St. Lucia - Security
Overall Crime and Safety:
Although boardings and theft from yachts in the Caribbean are not unusual, Saint Lucia does suffer its fair share of incidents, particularly in Rodney Bay, Vieux Fort and most recently in Soufriere and Anse Canaries.
Specific areas of concern:
Cruisers should take basic safety precautions and use common sense when leaving the boat or going ashore at night. This includes locking your boat – securing all hatches and doors and stowing anything of value out of sight (in particular loose deck items of value). Avoid wearing anything of value ashore. Keep a record of serial numbers/photos stored in a secure place for purposes of investigation and proof of ownership should a theft occur. Cruisers have reported purse snatching attempts in broad daylight in the past.
There have been a number of reported armed robberies or attempted armed robberies on yachts at anchor at Soufriere and Anse Canaries since July 2022.
See security reports for St. Lucia and Related User Comments below for more information on security incidents experienced by cruisers.
Maritime Issues:
Thefts of locked dinghies and outboards from yachts anchored off Reduit Beach, Gros Islet, at the Gros Islet dinghy dock, Pigeon Island and in the inner lagoon at Rodney Bay continue to be reported.
Remember to padlock your dinghy and outboard at all times to the yacht, even when at anchor or in a marina. We recommend you lift your dinghy out of the water at night using a lifting strop and halyard, or lift it on deck. When leaving your dinghy ashore, always padlock it to a permanent structure using a wire that runs through the engine and fuel tank, with a padlock.
Incidents of theft and attempted theft from yachts continue to be reported to CSSN, both inside and outside the lagoon in Marigot Bay.
If heading to Soufriere to see the Pitons and Bat Caves, be aware that this part of the Island has suffered security issues in the past and continues to do so. See Latest Reported Incidents below.
Dinghy thefts continue to be reported to CSSN and it is vital to lift, lock and secure your dinghy at all times when it is unattended. Do not leave any items on deck or in cockpits that could be easy targets for would be thieves.
Lock up well at night or if going ashore and it’s strongly recommended to employ a watchman if leaving the boat unattended.
Daytime burglaries continue to be reported by cruisers leaving their boats at anchor in Vieux Fort while traveling to the airport to check-in with immigration and/or collect guests from arriving flights. It is recommended that at least one crew member be left on board at all times and anything of value be concealed out of sight. Overnighting in the port is not a good idea.
The Caribbean Safety and Security Net provide information by anchorage or by the island. If you experience a boarding, robbery or attack on your yacht or have information about a yachting-related security incident, go to the CSSN homepage and click on the “Report an Incident” icon.
Latest Reported Incidents:
- Rodney Bay, February 2023: Outboard Engine Stolen from Yacht
- Pitons, December 2022: Armed Assailants board Yacht
- Anse Canaries, October 2022: Attempted Robbery on Yacht at Anchor
- Soufriere, October 2022: Another Armed Assault on Moored Yacht
- Soufriere, August 2022: Armed Assault on Moored Yacht.
- Anse Canaries, July 2022: Armed Robbery on Catamaran at Anchor
- Rodney Bay, July 2022: Dinghy stolen from yacht at anchor.
- Soufriere, July 2022: In-water and not locked dinghy stolen from yacht.
Last updated: February 2023
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Soufreire Bay…
Beautiful setting but be prepared to be approached by local “entrepreneurs” wanting to sell you something or serve as your tour guide. We were met approaching the bay by two men on a fishing boat that nearly insisted we follow them to a mooring ball….a bit too aggressively. The same two men approached three other boats coming into the bay as well. They asked for $20EC in return. Thereafter we were approached 6 other times by other “vendors” all of them, including three kids ages 7-11 on a old broken paddle board. None have been too aggressive but it gets to be annoying…..but this is how they make a living so take it in stride. We’ve seen police and harbor rangers three times in the last twenty four hours so they do patrol the area. That said, my crew may go into town for a tour of the mud baths and waterfalls but I’m staying with the boat.
This is a beautiful place…highly recommend you see it but it warrants caution
The following incident which occurred in the Pitons area of Saint Lucia was reported (2nd Hand) to the CSSN.
A cruising yacht approached the SMMA moorings between the Pitons intending to practice mooring pickup and self-moor. They were intercepted by aggressive boat boys who demanded excessive payment for unwanted services, which were declined. When the yacht attempted to pickup the mooring their boat hook became entangled in the lines which had been tied off underwater. The boat boys immediately retrieved the boat hook and then maliciously bent it, making it unusable. The boat boys were paid a fee in excess of the customary $20ECD recommended by the SMMA park rangers, and they hung at the boat in a menacing manner demanding additional payment for sometime before departing
They stolen our dinghy.. tonight.. then we found the tender without outboard.
Hi Stefan! I believe you met my husband at the police station. We had our dinghy stolen that same night. Please file a report here!
https://safetyandsecuritynet.org/submit-incident-report/
We wrote our story here:
https://www.rubbertorudder.com/journal-content/2020/2/8/theft-unchecked-and-the-need-for-community-involvement
This is my opinion and yours may differ. In reviewing crime statistics of St. Lucia, we were hesitant to visit. However, other cruisers encourage us by claiming Rodney Bay and Marigot Bay were perfectly safe. This is not true.
CSSN continues to report a huge amount of dinghy thefts in these areas. The numbers continue to grow and the theft is now rampant. It has been going on for at least two years that I am aware of. The situation is now so bad statistically speaking you will have a greater chance of theft in these areas than just about anywhere else in the Caribbean.
I think Noonsite is being very kind with the details given about St. Lucia under the crime heading. I would encourage you to look at other sources and do your homework. Determine if the offerings of St. Lucia warrant the risks to your well being or potential loss of possessions. Does St. Lucia offer anything that cannot be found somewhere else on a safer island? You need to evaluate this before visiting.
I intend no ill harm to the residents of St. Lucia or businesses by posting this. There is no doubt the continuing crime will impact them with cruisers failing to visit (as I see from other postings here). Expecting cruisers to support their economy when they are continual targets or crime is not realistic.
Be smart and be safe!
We had a perplexing encounter with Customs at Soufriere last night. The customs officer insisted on charging us EC$125 for mooring in the marine park – on top of the US$20 we had already paid to the marine ranger for use of the mooring. He also asked for payment of his overtime as we’d kept him past closing hours (we arrived 15 mins before closing).
There is no mention of this fee in Doyle’s Windward guide and it’s much more than the EC$15 clearance fee suggested on various websites. Also, he couldn’t produce any documentation to support such a charge – but it was late and we were late for dinner so paid anyway. I hesitate to suggest that we were scammed by a customs officer but this is what it felt like.
Addition to Francis V comment: We arrived with ARC 2017. A rafia box of our shoes sitting on the pontoon next to the boat was stolen. ‘Security’ staff were posted on the pontoon leading ashore, and I recognise security is difficult with all the comings & goings, but it was useless.
Maybe St Lucia government reads this site ? I just want to signal that due to the ongoing thefts we skipped your island. So did also 4 dutch, 2 english and 1 german boats we know of. There are certainly numerous more…
I’m wondering if a Pet Permit is needed to sail from Martinique to St. Lucia, and anchoring in the bays, and NOT taking my small dog to shore (at all).
SAINT LUCIA CARNIVAL 2016 – JULY 18TH – 21ST
If you ever need a vet when visiting St. Lucia, we highly recommend Dr Scotland in his clinic as he knows what he is doing. He is helping our little dog who is struggling for his life after being bitten by a bigger dog and getting stitched up with fishing line by the first vet we went to. The first vet charged us a lot of money and did not do a professional job.