On Saint Lucia’s west coast sits perfectly one of the most beautiful and undoubtedly safest natural gems in the Caribbean – Marigot Bay. It is hurricane proof and home to an outstanding assortment of yachts – small and mega.

It is shielded by beautifully forested hills, concealing an extraordinary natural harbour often considered the most striking anchorage in the Caribbean and some might have identified it as the birthplace of Saint Lucia’s Yachting Industry with the docking of the 140-foot craft in the late 1950s belonging to Canadian Schooner Captain, Walter Boudreau.

Amidst all this beauty and natural amazement is the community of Marigot, which has grown considerably in the years since the development of the Marina in 2007 and the establishment of the luxury Capella Marigot Bay Resort some years later.

The two have combined to allow for elegance unsurpassed and discrete – a combination that makes it a haven for the best and most avid yachtsmen and celebrities in the world.

This combination has also created an array of employment and advancement opportunities for the residents of the community with jobs ranging from that of yacht servicemen to concierges.

Marigot Bay sits 20 minutes north of Soufriere and three miles south of Castries on the island’s west coast. It has the capacity to berth up to 40 yachts and affords sailors impeccable service, a well stocked chandlery, luxury provisioning, duty-free fuel are other trademark offerings.

The Bay is also packed with bars and restaurants with exquisite dining options and remarkable spa offerings.

Unlike most in the Caribbean, Marigot Bay has never been dredged but has deeper water than most other marinas, with about 700 feet (218 meters) of stern to dock.

The location has earned itself the ranking of a landmark in Saint Lucia and is not only the native home of locals and the choice destination for scores of yachtsmen from around the world, but it was also the site of a number of battles between the French and British navies in the colonial era; adding to its significance in ‘the country’s history – past and future.

The Bay has also received its fair share of international popularity after being used as the setting for the 1967 film adaptation of Hugh Lofting’s Doctor Dolittle books. Scenes of the shipwreck, Great Pink Sea Snail, and the construction of the harness for the Giant Lunar Moth were also filmed in the bay.

(Published – Business Focus St. Lucia. May 2015)