Here’s a new way to enjoy a charter vacation: Take a one-way charter down the Windward Islands from St. Lucia to Grenada, enjoying the wind at your back and exploring a handful of smaller islands along the way.
The Windwards are at the southeastern border of the Caribbean, with basically a north to south layout. They got their name because they were more to windward for sailing ships arriving in the New World many centuries ago than the Leeward Islands, farther north and west. The currents and winds that provide the fastest sailing lanes across the Atlantic usually led to Dominica, which is basically the dividing line between the Windward and Leeward islands.
All that doesn’t matter today, other than to give you a starting point at the top of the Windwards, in St. Lucia, where you can start a week or longer charter down to Grenada. You could go half-way or so, of course, and go back to St. Lucia, but then you’d be retracing your steps and heading more upwind on the return trip.
And that’s missing the point. Why not enjoy stopping at all the smaller islands along the way south? But first you’ll want to spend a few days in St. Lucia itself, enjoying its lush tropical rainforests and its French-inspired cuisine. You’ll certainly want to get some pictures of the Pitons mountain formation, and perhaps hike there, before cruising down the western coast to the town of Soufriere to see the Maho waterfalls.
St. Vincent is the next stop, where you can snorkel at Petit Bayhaut or scuba at Young Island Cut, and then head for Bequia, where the main harbor in Admiralty Bay is full of boutiques, restaurants and the Bequia Maritime Museum.
Next comes Mustique, often known as the Caribbean island for the rich and famous. Its white sand beaches are reason enough why many of the royals, as in the British royal family, have come here over the years. But you don’t need a crown to enjoy dinner at The Cotton House or Basil’s Bar.
Well below Mustique, the Tobago Cays are next (see the picture, above), with the lovely island of Mayreau next to the Tobago Cays National Park, with fantastic snorkeling; you can swim with the turtles in the sea turtle sanctuary.
Union Island comes next, with several boutiques and local artists, and then there’s the small Happy Island, made up entirely of conch shells.
Grenada is the end of the line; it’s called the spice island because of the nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and ginger that are produced there.The island also has a rich rum history. At the end of your charter, you can stroll the colorful streets of St. Georges, visit lush jungles and cascading waterfalls, and then book a flight back home.
The Moorings has a large charter base in St. Lucia, including a 433 power cat with three cabins and a 514 power cat with four cabins. For more:
