Blues Festival occurs September 15-17, followed by the monthlong Arts & Heritage Festival in October. This means there’s plenty of fun on this Windward Island all summer long. Even better, summer is slow season in the Caribbean, so anchorages are not crowded.
Plus, it’s easy to find dockage at either of the island’s two big marinas: the 253-slip IGY’s Rodney Bay Marina to the north in Gros Islet and the 42-slip Capella Marigot Bay Marina to the south mid-island. Additionally, Rodney Bay has a full-service boatyard, so it’s possible to haul out and work by day and enjoy six festival’s worth of parties by night. stlucia.org/summerfestivalo.
Best-kept secret Caribbean beaches
What are some of the top off-the-beaten-track beaches in the Caribbean? Global charter yacht company, The Moorings, let the cat out of the bag earlier this year by naming its seven favorites. North to south, the first is Playa Tamarindo, a small coral-strewn beach on Puerto Rico’s offshore island Culebra, where “unspoiled” is truly defined. On the sandbar called Anegada, both Loblolly Bay and Cow Wreck Beach—two of the British Virgin Islands’ (B.V.I.) three beaches—offer a delightful mix of Robinson Crusoe seclusion combined with all the comforts of the tropics, like cold beer and hot grilled lobster. Neighboring Guana Island, home of the luxurious all-inclusive resort of the same name, features the haven known as White Bay. Further south, two islands off Anguilla and St. Martin make the list. One is the duo of Prickly Pear Cays, uninhabited except for a small beach bar manned by day, where the sand is as soft as powdered sugar. The other is Tintamarre, nestled within the St. Martin Nature Reserve. The red clay-like mud here is said to have healing as well as beautifying powers. Finally, there’s Anse du Gouverneur on St. Bart’s—pristine, private and picturesque. Moorings bases in the B.V.I. and St. Martin make this septuplet of best-kept secret beaches easily paradise found. moorings.com
OPTIMIST REGATTA CELEBRATES SILVER ANNIVERSARY
More than 100 junior sailors, ages 8 to 15, from over a dozen nations will set sail in the 25th International Optimist Regatta hosted in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., June 12-18. This family-friendly sailing event features a clinic, team race, and three-day fleet race. Beach parties, fire dancers, and costumed Carnival entertainers put a signature spin on the shoreside activities. Former sailors have gone on to collegiate All-America, World Champion, and Olympic sailing careers.
For more information on happenings in the Caribbean, take a look at these Anguilla Villas!
by Carol Bareuther Southern Boating Magazine June 2017
Enjoy island-style partying during St. Lucia’s Carnival celebrations taking place throughout the month. The fun kicks off on July 2nd and runs through July 19th, with shows, events and parades filling the streets of St. Lucia’s capital city, Castries. In between the festivities, the Kings and Queens of the Band competition entertains with dancers wearing huge, extravagant costumes that take an entire year to construct. This competition is held at the National Cultural Centre, inland from Castries Harbor. If you appreciate steel pan music, head further inland to the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium for the National Panorama Competition on July 15th. Located near Gros Islet, the stadium is only a 5-minute drive or 30-minute walk from Island Global Yachting’s 253-slip Rodney Bay Marina. The official event website (stluciacarnival.com) is a great resource, but be sure to call the Carnival Planning Management Agency (758-452-5646) for the most up-to-date event information. For tips on yachting navigation and anchorages, browse avid Caribbean cruiser Frank Virgintino’s free online cruising guides, particularly the guide to the Lesser Antilles, Vol. III: The Windward Islands, which has a wealth of up-to-date information on St. Lucia. freecruisingguides.com
Multi-island poker run
Hands down, powerboating rallies called Poker Runs are surging in popularity throughout the Caribbean. This month, the second Annual SXM Poker Run takes place on July 24th out of the Port de Plaisance Marina, a 90-slip facility in Simpson Bay, St. Maarten. “We expect 30 to 50 boats coming from St. Maarten as well as the B.V.I., U.S.V.I., Guadeloupe, Martinique, and [we hope], the U.S. mainland,” says event organizer, Colin Conner. The five-stop run begins with the first card pickup in Great Bay, Phillipsburg, St. Maarten. Next, the fleet cruises north to Grand Case, St. Martin. Watch the sleek powerboats roar in and join the crews for a chicken, ribs and lobster lunch at the famous beachside barbecue shack, Lolo’s. Next, card picks three and four take the fleet north to the breathtaking Rendezvous Bay and the village of Sandy Ground on the neighboring island of Anguilla. The fifth card stop is back in St. Maarten at Mullet Bay, and then everyone returns to the Port de Plaisance Marina for the prize announcements and a party. A total of up to $5,000 is designated for the winner. “Next year, we plan to add a land race division as well so [that] more people can participate,” says Conner. sxmpokerrun.com
Maritime history in Bequia
The seven-square-mile island of Bequia, the second largest island in the Grenadines located south of St. Vincent and north of Grenada, is a treasure trove of nautical history. It’s known as the model boat capital of the world, and is home to several boating workshops around the island, including the Sargeant Brothers Model Boat Shop in Port Elizabeth. Here, with handheld tools such as chisels and machetes, the Lawson brothers convert locally grown white pine into extraordinarily detailed vessels, including a 5-foot replica of the Royal Yacht Britannia. Models at the shop are for both show and sale. Nearby, the Bequia Maritime Museum boasts an intriguing collection of art and artifacts, including aged photos of the island’s whaling past. If you’re up for a hike, explore the ruins of the 18th-century Fort Hamilton where old cannons rest and a panoramic view of the harbor reigns. bequiatourism.com
By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating Magazine July 2016
In 2009, Rebecca Rothney of Raleigh, North Carolina, came up with the idea of encouraging travellers to maximize airlines’ checked luggage allowance by taking much-needed supplies to the destinations they visit. Over the past six years, Pack for a Purpose participants to the Caribbean have supported educational, health and animal welfare projects. For example, sailors who took part in last fall’s Black Boaters Summit trip to Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina in the British Virgin Islands packed on board and delivered a variety of school supplies for the children at the territory’s Autism Center. Each charitable project on the Pack for a Purpose website comes with a specific list of desired items. Beneficiaries are located on 14 islands from Jamaica and the Dominican Republic south to Grenada and Curacao. “The wonderful ability that yachtsmen have that people flying do not is the ability to take as much as they can carry. Just maximizing the supplies they choose to take is a wonderful way of saying thank you to the inhabitants on the islands that they visit,” says Rothney. packforapurpose.org
Dark View Falls on St. Vincent offer a great gateway to the Grenedines. PHOTO: St. Vincent and The Grenadines Tourism Authority.
The waters surrounding St. Vincent are a pearl of a cruising destination. First, this Windward Island south of St. Lucia and to the east of Barbados is home to Wallilabou Bay. The big draw here is seeing some of the set remnants used by Disney when filming Pirates of the Caribbean. There are moorings at this quiet anchorage, a local seafood restaurant on shore, and the nearby Wallilabou Heritage Park is a great place to swim in a waterfall. Second, the southern part of St. Vincent is the great gateway to the Grenadines, an idyllic 37-mile stepping stone of islands to the south, which includes charming Bequia, well-heeled Mustique and the marine reserve at the Tobago Cays. A recently completed refurbishment makes the Blue Lagoon Hotel & Marina, located in the safe haven of Cannash Bay on St. Vincent’s southern tip and 11 nautical miles from Wallilabou Bay, is a perfect place to start a charter. The now bright-decor rooms earned the hotel a number one rating for accommodations on St. Vincent on a popular travel website. The hotel complex offers a restaurant and bar, café, beach bar, grocery store, chandlery, boutique, fitness center, swimming pool, dive and watersports facility, car rental, concierge services, and a Horizon Yacht Charters base. The full-service marina, the only one of its kind on St. Vincent, offers in-slip water and electric, free Wi-Fi, sail loft, laundry facilities and a fuel dock. Plans are underway to expand the marina up to 200 berths. Blue Lagoon is an official port of entry to St. Vincent as is Wallilabou Bay.
By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating Magazine July, 2015
Grenada is nicknamed “The Spice Isle” for its production of nutmeg—it’s the second largest growing and exporting nation in the world behind Indonesia. Few realize, however, that this southern Caribbean island is also a chocolate lover’s paradise. The best way to sample this fact is at the Grenada Chocolate Festival, set for May 8 to 17 and held out of the True Blue Bay Resort & Marina. “Grenada is one of the very few countries in the world that produces a high quality, organic and sustainable cocoa, and a very special and delicious Bean to Bar Chocolate,” explains organizer, Magdalena Fielden, whose husband Russ worked in the charter yacht industry until buying the resort in 1998. “The creation of the Grenada Chocolate Fest has been inspired by the vision of Mott Green, the late founder of the Grenada Chocolate Company, who wanted to develop a sustainable chocolate industry that would inspire different sectors of the community to be creative and take advantage of the very valuable cocoa that the island produces.” Chocolate parties, health benefit workshops, hands-on culinary sessions, factory visits, farmer for a day outing, a beachside chocolate fest, chocolate tasting yacht charter, and sunset bonfire with culinary competition are all part of the fun. New this year, Diamond Chocolate factory will participate and offer visitors a chance to design their own chocolate bar. “Visitors can choose from among the events which, of course, will feature a lot of chocolate and cocoa tasting!” chocolate. truebluebay.com
Barbados May Regatta
Teams anticipate this year’s Barbados May Regatta. Photo: Peter Marshall.
The Virgin Islands, St. Maarten and Antigua are the three big island destinations for yacht racing in the Caribbean. Yet this month marks a great chance to get off the beaten track and sail or spectate on Barbados. Formerly British-owned, the island is located east of St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and will host the Barbados Sailing Association’s Barbados May Regatta from May 21 to 24. The action takes place in Carlisle Bay just off the capital city of Bridgetown, and the festivities will be held at the beautiful 90-year-old Barbados Yacht Club. Multiple classes are held including some multihulls added for variety and a fleet of one-design J/24s. More than 30 yachts from Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, St. Lucia, Martinique, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines attend making this Barbados’ premier regatta of the year. The race committee plans varied, challenging courses tailored to suit each class, which means great racing for all. “The Club has excellent facilities for sailors with no great distance required to travel after a day of racing,” says organizer Penny McIntyre. “There is a fantastic camaraderie among the sailors and lively after-race parties, barbeques, DJ’s, happy hours and a coconut vendor. If you have not sipped a Mount Gay and coconut water, you best come join!” The regatta is sponsored by Mount Gay, providers of the signature red hats, and Banks Breweries. barbadosyachtclub.com.
Hospitality is the primary goal of the Capella Marina at Marigot Bay with dedicated staff on hand around the clock. As you enter, a private escort service and dockhand team will guide you to one of the marinas 40 slips—dedicated spaces for megayachts are available.
Upon docking, a personal liaison will assist with customs check-in procedures. Cruisers are greeted with a bouquet of indigenous flowers and a bottle of complimentary rum from the dock manager and the dockhand team. A Capella Marina concierge is appointed to meet requests and arrange vacation activities.
The full-service marina features dry cleaning, room service delivery, housekeeping, private chef services, and on-board spa treatments. Complimentary food and beverages are provided at the Capella Living Room. Close-circuit surveillance ensures guests and property are safe and secure throughout the stay.
The Resort houses 124 rooms including 56 two- or three-bedroom suites with spacious balconies and optional Jacuzzis. Shoppers can scout nearby retail stores and jewelers, while epicures will find good eats at the gourmet food, wine and beverage store. Enjoy special events such as farmers markets, cooking demonstrations, live concerts, fashion shows, and more. Upon departure, the Capella Resort & Marina at Marigot Bay sends you with a farewell gift from the Dock Manager. The resort’s “Five-Star Services Program” treats every visitor to the island of Saint Lucia like family.
Features:
• 165-foot-wide buoyed entrance
• 40 slips accommodate vessels 30-250 ft. LOA
• Max. draft 16 ft.
• Max. beam 44 ft.
• Full access to resort amenities and services as marina guests
• Laundry, ships store, upscale shops, gourmet supermarket, bank, restaurant
• Full services
