Nevis

Spent the best part of a week anchored off a beach on the west side of the tiny island of Nevis (pronounced Neevis) which is part of the twin island state of St Kitts & Nevis.  At first look Nevis looks like an imagined tropical island a kid would instinctively draw -  round island, symmetrical volcano in the middle with beaches dotted around the coast but there's more to it.  Its famous as the place where the British naval hero Lord Nelson met and married Fanny Nesbit and as the birth place of Alexander Hamilton, the first treasury secretary of the new United States of America.  (No connection between the events as far as we can tell).

Nevis

We had a relatively incident free sail from Montserrat although an early gust caught us with too much sail up ....again.  One of these days we will learn.  On the way to Nevis we sailed past the island of Redonda which is really just an uninhabited big rock in the middle of the sea which would not be out of place off Scotlands West coast.  Apparently some Antiguan resident has claimed sovereignty of the island and has proclaimed himself King of Redonda but no lives on the island and it would be a pretty formidable place to try and come ashore.

Island Kingdom of Redondo

After clearing in at the capital of Nevis, Charlestown, we picked up a mooring off a place called Pinney’s Beach right in the lee of the volcano which is dormant.  Its peak however is almost continually shrouded in cloud which seems to generate rain showers which cascade down the mountain slopes and across the bay on a daily basis.  Nevis used to be a huge important sugar producing island for the British but now both it and St Kitts rely almost entirely on the tourist dollar and so have numerous resorts, hotels and visitors from frequent cruise ships and mega yachts.  Nevertheless Nevis remains pretty peaceful and relaxed and although the sugar plantations are gone many of the old plantation houses have been renovated and turned into restaurants or hotels.

The neighbourhood is going to the dogs

We slogged on with the schoolwork while we were here and got in a couple of visits ashore.  The first was to have a look around Charlestown which is quite a pretty town with lots of the old stone buildings still standing and in various stages of renovation.  We had a walk around the town and a  look at a small interesting museum focusing on Lord Nelson and then visited some hot springs to soak our feet.  Its a really pleasant place and the locals are super friendly.

Main Street Charleston

Relaxing at the hot Springs

A couple of days later we took off to the Golden Rock Inn, which is an old plantation home restaurant and hotel for lunch.  The place is located halfway up the mountain on the south facing side.  The setting was straight out of a travel brochure, old plantation buildings, modern decor, beautiful sunlit tropical gardens and all overlooking the sparkling blue Caribbean and cooled by the trade winds.  We had a great meal and then were able to lounge around their pool before returning to the boat.  Our taxi driver who ferried us to and from the restaurant, Charlie, was a character who had 12 kids.  He is not unusual in the islands and lots of the guys we speak to have multitudes of kids - don’t know how they cope.

Views from the Golden Rock

The old plantation buildings

Crew Lunch

Finished up at Nevis on Monday (24th Feb) and then sailed across to St Kitts which is only about 9 miles away.  The main town here is Basseterre but in the bay the swell can get a bit lumpy so we decided to seek refuge in a small marina complex called Port Zante.  Had a bumpy time getting the boat into the pen primarily due to the fact that the pens are only just big enough for the boat but reinforces the fact that there is further improvement on Scott's boat handling skills required.  Managed to scratch the new varnish on the capping rail in a couple of spots but hopefully it will rub out.

We will stay here for a few days and then head off to St Maarten where we are picking up some friends, Dan and Kelly, for a few days sailing.  Dan crewed for us when we went around Cape Hatteras to Charleston in what seems a lifetime ago.  We are all looking forward to catching up with them again.  Dan is an accomplished solo circumnavigator so am looking forward to getting as much info out of him regarding the Atlantic crossing.

Montserrat

Had a great sail across to Montserrat on the Monday once the gusty winds from the day before had died down a bit.  The direction is slightly west of north and so its an easy reach all the way up.  The distance to the island is about 30 miles and you can see it from Deshaies quite clearly.

Montserrat from afar

Some people may remember the news stories from around 1997 when an eruption of Mt Soufriere forced the evacuation of the main town of Plymouth on the south west coast.  The following eruptions decimated the southern part of the island including engulfing Plymouth.  The volcano is still active and has since erupted a couple more times.  As such there is an exclusion zones around the south of the island and so we decided to sail up the western side and then around the top to get to Little Bay which is the new island capital and where we eventually dropped anchor.

The sail up the western side is pretty spectacular as you get a great view of the volcano still smoking away and looking pretty ominous.  We later learned that this volcano does not spew out lava but more pyroclastic clouds or flows of ash and debris.  One of the biggest flows was down the western side and it engulfed a small town called Spanish Point.  You see the extent of it from the water.  From the mountain top there is a huge grey river like swathe down the mountain side to the sea where it fans out into a solid delta.  One good thing about the volcano is that its making Montserrat bigger all the time although that would be little consolation to its population.  its only the southern part of the island which is affected by the volcano.  As such the landscape in the south is barren and rocky whereas the northern half is lush and green.

The volcano and old pyroclastic flow

The smoking crater

Little Bay was very quiet with just a few small fishing boats riding on moorings and a couple of anchored yachts.  The water in the bay was clear and there was a good sand bottom to grab the anchor.  There was a bit of a swell running through and it was easy to see that this could get pretty uncomfortable if the swell picked up.

Little Bay

Next day we went ashore to meet a tour guide Charles who we had booked and who was going to drive us around the island and show us the sights which are mainly centred around the volcano.  Just before we left we were informed by the port authorities that we had to move the boat to a different part of the anchorage and this happened to coincide with a torrential downpour. So by the time we started the tour we were all soaked.  

Since the eruptions of 1997 the southern half of the island has been off limits due to the ongoing activity of the volcano.  The population of the island went from somewhere around 8000 before the eruption to 3000 after as people decided to move abroad.  The people who stayed were moved to the northern part of the island and resettled and a new island capital is being established around Little Bay but currently it is little more than a few building..  The population now is around the 5000 mark.

Charles first took us through small villages and housing clusters in the North towards a place called Jackboot Hill which is the lookout over the pyroclastic flow we had seen from the boat.   On closer inspection in the middle of the flow you can see the remains of chimneys and houses sticking up.  Everything else is just obliterated or covered beneath the ash and debris.  Antigua is a silhouette on the horizon.

The northeast coast

We next headed down the west side towards the south of the island and the volcano observatory.  The west side coast is beautiful and has dramatic views over the water past the island of Redonda towards Nevis.  You would think you were on a separate island.  There are large homes owned by the wealthy islanders and expats nestled amongst lush gardens with rainforests on the slopes above.

The volcano observatory overlooks the mountain and is home to the vulcanologists who monitor the volcano 24/7.  There was a really interesting film about the volcano history and the ensuing disaster which befell the island.  Next we drove down to the outskirts of Plymouth.  You cannot enter Plymouth itself but can get oretty close.  On the way we stopped at a abandoned house which was actually a recording studio owned by Sir George Martin (Beatles manager).  In its day in the 70‘s and 80‘s lots of famous musicians came here to record - Clapton, McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Boy George to name a few.  The place is now in ruin but you can still see the studios.

The volcano observatory

The Air Recording Studio

We drove further and eventually stopped at an abandoned hotel and looked over what remains of Plymouth.  Like Spanish Point the town is completely covered in ash and mud.  It is absolutely desolate and looks like the aftermath of a war zone.

The remains of Plymouth

The downtown and waterfront district of Plymouth

Talking with Charles over lunch about the eruptions and history its hard not to feel sorry for the people who lived here.  The population was about 3000 and then almost overnight everybody had to evacuate the city, leave everything they could not carry and move to a new home in the north of the island and start again.  Businesses would have been lost, schools and hospitals and other infrastructure destroyed and most people would have had to start over.  And this in a place where people don’t have that much to start with.  Saying that though Charles was pretty optimistic about the future and you can’t help but admire the locals tenacity.

It had been a great day and hopefully the kids have learned a bit from the experience but must say sometimes its hard to tell.  We are off to Nevis next about 30 Nm away.

Guadeloupe and a meeting with the Leopard

Currently at anchor in a place called Deshaies.  Again its a place we stopped at on the way south last year.  We were due to leave yesterday but the weather was so nice we decided another day relaxing on the boat was called for.  Then in the afternoon it started blowing up, lasting all night and it is still averaging around 25kts this morning (Sunday 16th Feb).  As we are in no particular hurry we will probably sit here for another day, get some school done and see if it calms down a bit.  Am sure the weather for the crossing would be fine especially as we will be on a broad reach but we have the time.

Deshaies Bay when the wind is not howling

After Les Saintes we changed our plans a bit and sailed up to a place called Pigeon Island off the west side of Guadeloupe so that Sam could get another dive in at the Cousteau Marine Reserve.  He is really starting to get into his diving and this is a pretty good place to learn.

After Pigeon Island we came back to Deshaies.  This place is known to be a bit of a wind funnel and the trade winds hitting the other side of the island seem to dump wind into this bay every now and then hence the situation described above.  Otherwise though the bay is really sheltered and at times completely calm and in those times its really beautiful.  Since being here last time we learned from Heather that this is where they film a BBC/French TV series called “Death in Paradise” which we have been watching so we have had a look around at all the landmarks.

The police station for "Death in Paradise"

We decided to hire a car and have a bit more of a look at the island for a day.  Main reason was to see Pointe-a-Pitre across on the other side but all in all it turned into a bit of a drive around the island.  We had plans of stopping off along the way and seeing a few of the other sights.  First stop was going to be the 350ft high Carbet Falls on Mt Soufriere however we seriously underestimated the undertaking.  When we got to the trail head we were at almost 1600m up in the rainforest and it was wet and cold and we were inadequately dressed and would have got completely soaked and filthy.  Discretion being the better part of valour we decided against it.  We were also pushed for time and it seemed to be a particularly popular attraction judging by the amount of cars at the end of the road.

We carried on to Pointe-a-Pitre trying to find a beach on the way but the eastern side beaches were pretty ordinary so we had to give that a miss.  We did manage a nice lunch in some small coastal village.  The roads around the island are good due no doubt to the French investment and there are even a few stretches of motorway.  All the roads seemed to converge at P-a-P, traffic intensified and suddenly it was like being in a big city anywhere in the world.  P-a-P is a big town probably one of the biggest we had seen since Santo Dominica in the DR.  The guidebooks had said it was worth a look but we should have listened to Pete and Claire who were not that impressed with it when they came through last year.  The town has some interesting buildings tucked away behind the modern developments but everything is at some stage of dilapidation.  The most interesting thing we found was a mall on the outskirts where we managed to get a few things.

Old theatre in Pointe-a-Pitre

Old Pointe-a Pitre

Guadeloupe is a great island but you would need a lot more time to explore it and do it justice.  The French influence and investment is huge.  There is a lot to see and do and we only really scratched the surface although it was fun to get out and have a look around and experience some of what the island has to offer.

So now we are just waiting to make the crossing to Montserrat.  Funniest thing happened this morning though…..

A large racing charter boat pulled into the bay yesterday called Leopard 3.  The boat is very impressive at 30m long with a 49m mast.  This morning Scott got up and was looking at the internet to get some information about the boat, the design etc and read that the skipper was a guy called Chris Sherlock.  Turns out this is the same Chris Sherlock who Scott shared a house with in Lilly Street when he first arrived in Fremantle about 25 years ago.  Chris was always big on sailing and now he skippers this impressive boat at various venues around the world.    There was a charter onboard at the time and they had to head south but we managed to hook up for a few minutes and catch up before he left.  He is looking well, has been very successful and seems to be enjoying life which is good to see. Its amazing after 25 years you can just get straight into a conversation as if its only been a few days since you last saw someone.  But more amazing is reflecting on the chance of the meeting - after 25 years we both end up at the same spot at the same time for less that 24hrs - what is the probability of that!

Chris Sherlock - who would have thought?!

Leopard 3

Hopefully we will get away to Montserrat tomorrow and continue north.  Luckily we have school to keep us occupied today!

Back in Les Saintes

We have made it as far as Les Saintes arriving last week.  Last time we were here was in June 2013 and we were saying goodbye to Pete and Claire.  The place is a bit busier with more yachts and a couple of large vessels anchored off.  We were always planning on staying here for a week on the way up as it is such a nice place.

We left Sainte Pierre and sailed north on Saturday (1st Feb) across to Dominica making an overnight stop at Prince Rupert Bay in the north.  Then the next day we crossed the Dominica passage and made for Marie Gallante dropping anchor in a bay of a small town called St Louis.  I think every French Island over here has a Louis something place and every British island has a George something place.  St Louis is not a clearance port so first thing next day Scott and Calley went ashore and caught a local bus down to Grand Bourg and cleared us in.

Marie Gallante is a small round island, I guess about 10 miles in diameter.  It looks very flat from a distance which is in stark contrast to other islands which you can see from here such as Dominica, Les Saintes and half of Guadeloupe.  In fact it does have hills, very green hills, but they are smaller and more reminiscent of rolling south of England countryside than of tropical rainforest.  Marie Gallante is an upwind sail from the run down the leeward side of the Caribbean island chain and so not as visited as many of the islands.  As a result its a bit quieter but there are still visiting yachts around and there are ferries which bring tourists from the mainland (which in this case is the island of Guadeloupe).

Enjoying Marie gallante

Main event here apart from schooling was to rent some scooters and have a look at the island.  We went ashore one day that looked pretty promising weather wise and hired a couple of small scooters and then took off.  The island roads are really well maintained and very quiet and the distances are small so it makes for fantastic scootering country.  Everybody loved getting off the boat and onto land transport for a change and we spent the day circumnavigating the island, seeing the sights and stopping every now and then for lunch, coffee or snacks.

On the road again

Natural Arch on North Shore

One of the old windmills

Old cane cart

Marie Gallante has a lot of old windmills dotted around the island which were used for the power to crush sugar cane in the day.  They are in various states of decay but look very picturesque.  One of them is at a rum factory we visited where an old steam plant still runs the crushing equipment.  The rum factory was really interesting as the machinery was running and they were crushing cane while we were there.  The rules of plant safety were not stringently applied as in Australia which meant that we could get up close and personal to the workings and so we saw the whole process from crushing to the cane juice filling gleaming stainless steel vats.  If anyone saw the original mucky coloured fluid that rum starts as they may think twice about the finished product which of course we had to try in the course of the tour.

Sugar cane ready to get crushed

Thats the first look of Rum

The cane juice in vats

Rum is obviously synonymous with the Caribbean.  Before we arrived last year I think we would have tried rum only once or twice in our entire lives and one of the main uses for it was to stun any fish we caught.  Now however, slowly and surely we are getting a taste for it.  There are now a few bottles stashed on the boat and apart from the use of it in our favourite cocktails we have found other rum based drinks which are very pleasant.  The latest one called Schrub is a rum infused with orange - very nice.  The drinking of neat rum however is still a bridge too far.

After our tour of the island we sailed west about 20NM to Les Saintes and picked up a mooring.

As mentioned earlier Les Saintes is a fantastic group  of islands with a small town which has everything you need including a Carrefour supermarket, a French Post Office, some shops and a couple of boulangeries.  It really is a small piece of France in the Caribbean.  Scott and Sam hooked up with a local dive outfit called Pisquettes and managed to spend a couple of days diving at two of the local spots.  Even the diving with the French is a lot more relaxing.  After each dive we were given a shot of rum flavoured with Grenadine - well Scott was as we are not yet French enough to let Sam try it.

Today its onto Guadeloupe where we will have a look at Pointe de Pitre and then move around to the west side before heading to the island of Montserrat. 

Sainte Pierre

This blog is a wee bit delayed due to comms issues but will update with another shortly.

Got out of Rodney Bay on Friday (24th) and decided to spend the weekend at one of our favourite spots - between the Pitons on the western side of St Lucia.  Its about 15NM south of Rodney Bay.  We had stayed here before on the way down and it is an absolutely stunning location.  The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Figured we would probably not get the chance again so need to make the most of it.  The weekend was spent soaking up the scenery, catching up on school and lazing around the boat.  Almost everyone is still trying to shake of the remnants of colds brought back from NY.  Sam had got a sea scooter for x-mas and so was dying to try it out

Sam and his new toy

The Beautiful Bay between the Pitons

The weather is a bit showery now which is suprising as the wet season is supposed to finish around Oct / Nov.  Still it keeps the boat washed down and us on our toes at night tending to the hatches.  Its also got a lot cooler at night and we have had to drag out some blankets out of the lockers for the first time in a year.

Monday we said goodbye to St Lucia, cleared out at Marigot Bay and had a good sail across to Martinique.

One benefit of aquatic travel is the customs clearance procedures.  In almost all of the countries we have visited clearance into or outward is a pretty simple procedure which takes little time once you know where the offices are located.  Generally you have a pleasant exchange with the officials, crack a joke or two and in relatively short order you are on your way.  This is the opposite for any airport which we were rudely reminded of during our recent flight to New York.  We had not flown for a while and whilst we are well aware of the procedures at the airports the magnitude of the security screening procedures and amount of wasted time spent in queues either waiting to get screened, waiting for immigration or waiting for your flight because you have turned up 3hrs before as advised is very frustrating.  We will take arrival by boat any time.  Its far more relaxed.  

We checked into Martinique at a place called St Pierre.  Here all we had to do was fill in a form on a computer, sign it and hand a copy to the tourist office clerk.  Not even any money involved.  Love the French lack of procedures in these islands.  Once checked in we headed for a coffee and a croissant.  It is great to be back on a French Island.

The now quiet Mt Pelee above Sainte Pierre

Sainte Pierre is small town on a big exposed bay at the north end of Martinique.  We missed this place on the way down but it looked interesting for a stop over on the way North and has an interesting history.  Behind Sainte Pierre the land rises through beautiful fields up to the sides of Mt Pelee.  Mt Pelee is volcanic.  In the early 1900’s Sainte Pierre was a thriving port town and considered to be the Paris of the Caribbean.  In 1902 the volcano started rumbling but no one took much notice of it.  Eventually it erupted and basically wiped the town out.  Around 29,000 people died and even 11 ships in the harbour were sunk due to the violence of the explosion and the ensuing pyroclastic cloud.  Only two people survived - one was a cobbler and the other was an inmate in the gaol who was serving a life sentence for murder.

The Bay at Sainte Pierre

Today the town is a bit ramshackle and you can still see the remnants of some of the old buildings.  It could certainly do with some investment as it is far from what would be considered a Caribbean Paris.  Still, it’s a nice enough place, the setting on the bay is spectacular and you can get a decent cup of coffee and a pain au chocolat so life is pretty good.

Comment from Calley: "We went out to dinner at a restaurant called "Le Tamaya" which is named after one of the boats that sunk during the eruption of 1902."

We are taking it pretty easy and hammering away at the schoolwork while sneaking in trips ashore, or kneeboarding excursions where time permits.

We have got a rough plan for the rest of the journey north.  Over the next week we will head up past Dominica to get to Marie Gallante, an island off the South east corner of Guadeloupe.  We will spend some time there and then at the nearby Isle Des Saintes which we really loved on the way down.  We will then head north west towards the chain of islands that extends from Monserrat to Saba and which we did not see on the way down and spend a few weeks sightseeing.  After that we will probably visit St Barts again, stay close to a week in St Maarten to get ready for the Atlantic and then head over to the BVI’s.