St Kitts and Nevis

The general orders for india as we tour around the Caribbean is to head south.  Our insurance demands it in fact, since the poor insurance companies have been hit hard in recent years by multiple major hurricanes in the Caribbean islands and shelled out probably billions in claims to unfortunate yacht owners.  In St Maarten, and to some extent other islands too, one can still see the wrecked yachts and catamarans littering the lagoons and harbours - even after two years.  The authorities clear out the wrecks in the shipping channels, but the others are left to rot - a permanent reminder of the forces of nature.  Anyway, the point is our insurance policy is invalid unless we are at a point below a latitude of 12 degrees North during hurricane season.  This means we need to be in Grenada as soon as practicably possible, so our route now we have reached the eastern extremes of the Caribbean is to turn right, and travel down the Leeward and Windward islands towards the coast of South America.

Luckily this route will take us to some of the more exotic and less touristy countries - for example St Kitts and Nevis.  I remember as a boy in England learning about what was then the powerful and extensive British Commonwealth, coming across St Kitts and Nevis and thinking what an odd name that was for a country.  And here I was finally, about to set foot there.

St Kitts, it seems, is a nickname for St Christopher - the official name of the main island (Nevis is it's more southerly and smaller sibling).  We left St Maarten in an unexpectedly strong wind and sea state and so had a relatively uncomfortable, but fast, sail to St Kitts - maximum speed of of over 10 knots for the 60 mile route.  The route took us past Saba, barely visible to the starboard side, and St Eustatius, another Dutch volcanic island close to St Kitts.  We had to sail down most of the length of the island - about 10 miles - to arrive at the capital Basse Terre (a common name in the Caribbean meaning 'Low Ground' in French) late in the afternoon.  During this part we saw how incredibly lush and green the island was, with quaint little towns and villages dotted along the coast and an impressive hill fort high above us at Brimstone Hill.  It looked truly beautiful.

So we arrived at our planned anchorage in a rather commercial and boring looking harbour at Basse Terre, put down the hook, and looked around.  Depending on where one anchors, there may sometimes be a swell on the water, caused by the waves and breakers from the open seas levelling out to make a gentle, but large movement of the water surface.  What this means when anchored is that boat will roll from side to side, or pitch front to back depending on the prevailing wind and currents.  Here, it was particularly rolly with a side swell - uncomfortably so.  It can actually make you feel quite queasy even at anchor walking around the boat and even sleeping in such a swell.  It was too late to execute a backup plan so we sat tight and next morning bright and early took the dinghy into town to check-in and scope out the town.  Lately cruise ship traffic to some of these lesser islands has increased dramatically, which is great for tourism - often one of the largest contributors to the Gross Domestic Product - but has spoiled some of the former quaintness and introduced an element of tackiness we are used to seeing in the more overrun tourist destinations.  So it was we found the customs and immigrations people busy dealing with a cruise-ship-load of check-ins.  Nothing else for it, let's illegally roam the town, check out the museum, and hell - get a beer or three (it was three for one at all the local bars serving the cruise port, and it was five o'clock somewhere).  We also succumbed and ordered rotis - yes, just like the indian roti, but filled with chicken and goat curry.  Trivia fact here - the most eaten protein on the planet, by a very large margin, is goat - and if you haven't tried it you should because it is delicious.

Well, that was about all Basse Terre had to offer and after our check-in, we pulled anchor and set off for a more level anchorage a couple of miles down the coast at Frigate Bay, right across from Mr X's Shiggedy Shack.  Things were looking up!  We found decent WiFi in the bay here and found a local car hire company that would deliver a car to the beach next day so we could do a quick tour around the island.  We met Alan, the English ex-pat owner the next morning at the Shiggedy Shack and we were off.  The first thing we wanted to check out was the fort at Brimstone Hill that we saw towering above us as we sailed along the coastline.  Just a few miles north of us, it was a picturesque drive through quaint Caribbean villages with lots of original Caribbean style single houses dotted along the roadside.  The fort itself was incredibly well preserved, up on a prominent hill with an incredible view over invaders coming in from the west and the whole coastline.  We were there the day before a visit from the Taiwanese Prime Minister and they were erecting a large event tent and practising protocol.  The fort, of course, was started by the British in the 1700's - designed by the Brits, but built by African slaves, and saw all of the to-and-fro of battles between the French and the British as the islands swapped sides over more than a century, due to it's importance strategically and for its sugar cane industry.

Having a car for the day is a rare luxury for us, and means that we can search out the bigger supermarkets for topping up our rum provisions.  So we made a couple of runs to load up with goodies, and finished our round the island tour, stopping off at a wonderful original beach bar, the Shipwreck, for lunch and cocktails before returning to the boat for a siesta.  We left the car on the beach, unlocked, with keys under the sun visor, for Alan to pick up the next morning.

Next day saw us moving further down the coast to Salt Plage  - a convenient and pretty anchorage close to the southern tip of St Kitts and perfect for our next hop to the sibling island of Nevis.  As we move further south, so we find the water is clearer and warmer.  Here it is about 84 degrees and a perfect temperature for all kinds of aquatic life, not least coral, and we found some beautiful coral in the form of purple tunicates - small groups of purple tubes attached to rocks and underwater structures.  And the coral brings the fish in all sizes and colours.  With the increasing water clarity, the snorkelling becomes quite addictive as we cruise around on the surface peeking into another world of shapes and colours.

Nevis is close by and we arrived there in an hour or so.  It is another volcanic island in the Soufriere chain - all of which is currently active.  Again, a picturesque and quaint island dotted with small exclusive resorts and timeless villages.  We really only spent enough time here to check out the local museum, stroll through the streets of the main town, Charlestown, and complete our check-out before leaving for Montserrat.

St Kitts and Nevis - all those years ago when I first heard of this country I had no idea how beautiful it was.  St Kitts in particular stole our hearts a little bit  - the people were welcoming, the land was lush and green and spectacular and life proceeded at a pace that is undeniably pedantic.  Close to paradise.  But wait - there's more to come....

No denying the heritage of St Kitts...

Clock Tower in Basse Terre

Monkey Business near the cruise port

Three for One?? OK, we'll bite...

And rotis too!!

The fort at Brimstone Hill

That's a big cannon!!

Invincible position

And a great view

Such a lush and green country

Erecting the tent for the Taiwanese delegation

World's most popular protein!!

View from the Shipwreck.....that's black volcanic sand.