Rodney Bay is a town and bay located in the Gros Islet District on the island of

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

Gros Islet Gros Islet (English: ''Large Island'') is a community near the northern tip of the island country of Saint Lucia, in the Gros Islet Quarter. Originally a quiet fishing village, it has become one of the more popular tourist destinations in the cou ...

is one of the ten districts in the island. It can be found on the northwestern coast of the island above the Castries District, where the capital of

St. Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerin ...

is, and the former

Dauphin quarter Dauphin was a Quarter on the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia. The district was merged with Gros-Islet in 2014. It contains a village of the same name, located at . It was home to Amerindians, the Island Caribs, who settled there. To t ...

is a small island in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

located in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

and it is the largest of the Caribbean's

Windward Islands french: Îles du Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Windward Islands. Clockwise: Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth ...

. The Windward islands include

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

and

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

. It is in a chain of islands in the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...

with

to the north and Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines The Grenadines is a chain of small islands that lie on a line between the larger islands of Saint Vincent and Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. Nine are inhabited and open to the public (or ten, if the offshore island of Young Island is counted): ...

to the south. These islands are southeast of the islands of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

and

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. Out of the two airports in St.Lucia, Hewanorra and Charles airport, Rodney Bay is closer to the latter.

Geography

Rodney Bay is horseshoe shaped with a man made

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

. Reduit Beach is the most popular beach on the island, which tourists love for its cleanliness, length, white sands, and clear water. It also features the Splash Island Water Park with obstacle courses on the water. The bay also includes a

Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

that is now the second largest yachting center in the

Caribbean sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

, under the Yacht Haven Grande in Saint Thomas. The Marina was constructed in 1985 then bought by IGY Marinas in 2007. The Marina has 221 anchorages and 32 mega yacht docks for holding. There is an annual

Atlantic Rally for Cruisers The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (''ARC'') is an annual transatlantic sailing event for cruiser yachts held since 1986. It also includes a sailing competition for racers. ARC starts at the end of November in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and ends bef ...

in December that attracts around 270 boats and 1200 people. In terms of weather, temperatures are high year round, but the coolest month is in January while the hottest month is in August. It rains mostly in the months of May to December. December is the wettest, while April is the driest month. Reduit Beach2003

History

The Bay was named after Admiral George Brydges Rodney who formed his fort at Pigeon Island. Pigeon island is a national landmark in St.Lucia, declared in 1992 by the St. Lucian government. It's 44 acres and was originally surrounded by water until 1972 when it was artificially joined to the mainland. The island was originally inhabited by the

Arawak The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Greater ...

people who then signed a peace treaty with the French leader Francois Le Clerc.

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

declared war on

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1778 and attacked them in

and invaded the island. Once they arrived however,

Admiral Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at t ...

expelled all the

people and cut down all of the trees on Pigeon island so that he could spy on the French naval base in

. In doing so, he was able to defeat them at the Battle of Saints in 1782. Pigeon Island is now open as a national park 365 days a year to visitors. The landmark still has an 18th-century theme to it while still keeping its natural beauty with its dry

rain forests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

and grasslands. Visitors can learn more about Francois Le Clerc who had an actual wooden leg and they can learn how Pigeon Island was connected to the mainland in 1972. Tourists can also explore the military ruins from Fort Rodney. Mosnier, George Rodney

Tourism

Rodney Bay is a popular town for tourists- known as St.Lucia’s entertainment and recreation center. It consists of dozens of hotels and rentals to choose from along with the island's two largest shopping malls and the Treasure Bay Casino. It is also known for its variety of food served at the restaurants and cafes. The Spice of India restaurant's food is prepared by experienced Indian chefs. In addition, La Terrasse is a French restaurant that serves, such items as

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

s and

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...

s, in a warm setting with local ingredients. On Reduit Beach Ave, there is a strip of nightclubs and restaurants that are a popular part of the island for both tourists and natives. Also available to tourists are spas and therapists who offer activities, such as

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

reflexology Reflexology, also known as zone therapy, is an alternative medical practice involving the application of pressure to specific points on the feet, ears, and hands. This is done using thumb, finger, and hand massage techniques without the use of ...

, Ayurvedic

massage Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In Eu ...

s and restorative

therapy A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

. A gallery with works from artists and craftspeople is displayed at the Island Mix Art Emporium. The Union Nature Trail and Zoo displays St.Lucia’s national bird along with a trail through the rain-forest. One particular event that is well known throughout the island is the street party in Gros Islet. It is the longest running party on the island. It happens every Friday night and involves live DJs who play calypso,

zouk Zouk is a musical movement pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm and a loud horn section. The fast zouk béton of Martini ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, and R&B music and local food is served to the patrons.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Bays of Saint Lucia

Geography

History

Tourism

See also

References

External links