Nevis

Our sail to Nevis was postponed suddenly when we heard "Diesel Duck" on the VHF talking to "Dreamtime". They had left St. Bart's at midnight and were coming through the Narrows, south of St. Kitts. After checking in with customs
at Basseterre they had decided to join "Dreamtime" (that's Linda and Ed on the right) at Ballast Bay. These two boats have been traveling on and off with us since Georgetown in the Bahamas. We quickly changed our heading and anchored there as well. A lovely, completely undeveloped part of the island, it was very protected from the wind and seas. We swam, snorkeled and then the other two boats joined us for a pot luck dinner - salmon cakes with rum punches, penne and sausages, Yorkshire puddings, tossed salad and brownies - YUM! It was a fun evening.

Next morning early we pulled the anchor and motored over to the northwest end of Nevis. The Gallipot restaurant in Tamarind Bay has free moorings and it's a lovely spot off a small beach with the Volcano rising over it.
After connecting with "Vagamundo" on the VHF, we dinghied over to Oualie Beach and rented bikes for the day. "September Song" and "Vagamundo" have their own bikes and had already explored the island. We all cycled down to Charleston and did some shopping and sightseeing, had some ice cream and then pedaled back. It was a lot of work and very sunny but beautiful. We were more than ready for lunch when we returned at close to 2 PM. The restaurant at Oualie Beach is terrific and the water felt great afterwards. They let us use the chaise lounges and the fresh water showers as well - heaven! The next morning we rented a car and drove all around the island. The west side is very undeveloped and we hiked all over a lovely set of ruins at Coconut Walk Estate. The machinery is still intact. It would look like the people had just walked away for a moment except for the rust. We then visited the Traditional Nevisian Village -
a recreated set of homes from various periods in Nevis history and did the nature walk at Golden Rock Plantation Inn. Many of the old estate homes have been converted into Inns and/or restaurants. We looked at two before choosing the Montpelier Plantation Inn for lunch. Doesn't that meal look fabulous! The old stone buildings and ruins have been incorporated into the new sections and all scattered through the lovely gardens.

The people of St. Kitts and Nevis are so nice. Everyone greets you and wants to help. They are interested in chatting and no one has a ulterior motive. This is a prosperous island and the gaily colored homes
everywhere are very comfortable looking. We explored many of the small roads, often only with room for one car (you sometimes have to back up or pull over on the grass). We don't mind driving on the left but you do need to pay attention all the time. Next we visited an art gallery in Charleston for some gifts and then headed for a beach bar for a beer and a swim. Doesn't this table below and the sofas on either side look comfortable for a drink? Afterwards we shopped for some gifts and groceries and headed back to the boat.
It was a lovely day.

Today, after returning the car and checking out from customs, we have a long list of chores to do. Mine involve cleaning, updating the inventorys, email and cooking. Scott is rebuilding the stern toilet. Yes I got the better deal! He also worked with two other boats on the VHF special "buddy" frequencies. We'll of course get in some swimming and snorkeling too! Tomorrow morning, around 5:00 AM we heading south again. Depending on the conditions we may either go directly to Guadeloupe or stop for an overnight at Montserrat. Scott will check with Montserrat Volcano Observatory today on the situation. There is both a land and maritime exclusion zone around the island the borders of which change depending on the Soufriere Volcano activity.
We have heard of a number of boats that have been covered with ash even miles off the island so we don't want to take a chance. Still we'd love to have a chance to stop there. The northern half is still green and has been protected from the eruptions by the Center Hills mountain range. Two waves of Irish settlers colonized this island in 1630s and 1649 - it's called the Emerald Isle, like Ireland. The view from the inhabited section to the smoking and devastating volcano is memorable we've been told. The old capital Plymouth still has the spire of one church sticking up from the ashes. In 1995 11,000 people lived there, now only 4,500.

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St. Kitts to Nevis

Our next destinations, St. Kitts and Nevis, are an independent state with a British tradition and 50,000 inhabitants (Saba has 1500 and Statia 2700 in contrast). The anchorage at St. Kitts was too open to the waves so we stayed in the marina there for three nights. This was a nice change and we enjoyed plugging in and using our air conditioning.
We've anchored all but a few days since our return March 1. That night three boats came over for drinks in our cockpit; two that we've been traveling with off and on; Dreamtime and September Song (they have a 15 month old son, Matis) and a couple we just met, Gretchen and Frank on Infinity. The next day was Mother's Day and it was so wonderful to talk to all four of our children! Luckily our "international" cell phone was working for a change!

St. Kitts has a steep central mountain range rising 3750 feet high but the land, covered with sugar cane plantations, now mostly charming Inns, slopes up gradually from the sea. We rented a car on Monday and drove all around this lovely island - on the left side of the road. Rows of gnarly trees line many of them, leaning away from the sea winds. Two pictures illustrate this, better seen by double clicking on the photos. Brimstone Hill Fortress, a World Heritage Site, is a enormous series of fortifications built on a old volcanic eruption which rises straight out of the sea. This reminded me of the Tolkien's City of Gondor - a series of walled terraced fortifications with the road twisting up and through deep arched gates. One thousand British soldiers held out for some months against eight thousand French there, surrendering eventually with full honors. The fort is being painstakingly restored and is already in great shape. While we were there a tropical downpour occurred cooling everything off nicely.
We also visited two lovely old plantation locations. The first Romney Manor was once the home of Jefferson's great grandfather and although the old manor house has burned down, it is now home to Caribelle Batiks and their charming workshops are scattered in the beautifully landscaped gardens where we saw some of the monkeys which populate this island. The second, Rawlins Plantation Inn, appears like magic after a long narrow card track between fields of sugar cane in a wonderful oasis of lawn, trees and flowers. We had a West Indian buffet lunch sitting on their veranda with a view of the sea and in the distance, Statia.
As each diner completed their luncheon, the birds moved in for the last dregs of the drinks! After that we met the present descendant of the past owners, Philip Walwyn, a renowned yachtsmen who is building a First Rule Twelve Metre - a class of boat used for the America's Cup from 1958 to 1987. It is the only one to be built since 1917 and gorgeous. .His wife, Kate Spencer, is a wonderful artist and her studio and shop is in their home. The boat is being built out in the yard. We really enjoyed her work and bought a signed numbered print of hers.

After the necessary and with the car, easier, tasks of laundry and shopping, we drove down the lovely but almost deserted south end of the island. Newly constructed roads over the hillsides indicate that next time we visit this island, new homes will have sprouted up. We returned the car this morning, checked out with customs and now we're off to Nevis.

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