Anchorage· St Lucia· Windward Islands
Castries Harbour Anchorage (Vigie Cove)
14° 0.9′ N · 60° 59.8′ W · approximate
St Lucia's capital sits around a deep, sheltered commercial harbour. Yachts can anchor in Vigie Cove (Vigie Creek) on the north side near the regional airport, or off town, for a market-and-city day, but the port is built for cruise ships and cargo, not yachts.
Practical
Position is in Vigie Cove beside an OpenStreetMap-mapped mooring, derived from the OpenStreetMap coastline (approx). Harbour entrance per Noonsite: 14°01.07'N, 61°00.42'W. Entering, avoid the shoal that extends west of Tapion Point/Tapion Rock on the south side; Vigie Hill light flashes twice every 10 seconds (Noonsite). Vigie Cove: little room and rolly in northerly swells; facilities run down, basic repairs possible. Off town the bottom is reported very foul (Noonsite comments); up to five cruise ships may be in port, and anchoring may not be suitable during busy cruise-ship periods. Call port control/Vigie on VHF 16 (Vigie Lighthouse +1-758-452-5939 per the tourism authority). Noonsite (last updated 2017) recommends clearing at Rodney Bay or Marigot instead. Most crews visit Castries by bus or taxi from Rodney Bay (Route 1A, about 30 minutes).
Best for
A short stop for the market and the capital
Season
Avoid in north swell and on heavy cruise-ship days
Nearby
- Dive Fair Helen (Vigie, Castries)0.1 NM away
- Pointe Seraphine Duty-Free Shopping (Castries)0.1 NM away
- The Coal Pot (Vigie Cove, Castries)0.1 NM away
- Castries and Vigie Fuel and Cooking Gas0.3 NM away
- Castries Ferry Terminal (Express des Iles)0.3 NM away
- George F. L. Charles Airport Crew Changes (Castries)0.3 NM away
- Castries Central Market0.4 NM away
- Castries Customs and Immigration0.4 NM away