We departed from Antigua for a new Caribbean country. St. Kitts and Nevis. The first island you come to heading westbound is Nevis.
Nevis the smaller of the two islands comprising the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It earned it’s nickname, “Queen of the Caribees”, in the 18th Century because of its many sugar plantations. It is located in the northern end of the Lesser Antilles and was a part of the British colonial holdings until 1967 when it achieved Associated Statehood with St. Kitts. On September 19, 1983, Nevis became part of an independent nation and form part of the sovereign democratic state of St. Christopher and Nevis.
As with most islands in the Caribbean, Nevis is known for its crystal clear water and sandy beaches. But new to this stop for us was beautiful jungles making it very lush and green. While wandering around you’ll encounter donkeys roaming free and herds of goats. A wet start to the day as we set to pull up anchor, a nicely little rain shower parked itself right over us. A very wet start! Once moving, the whole day was a very gusty squally day with winds mostly from behind. So we just put the jib out and let it us carry us the 50 miles past the small quiet island of Redonda and around the south end of the Island of Nevis. Redonda, if you are interested has an interesting story where it went from goat/rat infestations to an ecological haven. Read about it here. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-66922735. Some cruisers stop to scuba dive the shorts on fair-weather days.
Right about this time we caught a nice sized Skipjack tuna on the line and Kevin reeled it in slowly. With some fresh avocados on board, it was Poke Bowl night!!
Once around to the western side of Nevis, there was some confusion on the mooring balls and anchoring space. We opted to go North and pick a spot off of Pinneys Beach across from Sunshine’s Bar. Here, we grabbed what appeared to be a well maintained mooring buoy and as we came to find out, they charge a mooring tax when you check in whether or not you grab one, so may as well! Our view was dramatic to say the least! We found ourselves at the base of a lush green volcano and over the next several days we were afforded lots of intermittent rain and rainbows in the backdrop. We arrived late, so we raised the Q-flag, poured ourselves a sundowner in celebration of a successful sail, fresh catch, and arrival at a new BEAUTIFUL island.
Checking In
From our mooring ball, it was about a mile to the Charlestown pier. Another initially confusing approach as this also operates as the ferry off one of the piers so you have to be careful where you tie up, but the gentlemen on the dock was very helpful. We opted to use our anchor off the back to hold the off the concrete. Turned out to be the right call. There is a LOT of surge between the two piers.
The first thing you will notice when you step on the island to check in, is the incredibly warm and friendly nature of the locals as well as the overwhelming charm of the island. Once off the dinghy, we walked into the main ferry terminal area where we were greeted with lively music and dancing under a large “Welcome to Nevis” sign. We got a little turned around in all the bustle, but eventual found customs and Immigration in the upstairs office of a large yellow building. It was a painless 30 min process with lots of random cash fees, and we were fully cleared in. Now the fun and exploring could begin!
Other Notables:
Airport: If you have friends/family flying in, Nevis is a short ferry ride (15-20 min) from St. Kitts, where they can fly into Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport. Not easy to get to directly…all the more reason to check it out by sailboat!
Cash Money: Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD) though USDs are widely accepted. Just expect XCD in in change and via ATMs (when they work). Current Exchange rate
Official Language: English, though you will also here a bit of the St. Kitts Creole on occasion.
The Highlights
On our first day we opted to dinghy over to Pinney’s beach and check out the ever popular, Sunshine’s Bar, an apparent Nevis highlight and ‘must do.’ It was a very festively colored outdoor bar/eatery (and extensive gift shop) with exactly the type of loud Caribbean music you would expect. It was packed full of tourists and energy. We found a spot on the shaded porch to try their famous tasty adult beverage known as the “Killer Bee”. It is sweet and rummy and does pack quite the sting. High Octane in those cups! We snacked on some typical bar food that was good as well.
Out the front door we found a group of small restaurants and bars. We Stopped into Lime Beach Bar, we tried one of their fruity rum drinks and enjoyed the view out into the ocean. We also sampled Turtle Time Beach Bar & Grill. This place was more our vibe having that laid back beach shack feel. Definitely the place more locals hand out. We met a local, Keith, clearly a regular on the bar stool there, who was very entertaining and full of stories about the islands.
The only other place we stopped at for lunch during our stay was Sofie’s Snackette, a cute small place in town that has about 3 items on the menu comprised of what ever homemade delight they are serving up that day. We had a beef and rice dish that was very good. The family running the place was also very friendly. Highly recommend.
The Ten Dollar Founding Father Without a Father
You may have heard a little ditty from a wildly popular US Broadway show:
“Across the waves, he struggled and kept his guard up
-Song”Alexander Hamilton” from the musical “Hamilton
Inside, he was longing for something to be a part of
The brother was ready to beg, steal, borrow, or barter
Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned
Our man saw his future drip, dripping down the drain
Put a pencil to his temple, connected it to his brain
And he wrote his first refrain, a testament to his pain
Well, the word got around, they said, this kid is insane, man
Took up a collection just to send him to the mainland
Get your education, don’t forget from whence you came
And the world is gonna know your name
What’s your name, man?
Alexander Hamilton
My name is Alexander Hamilton
And there’s a million things I haven’t done
But just you wait, just you wait”
Well, we found the very “middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean where he dropped.” Alexander Hamilton was born here on the island in Charlestown on Nevis on January 11, 1755 and lived there until he was about 7 (or 9 depending on your source). There is a small house marking his birthplace and adjacent museum on Nevis history. Small island so not much to it. You can find it easily by the large Alexander Hamilton Sculpture out front. The cost of the museum was 27 ECD.
Underwater Adventures
I found a few critters and fish under the boat in the patches of sea grass. But overall, not much to see. The standard sea stars, sea cucumbers, conch, some rays and small reef fish. And one very cool little Atlantic pygmy octopus.
A Private Rum Tour & More
Clifton Estates Rum. Kevin scheduled us a tour with owner and master blender/distiller Mark Theron. It was a 45 entertaining min walk there from the dock. We saw roaming goats and donkeys, colorful cemeteries and beautiful churches along the way. The rum tour was super fun. We lucked out as we were the only people that day so I believe we got a much more personalized experience. The following day he was expecting a group of 29. This was way better!
A unique experience where we toured his entire up and coming property, we learned a lot about the rum making and distribution processes. Mark was very engaging and his rums (& his vodka-based tropical liquor infused with magic dust and unicorn happy tears) are hand-crafted and absolutely delicious. We even got to bottle our own rum to take away! Highly recommend if your in the neighborhood.
If you can’t make it out to his property, you can find his libations in town at the L & L Rumshop. Another place we recommend a stop in if you love Rum. They have a huge selection.
On our way back we hit up the free Sulfur Hot Springs. They are just off the road just past a few random donkeys mulling about, and honestly it looked like random pools of rainwater, very murky water, so not too inviting. It didn’t help that its had started to drizzle. We did find one under a small makeshift shelter with clearer water and put our feet in to test it out. Yep, it was hot. There is small gift/donation shop run by locals who told us the spring water is warmed by the island’s volcano. It is an interesting tourist attraction.
A little ways closer to the pier, about 5 min away, we found the local grocery store, Best Buy Supermarket. It was a decent sized store where we were able to pick up some fresh, bread, eggs, fruits and vegetables as well as a few staples. After months of searching we found the enticing spice of the pumpkins so we could feel a little “fall” in February. Bonus, the prices weren’t too crazy.
There was definitely way more on the island we would have loved to see. We are definitely going to miss the daily rainbow sunsets and the incredible views from the boat, but adventure must continue. Next time, I’d love to rent a car, taxi or take the bus and go further in to the rest of the island for exploring. All seemed readily available. So we hope to go back someday. Next up we head across The Narrows to the St. Kitts.
