Service· St Lucia· Windward Islands
Soufrière Boat Boys - Mooring Assistance Etiquette
13° 51.2′ N · 61° 3.8′ W · approximate
Local 'boat boys' meet yachts well out from Soufrière and the Pitons offering to take your lines, sell fruit or arrange tours. Most are simply working, but some are pushy, so a little etiquette avoids trouble.
Practical
Position is in Soufrière Bay (approx; the practice covers the whole SMMA coast). Noonsite advice: choose one person, get his name, tell the others you are taken, agree a price and currency before accepting help, and keep crew aboard when others go ashore. Authorised members of the Soufrière Water Taxi Association help with stern lines and offer watchman services at standard rates. Ask to be put on an SMMA mooring (yellow tag on the pick-up line), not a private one, and pay the tie-up fee only; the permit is paid to the uniformed ranger. Cruiser reports on Noonsite (2023) cite EC$20 as the customary assist fee recommended by SMMA rangers, and describe aggressive demands from some operators near the Pitons and a 2014 scam quoting EC$ then demanding US$. Report problems to SMMA rangers or police on VHF 16.
Best for
Arriving at the Pitons without hassle
Nearby
- Soufrière Bay Moorings (SMMA)0.1 NM away
- Soufrière Customs and Immigration0.2 NM away
- Soufrière Fishers Fuel Dock0.2 NM away
- Soufrière Marine Management Area (SMMA) Fees and Rules0.2 NM away
- Soufrière Town Dock and Market0.2 NM away
- Action Adventure Divers (Hummingbird Beach, Soufrière)0.3 NM away
- Hummingbird Beach Resort Restaurant (Soufrière)0.3 NM away
- Orlando's (Soufrière)0.3 NM away