Disappointing St. Kitts

The north end of the harbor area where we anchored

We sailed from Pinney’s Beach near Charlestown, Nevis over to Basseterre, St. Kitts. Again, good winds and a nice beam reach. It is only 10 miles or so. Just a nice morning sail. 

St. Kitts is a twin-island state with British tradition and about 50,000 inhabitants, compared to Nevis with 12,000. St. Kitts does not have a great anchorage for sailboats. It has a harbor with a marina (Port Zante), but the slips are all taken by local boaters. There are no marine services – such as, fuel! 

The new town designed for cruise ship tourists

There is a deep water port for the cargo ships and tankers and a large dock for the cruise ships. However, there is not much for the smaller yachts. And the anchorage is very rolly since there is little protection.

We found St. Kitts to be very disappointing.
So you ask: what was so disappointing about St. Kitts?

Between the old town and the water, some developers have created a 25 acre waterfront where businesses from St. Martin have built and opened stores. It feels like a low-end St. Thomas Grande Yacht Haven! Everyone is outside their stores trying to get you to come in and buy. There was a lot of junk. Of course, the duty-free jewelry and liquor stores are there, too.

It is obvious that since the end of the sugar cane business, they have made a decision to attract cruise ships.  You can even pay to have your photo taken with a tiny monkey!

The archway leads to the old town and
the museum is upstairs

Even though the cruising guides discuss the green fertile land and “outstanding visual beauty,” we were disheartened when we went ashore. Granted, we did not take a taxi ride or the luxury train ride through the old plantation areas or around the island.

Basseterre is the capital city of St. Kitts and is the site of the original French settlement. Built on the waterfront, the architecture varies from British to French. It was rebuilt after a fire in 1876 with a circle, known as the Circus (modeled after Piccadilly in London) in the center of the old town. 

Costumes in the museum

                                                     

We did visit the National Museum in the old Treasury Building, where we learned about the rise and decline of the sugar industry, as well as how the slaves lived and worked.

Interesting architecture on this church

And the old tomb stones

We spent a lot of our time in the Ballyhoo restaurant using the free Wi-Fi and enjoying frozen mango smoothies while working on our computers. At least it was a good connection - with an occasional power blip- so we were able to catch up on work and correspondence. And the building was not rocking and rolling! The actual town is quite small, like most of these harbor towns.


Dennis investigated an old church that is in the old town area. Tombstones from very early dates told of the history of the area. I found a bakery for fresh bread, croissants and a wonderful slice of chocolate cake!

Another annoying thing was the car with loud speakers on top going through the old town announcing places one should go for this and that. How obnoxious! That was enough for me to NEVER go to those establishments! I couldn’t wait to get out of that area. I doubt that we will ever return to St. Kitts. Nevis, probably.

Sunset over Basseterre harbor

At least we had pretty sunrises and sunsets in the Nevis-St. Kitts area. There were several double rainbows, too. However, we did not get much sleep in the harbor. I was ready to move on to St. Eustacia just a few miles away. Although, we know the anchorage there is also known for an uncomfortable night!

Stopping in at Montpelier

The tree is very old and it greets
you at the entrance.

Nicholas came back to pick us up at the Botanical Garden and insisted that we take a few minutes to stop at Montpelier before going back to the boat. This is where Alexander Hamilton was born.

Like many of the old plantations, it has taken much renovation and a love for the historical buildings to create comfortable living spaces with today's amenities. Fine dining seems to be the draw to most of these establishments.

Interior dining area 

It is one of the old sugar plantations that have been turned into a beautiful hotel. It is now owned by an American family. The reputation for the dining is excellent both for food and ambiance - and the views!

Lobby lounge area

We only stayed a few minutes to take in the view and the interior of the hotel. Again, Nicholas was right: it was well worth the stop! I guess when you are a native and have been driving tourists around for years, you do know the places to see!

Terrace dining

A wonderful view of the ocean at a distance.

More Beauty on Nevis

After spending most of the day hiking and relaxing at Golden Rock Estate on Nevis, Dennis and I were dropped off at the Botanical Garden of Nevis, also in the Gingerland area, while Susan and Jim went back to town. The gardens cover an eight acre area and contain numerous varieties of palms and orchids among the collection. 

There was a beautiful white egret or crane of some type in the lily pond. He was quite comfortable with people getting close enough to photograph him. I assume it was a male since in the birds, they seem to get the better looks!


In an enclosed garden area, parrots where in a large screened cage. There were several varieties and some smaller birds, as well. The orchids were located throughout the gardens and were stunning.

The garden plants are from all over the world. I never knew there were so many varieties of palm trees – every size and shape and leave shape imaginable.It is laid out as landscaping around the large house. Since most items are labeled, we just wandered around at our own pace.


The also had a large collection of fruit trees from all over the world. Unfortunately, this is not the season for blooms or fruits on many of the species. The serenity of the garden was well worth the walk and visit.

Making Connections with Other Sailors

Susan, Jim, Dennis and driver, Nicholas

As usual, I struck up a conversation on the dock with another sailing couple. She held our line while we positioned the dinghy. I noticed that their dingy was registered in Virginia. Of course, I asked if they were from Virginia and we started chatting. Then the next morning, Monday, they arrived at the dinghy dock just behind us. So I asked what they were planning for the day’s adventure. It turned out to be the same as our plan, so I asked if they would like to share a taxi

Dennis talking to a client in the middle
of the rain forest hike!

And so, we spent most of the day in the company of Susan and Jim from Virginia Beach, VA. We rode up  to Golden Rock Estate for a day of hiking in the rain forest, hoping to see the wild greenback monkeys. Our taxi driver was Nicholas whom we had met on Sunday and assured him we would be ready to go on Monday.

We started up (and I mean UP!) the Nature Trail to the Source. Susan and Jim went further than we did, but they did not make it to the top either! It was cool in the rain forest and a beautiful sight, but it was very hot in the open areas. The sounds of the birds and the wind in the breeze was refreshing.

Sherry calling  "uncle" to the hike!

I am not a great hiker. My sciatic nerve is an issue when climbing up and down. Once my leg starts throbbing and shaking, I am done! Dennis went a little further than I did. I was happy to learn from Susan and Jim that not too far from where I gave up, the trail became very step and rocky. They did not find it enjoyable or safe. That is when they turned back and headed down. So none of us reached the Source!

We also shared the trail with goats. At one point, I was standing between two - one was a very large black billy goat. He was looking at the smaller one on the other side of me and she was looking at him and then at me. I was not to sure what they were discussing! But I decided it was time for me to move along before they executed their plan.


To cool off, we sat by the pool with cold Cokes until Susan and Jim returned to join us for lunch. The view from Golden Rock is spectacular. The grounds are very pretty with many different planting groups ranging from desert to rain forest in theme and location on the property.

The dining terrace at Golden Rock Estate

The restaurant at Golden Rock Estate is one of the best places to dine: beautiful view, fabulous terrace and very good food. The lobster salad was great! We all enjoyed a several hour long lunch in this lovely place.

After our big talk of walking down the mountain back to town with our taxi driver, Nicholas (who smirked at our idea), we called him for the return trip. The hike had been enough mountain climbing for all of us! Dennis and I were dropped off at the Botanical Garden.

Moving on to Nevis & St. Kitts

“Nuestra Senora del las Nieves” 

We were up and preparing to set sail to St. Kitts. The cruising guide suggested it was a 40 nm trip. However, we were at the north end of St. Barth and had to go to the south end of St. Kitts to make the passage through the Narrows between Nevis and St. Kitts. Then we were to sail back north to the port of Basseterre to check in. Well … it was more than 40 nm! It took us all day with good sailing and a little motor sailing at the end so we could get through the Narrows before we lost good light.

Once we got to the Narrows and past Booby (a huge rock in the middle of the passage) and The Cows (a group of smaller rocks to be avoided), we decided to pick up a mooring ball along the shore of Nevis. Nevis and St. Kitts are one country so we could check in at Charlestown, Nevis in the morning. (It is pronounced Neevis.)

Local park where people chill out 

Originally we thought we would skip Nevis. Having done so would have allowed us to miss a real “cat and mouse” game of checking in! The Customs people were very nice. It is just that the system works for them, but not for the visitor! First you go to the Customs office near the dock and pay some fees. Then you go to the Police Station four or five blocks away for Immigration. Next you back to the Port Office at the dock. Then you go back to the Customs office to get your cruising permit. Now, mind you, it was Sunday so they were only open from 9 AM to 1 PM. We had two hours to make it happen!

Local Caribbean music awaited passengers of a cruise ship

The challenge became apparent when we got to the Police station several blocks from the dock and the officer said we should see the Immigration officer who was at the dock. So we went back to the dock only to find that she had gone out to check in the passengers on a small cruise ship! We went to the Customs office an hour before closing to pick up the cruising permit, but found it locked. Later we learned that the Customs agent was also on the cruise ship.

Pinney's Beach where we anchored near the Four Seasons

Having waited for over an hour for the agents to return to shore, they asked us to come back on Monday since it was past 1 PM and they were “closed.” It was time to back to the boat and relax. After all, it is “island time!” We were moored on Pinney’s Beach just north of Charlestown and right under  Nevis Peak, the high volcanic peak where the clouds cover the top of the mountain most of the time. It is over 3000 feet high and you can see the rain up there several times a day. But the showers provide beautiful rainbow – often double ones! Columbus named the mountain “Nuestra Senora del las Nieves” (Our Lady of the Snows) after one of his favorite churches.