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.