Nevis

 

 





Nevis

Nevis is the sister island to St. Kitts, so we don't have to check in, just arrive.  We picked up a mooring ball off the beach in front of "The Four Seasons" and a 2 mile long beach of white sand under the shadow of the mist-covered volcano, then dingied  into the town (the only town) of Charleston.

Again there is a dock, with no fuel or water and they don't want dinghy's locked. Maybe because they're so much easier to steal that way.  Our first stop was the local produce market to stock up on veggies.                   

A pretty ferry dock and colourful entry led quickly to disappointment.
Our first impression is that there seems to be no pride in their city, it was dirty, unkempt and rundown.

 There were many of the same old ballast stone buildings that we saw so nicely preserved on other islands, but although they housed many local businesses,


they just didn't bother to maintain them and even the businesses couldn't be bothered with attractive signs and opted just to write on a board on the outside of the building. 

local business

Outside the city was better, especially in the newer developments. We visited Yachtsman's  Dream for lunch, Nevis

 

 

 

 

expensive, with taxes even higher than Canada. The bill suggests gratuities of 40% and the waiter indignantly explained, "Well, after all it's Nevis". From our point of view, all they have going is a nice sand beach, certainly not enough to justify the exorbitant pricing.  Clean, cute, safe, inexpensive St. Eustatia rates higher than Nevis in our log.

internet at Yachtsmans Dream

We were however, nicely entertained in the town square by the prison band, in their orange prison T shirts. They were quite good, but perhaps they'd be better put to use on street clean up. We met a couple with 2 teenage girls at Sunshines Beach bar. They seemed to be enjoying their stay and when asked what they had found to see on the island, they replied that they were eating their way around the island at the different restaurants. OOOKKK if that's what an interesting vacation means to you!

However, the winds are blowing 28 knots right on our nose, so we're stuck here for a least another day or two so we decided to give it a second chance and bypass the town and take an island tour. Nicholas  was our guide, but we forgot to ask if his chugging, clunking, hard to start van had air conditioning.  Turns out an open window is all the better to see things from.

Nicholas- our guide

The oldest hotel on the island, The Bath hotel, built in 1750's is named for the hot springs which flow naturally from the volcanic mountain at about 108 degrees. 

Bath Hotel

hot springs

The next stop, The Montpelier Plantation, once a sugar plantation is now an expensive resort, with great old Ballast stone buildings, lovely gardens and pricey restaurant. 

Montpellier Plantation

Seems Princess Diana once stayed there. On to Hermitage Plantation, built in 1672,  also now an expensive resort, older wooden and stone buildings and a pricey restaurant. Seems Prince Charles and Camilla stayed there. (Presumably without Diana).

Then it was on to The Golden Rock Inn, also an old Ballast Stone Plantation built in 1723 and now an expensive resort, with lovely gardens, reflection pools and of course, a pricey restaurant.








Nevis is pretty round, and the road simply circumnavigates the island. Between these old plantations we saw many lovely old, a

 

 

 

 

 

stone churches

 

 

 

primary school, 

Primary school

some very well done , modern subsidized bungalows, built by the government of Nevis,

Government subsidized housing


more subsidized

the airport and the ocean side site of a medical University. We circled the Nevis Peak, but did not get close.

grocery store

Our last stop was Nisbet Plantation Beach Front Restaurant, the only one on the ocean. It is also an expensive resort, comprised of individual wooden bungalows with a pricey new  beach front Restaurant /bar ocean-side pool and hot tub and a tumbling Atlantic -facing beach.  We paused here for lunch and the cool breeze. 



Nisbets

Nisbets Beach bar

On our way back to town, we checked out Qualie Bay, which is the northern most recommended anchorage. There was a children's sailing regatta taking place and it was a busy happening day.
The tour ended and now I understand the comment about eating their way around the island. (We only ate lunch).
Back on the boat we cooked our first roast beef in the pressure cooker in under an hour. No oven means a cool boat and it was tender and delicious.

While walking that long sand beach we came upon $5EC being slowly pulled down into a crab hole.
We made a withdrawal from the Crabby Bank of Nevis, much to the consternation of banker himself.


Crabby Bank

Back at Sunshines Beach bar , spending our new wealth, Tom got suckered into buying Meg a bracelet by a cute little teenager that was the most persistent saleperson I've ever encountered.

Tomorrow we head for Montserrat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

St Kitts



 

St. Christopher, (commonly called St. Kitts)



We can see St Kitts from our anchorage in Eustatia. Just a three hour sail away. With Mizzen and Jib sails up we had a beautiful sail at 7-8 knots

As we sail down her coast the most notable landmark is Brimstone Fort, perched high on a volcanic outcropping watching all those who approach. We

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 arrived in Bassterre and headed to Customs and Immigration.


Very friendly Customs people, but they have this weird way in the Caribbean of putting the different components of Customs and Immigration in totally separate buildings, so it's a bit of back and forth to get it all done.  Couldn't find a courtesy flag, so got busy and made my own.

Home made courtesy flag

There is a fairly new marina with a dinghy dock, however they have left some very large rocks sticking up out of the water right in the dinghy channel, so the only way to get your propellor safely past is to cut the engine, slide along any other dinghy's and use your paddles. Why, they did not blast out these for a clear channel is any bodies guess.
The marina literally has no facilities, not even fuel or water.  To get Diesel or Gasoline, in Eustatia it must be jerry jugged from whatever gas station you can find that might carry Diesel, and for some reason on an island that depends on boats for travel and boats for tourism, they almost hide their Diesel away. Without a water-maker, you're dependent on jugs of water or conserving until you get to an island with dock facilities.
We decided to rent a car to tour the island and in particular Brimstone Fort.
  

Checking out our rental car



Our tour guide

This is the largest Fort in the islands and is perfectly intact and being carefully preserved.

Lower fort

tourists

   


soldier boy

It is situated on top of a large promontory that just seems to jut up independently out of the island and affords a 360 degree view all around. Must have been awesome  to look out to sea and watch an enemy ship approach.
It's said there is a ghost, marching in his boots and uniform,  that haunts the barracks building, but try as we might we could not catch a glimpse of him, maybe it's just a ploy to keep the tourists interested.





This island also has a volcano, but we opted not to do that hike again. We'll save it for Montserrat, which has a more active volcano.
  

jungle fun

We played in the rainforest and visited the site of an old rum mill, where we came face to face with the skinny green monkeys which were imported onto the island and now outnumber the people. They are extremely destructive and come down out of the hills, take bites out of crops and go back into the hills after this destruction.



monkeying around

                                  



We also checked out the Carabelle Batik factory, saw the lengthy process it takes to make a single piece of beautifully coloured cloth pictures, toured the beautiful gardens and I bought 2 cushion covers and Meg bought a gorgeous dress.    

learning to make Batik

 
A couple of cold Carib beers at the dockside bar and good internet is always on the list. Our last jaunt of the day was down to Frigate Bay and the Shiggity Shack for dinner and sunset at the beach.
The "Green Flash" is a seldom seen flash of green that happens just as the last bit of the sun dips into the ocean. I've watched and watched, trying to catch this phenomenon, but usually there is an island or a cloud in the way.
Tonight we saw it for the first time and actually photographed it. Meg and I jumped for glee, we finally confirmed it really does happen.


Basseterre is another rolly anchorage, so early morning we headed south to White House Bay, a calmer, more protected anchorage. 

beneath the volcano

The snorkelling was great, the beach bar was mega expensive as it was part of a new Marina


 

mega expensive beach bar

 

development for the very rich and their mega yachts. We walked over to the sales office to check it out and Gord hit it off with the salesman, who offered us a tour the next day, trying very hard to sell us a hillside lot with a view of Sandy Bay on the Altantic side

beach on the Atlantic side

and a view of the new marina and Ballast Bay on the Caribbean side

Caribbean on left to Atlantic on right

where they have opened up the salt pond and are developing it into a fabulous marina, housing site.

Developing the salt pond

Price tag $975,000.00, claiming it was a perfect spot for us to build our million dollar home. Then he swept us off to the private clubhouse and treated us to a lobster lunch and a low pressure, but insistent pitch about buying side by side lots and how convenient it would be to keep our yachts in the marina, which is an incredible hurricane hole. 

restaurant in clubhouse



pool side

The facilities were incredible and IF I had an extra couple of million laying around, I'd be tempted for the investment potential alone. 

overlooking the beach from a visitor cabin

He's waiting to hear from us on which lots we have settled on.
Me thinks it will be a very long wait! But will check our Lottery numbers when we return.

Now its off to St Kitts sister Island of Nevis