We had a dream sail from St. Barts to Saint Kitts. Just as we left the harbor we had a squall come through but once the wind and rain cleared it was smooth sailing. We hauled anchor for the 40 mile sail at daybreak with about 15 to 18knts of wind at just over a beams reach. For my non-sailing friends that is almost a prefect scenario to hope for. It was nice to finally not have the wind at our nose! We kept our eyes open for whales since we are in humpback territory but unfortunately we did not spot any. Lots of flying fish to guide the way as always though.
Passing by the island of Sint Eustatius (Statia)
Approaching St. Kitts
The Brimstone Hill Fortress seen from the sea.
It was smooth sailing most of the way but as we approached the island the winds started to become gusty and not consistent so we dropped our sails and motored. As we were enjoying the coastline of St. Kitts almost to our destination we had a bit of a hiccup…we ran over a crab trap and it’s line got wound up in our prop. We had been keeping a good lookout for traps because we had seen a few but this one got by us. Brian had to dive down and cut the line loose from the prop in about 400 ft of water. Finally he was able to free us from the trap but then when he got back on the boat and we started up the engine an alarm went off saying that the engine was overheating. Brian could not find out what was causing the engine to overheat so we decided to raise our sails and sail the rest of the way to the harbor. After tacking back and forth into the winds we arrived just in time to enjoy a beautiful sunset. The next day Brian combed over the engine and saw that the impeller (raw water cooling pump) had spun it’s hub and had to be replaced. Thankfully we had a spare and it was an easy fix. It’s nice to have our own mechanic on board!
The center of town, which is in the shape of an octagon, is called “The Circus”. This site was created in the likeness of the Piccadilly Circus in London. Clock tower is the Thomas Berkeley Memorial. (Former legislative president)
Can you spot what we were excited to find in town? Domino’s Pizza!
We dropped our anchor in the harbor of Basseterre, the capital city of St. Kitts. St. Kitts and Nevis are part of the same two island country and the smallest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere. They gained their Independence from the Brits in 1983. They have been fought over by the Brits, the French and the Spanish and they say that some of the most unsavory pirates once used these islands as home base. St. Kitts was the first island to be colonized by England in 1624 and was also one of first to grow sugar cane the main industry that dominated the Caribbean for centuries.
Black/gray sand beach off the town of Basseterre.
Both of the islands are pretty small. St. Kitts is 69 square miles and Nevis, 36 square miles. Both islands have rain forests, lots of beaches and long dormant volcanoes. Of the two islands Nevis is the sleepier. It has less to offer the tourists than St. Kitts and supposedly has a reputation as being a money laundering haven. The island has some 9,000 offshore businesses- about one business per a inhabitant – registered and operating under strict secrecy laws. Just in case anyone was looking to open a “business” this may be the island for you!
This is what happens when you tip the entertainers in the street…they were a hoot!
Baby monkey taking a break with a cold one…who’s that in the background doing the same?
Our first stop in historic Basseterre was no disappointment. The minute that you step foot on land you are surrounded by history. Well, as soon as you get past the cruise ship terminal. Apparently, this a main stop for lots of cruise ships. We wondered around town, bought 99 cent beers and enjoyed people watching. Rachel even had her first casino experience. I was hoping that she would learn that gambling was not a good thing to get hooked on but instead she walked away a winner, no lesson learned there and now she’s even planning her first trip to Vegas!
Fountain in Independence Square.
St. George’s Anglican Church, the largest church in Basseterre.
Co- Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
I could not find the name for this church but seemed to be the oldest of them all…it was beautiful!
We took a local bus for about $2.00 a person to The Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park. This fortress is something else! It is one of the largest in the Caribbean.
It took us over three hours to explore it and I’m still sure that there are parts that we still did not see. It sits atop the upper slopes of a steep hill at 727 ft. The first cannons were mounted on Brimstone Hill in 1690 by the British and in 1782 French soldiers attacked the island and seized the fortress. I could go on and on about the history on this fort for it seems that it changed hands a few times and eventually was left for neglect in 1852 when British soldiers were reassigned.
The society for the restoration of Brimstone Hill was founded in 1965 and in 1973. Prince Charles led the ceremony for the first reopening of the complete restoration. In 1985 Britain’s Queen Elizabeth unveiled a plaque signifying Brimstone Hill Fortress as a National Park and in 1999 the park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
My turn to photo bomb!
It was amazing to be surrounded by such a great amount of history. We also got to see our first wild monkeys here. When we were in the town of Basseterre around the cruise ship port Rachel was approached by a guy that had three monkeys offering take pictures with the tourists. She had been looking forward to seeing the monkeys so she took the pics with his monkeys, (you can check out her faceboook page for these photos). But here at the fort we saw wild monkeys and we were prepared. We had brought along bananas just in case. The monkeys were all over the place in the trees and along the walls of the fort. We even saw babies! They were not easy persuaded though and we could only get one to come out and take a piece of banana from us. (Not from our hands just from the ground where we threw it) She did seem pose for us though when she was done eating.
OK, now I have to admit that I have an addiction and it is starting to affect my family. Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am addicted to Chaney. OK, so it is not officially Chaney because it is not found in the sea with rounded edges but it is still pieces of china that I have been finding everywhere! These little pieces of history amaze me and I can be found digging in parking lots, peoples driveways, and looking on the sides of the roads for these pieces of treasure. I just can’t help myself! The history and stories behind these shards is what attracts me and keeps me looking for more. I have suffered many back aches from walking with my head down and hunched over as well as odd stares and questions of what I had lost only to admit, I was looking for broken pieces of china. Most people think I’m crazy when I tell the what I’m looking for and I think that Brian and Rachel have had enough of it but I could go on forever with my head down and filling my pockets with these treasures!
Underwater fun in Banana Bay…
Hey wait….come back!
We enjoyed our stay in the town of Basseterre however it was time for us to sail on. We hugged the coast admiring all of the beauty that St. Kitts has to offer and dropped anchor in Banana Bay/Cockeshell Bay. This is a beautiful crescent shaped bay with a nice beach. It’s a popular place to lime. Lots of chairs and umbrellas to rent, jet skis, fly boarding and just a fun place to people watch. We anchored near shore in crystal clear waters. Most of the beaches on the island are composed of gray or black volcanic sand but this one is brownish with a sparkle of quarts that makes it look like it is dotted with tiny diamonds shining in the sun…pretty! This was a perfect last stop for us before we sailed on to Nevis where we are currently anchored. Enough for now, the beach is calling to me and I need a break!
Hope that you have enjoyed our stories, we have so much more we’ll share our adventures around the island of Nevis next time…
Take care,
Jennifer, Brian and Rachel