St Kitts and Nevis

Blogger: John

After our enjoyable few days in Dutch Saba it was time to set off south again to the former British islands of St Kitts, Nevis (Neevis) and then onwards to wards Montserrat. The first few miles along the west coast of Saba were fine but as we ventured out of the protection of the island the easterly wind and current started to catch us and gradually push us away from our next destination, St Kitts, visible in the distance. We had around 35 miles to make but as time went on we were swept further and further to the west away from the chain of islands. 

At last - St Kitts

This was a shame and it meant we had to turn on the engine …[Hey, this is amazing. I’m typing this a few days later in the evening at Deshaies, Guadeloupe. It’s a still night and there is whale song reverberating through our steel hull!! I’ve no idea how far away they are but they remind me of the day we saw the Minke whales when we were crossing the Atlantic!].…Going south in this section is always difficult but it was frustrating nonetheless. We battled slowly into increasing winds and waves making only 2k. Slowly we drew level with the northern tip of St Kitts though and we pushed on for our planned destination of Basse Terre near the southern end, another 10 miles or so south. There was ash and smoke around and we thought at first that St Kitts had a new volcano developing on it but it turned out to be burning fields. Why or what, we have no idea but there was enough of it to leave ash fragments on the deck and we were over a mile offshore at the time. Finally Basse Terre came into sight. Not a pretty sight though as there were several cruise ships tied up, it appeared pretty industrial and anchoring looked tricky. A quick look at the pilot guide showed some anchorages another 5 miles across the bay. Again we moved on. Now it was much better. We were sheltered by the southern tip of St Kitts, there was a steady breeze and a flat sea. We finally dropped anchor in White House Bay on gently shelving sand. We hoisted our yellow flag and went to bed.

We stayed a further day in White House Bay before moving on to Nevis and the famous Pinney's Beach. A brisk sail across the sound between the two islands and we picked up a buoy or mooring ball as they call them here just off the long beach. There was only a bit of wind so our expert team had no trouble motoring up to it, hooking the pick up rope and putting the three lines from Petronella round it. Rather different from the result in the BVIs when we got the buoy caught round the keel and then the propeller. That adventure resulted in Gilly stripping off and diving in to sort it all out. It also coined the famous phrase “Get your kit off for the buoys!”

Then it was into the dinghy to motor to the capital of Nevis, Charlestown, to check in. We were slightly uneasy (OK, Gilly, I was slightly uneasy) as we had checked out a day before we actually left Saba and then spent 3 days getting to Nevis, only 40 miles away. What would the Immigration people say to that in Nevis? The answer was “nothing”. The lady wasn’t even interested though the Customs guy, recalled from some dodgy deal elsewhere did ask for our Clearance from Saba. He didn’t bother looking at the date though. Finally onto Port Police and a cheerful chappie with a big smile and a big beard who gave us a map, welcomed us to Nevis and took 62US dollars from us for using his buoy at Pinney's Beach. We just managed to find enough dollars before being told we were free to go.

Nevis is poor. Not edgy but not completely tamed either. Cool dudes hung around street corners, reggae and rap music blasted from the speakers outside the port buildings and the veggie market was in a little covered area just off the main street. We made our way back to the dinghy where a combination of the local ferry and a lively sea made for a nasty surge in the harbour and gave us an interesting exit.

Back at Pinneys Beach that evening we went ashore. Not certain if we were actually allowed ashore there we waited for a couple of other dinghies to land before rowing to the beach. A long, clean tropical beach backed by palm trees with a few beach bars and, near the northern end, the Four Seasons Resort, a five star holiday retreat. It was quite rolly as we approached and although we managed to come in at right angles to the waves and drag the boat up the beach, the next two parties were not so lucky, one turning sideways and shipping a load of water, the other completely overturning drenching the occupants. We opted for a beach bar, Turtle Time – a couple of drinks and then lobster and curried prawns. The highlight here though were the underpants worn by the local men. With their trousers worn well below the waist and their crotches by their knees we spent the evening looking at large expanses of underpant. One guy was even seen swimming in this get up, and actually had two pairs of pants on, one on top of the other. It was obviously the uniform of local hip kids. That evening, as we went to bed I pulled my trousers down over my underpants in the same way. Gilly was not impressed though and my trousers were the only thing I pulled that night.

The following day we caught a bus to Golden Rock, a beautifully restored sugar cane plantation mansion and then walked to Bananas. Quite a hard walk on the side of the volcano, before dropping back down into Charlestown.

Another full day was taken up with jobs like lugging jerry cans of diesel ½ mile in the humid heat.

Hot work in Nevis

We also did the laundry, especially sheets and towels! Laundry day is always interesting as it involves finding and then getting close up and negotiating with the local entrepreneurs. In Nevis this takes place at Mr Sunshine’s beach bar. In we dinghy to find he is not there. Some dodgy guy then says his f-ing girlfriend will do it and how much do we want to pay. We agree 25US dollars. Then Mr Sunshine’s representative arrives who tells not to trust this dodgy geezer, he will do it on behalf of Mr Sunshine. Bring it in tomorrow. Finally Mr Sunshine arrives and confirms the deal for 10am the next day. We can't get a price from him though. Next day comes. The washing is dinghied ashore (without capsizing in the breaking waves) but no sign of Mr Sunshine or his oppo. We have a drink to wait for them. Eventually they arrive and the washing is handed over. We go off to do other things. Amazingly when we return in the evening the washing is sitting on a table with no one around. Finally the deal is done (25US dollars if I remember correctly) and the laundry can be crossed off the to-do list for another fortnight.

Mr Sunshine's Bar on Pinney's Beach, Nevis

It was here on Pinney’s Beach that we first met Dick and Mary on Alakazam, a one-off boat they spent 4 years building. Great fun, we decided we would sail to Montserrat in company so that we could photograph each other’s boats. These are pictures that are hard to come by because when you are sailing along there is normally no one to photograph you heeled over powering through the waves. Here was our opportunity.

And so it’s time to leave and move onto the next island. Montserrat, currently the most active volcanic island along the chain.