Nevis and St Kitts

We left Deshaies, Guadeloupe, on Friday March 8th at 0330 and sailed 70 miles to Nevis. This was not the most peaceful way for Robin to spend his birthday, but luckily, we had good wind all the way and were anchored off Charlestown well before sunset. On the way, we sailed passed Monserat, keeping the recomended 5 miles offshore. The volcano is not very active in this last week, but the smell of sulphur was terrible for about half an hour, and there was particles of ash in the air. We also passed the small island of Redonda. The bay off Charlestown has beautiful views of St Kitts and that evening, we were treated to a lovely sunset. We thought we might even see the 'green flash', but a small sliver of cloud appeared on the horizon just as the sun went down.

The following morning, we went ashore to clear customs and immigration. Customs was in an unmarked ramshackle shed with no sign of a customs officer. A helpful local taxi driver called them up and we cleared in half an hour later. We visited the Nevis museum at the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton (The first Secretary of State for the USA). We took a taxi tour of the island, a very bumpy ride as the entire circumnavigation is one big road works. The tour consisted mainly of old plantation houses that have been converted to expensive hotels. Most of the old machinery we saw in the grounds of these hotels was made in Glasgow in the 1800s. We saw the home of Fanny Nisbet in the north of the island. We also visited the site of her marriage to Admiral Nelson. We walked around the new botanical gardens, full of interesting copper bird and animals that appear unexpectedly from the bushes as you explore.

On Sunday, we went to the local races. This was very different to racing at home, but no less fun. It is a very relaxed affair, where horse share their track with the occasional sheep and goats. To get there, you have to drive several miles along a dirt track. The stables are rusty corrigated iron huts, but they are very proud of their new grandstand. There were 5 races on the card, interspersed with reggae music and banter from a local DJ, telling us about the horses and jockeys. We had delicious barbequed chicken and ribs from stalls in the car park.

The following day, we sailed the short distance to Basseterre, St Kitts. We anchored off the deep water port as the marina in the centre of the town was badly damaged by hurricane Lenny. We went to customs to clear out and then went into Basseterre, leaving the dinghy in the marina (costing us $5!) The circus at the centre of town is modeled after Picadilly Circus in London, but we didn't find much else of interest, so we took a taxi to Brimstone Hill. Brimstone hill is a strategically placed fort, a lasting monument to the rivalry between the French and the British. From the top, you can see for miles around. It played an important part in keeping the French busy until Admiral Rodney got to the Caribbean with reinforcements. The decisive 'Battle of the Saintes' then gave Britain undisputed mastery of the sea thereafter in the Caribbean.

We did not have a very restful night as the anchorage is very rolly and a container ship was being loaded all night. We left early the next morning for St Barths, dodging hundreds of lobster pots and fish cages. Throughout the Caribbean, the floats that mark the lobster pots are a variety of old bottles, some easy to see, others invisible in the swell until we are almost on top of them. Quite often, we have found several tied together by a floating line that is not marked. So far, so good, we are managing to keep them out of our propeller. We sailed past Brimstone Hill and several old plantation towers, all that is left of St Kitts sugar plantation heritage. We also got great views of Statia and Saba as we rounded the north of the island to head for St Barths.