St. Kitts and Nevis

Ever wonder what it is like to live on a 44 ft. boat with one other person? 24 hours per day, 7 days per week? A little solitude in the dinghy is sometimes just what is needed. It seems as if Steve set Anne adrift here but the reality is Steve is adrift in the big boat... Later that morning we set sail for St. Kitts but saw something dragging in the water behind us. Seems we picked up and old mooring line. Luckily Steve was able to free it from the prop without any damage. It is not the first line we have "found" floating in the ocean. It is one of the biggest hazards we face. Floating debris and poorly marked fish traps. Later in the week we pick up a fish trap that wraps itself around both rudders and one prop. Out in the middle of the ocean with big seas, Steve has to cut us free.

St. Kitts is very "island". It is not part of a European nation. St. Kitts with it's sister island, Nevis, is one nation with a strong tourist industry thanks to the cruise ships that visit the islands regularly. It also means that you are constantly approached for taxi's, tours, buy this and buy that. Not always fun.

St. Kitts is, however, another beautiful island with a rich history of conquerors, slavery and pirates. We did take an island tour and our guide was a great story teller. The island is 23 miles long and 5 miles across at the widest. A drive around the island does not take long but we are dazzled by the beauty.

One of our first stops is The Brimston Hill Fortress National Park, often called the Gibraltar of the Caribbean. This fortress was constructed by the British to repel the French. The French took control of the fort in 1782 and then the Brits were back a year later with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. One constant during this period was the slave labor. Slaves were imported to work the sugar plantations but were "loaned" to the government to assist with builiding this fort atop an 800 ft. volcanic outcrop.

After climbing around the fort we were ready for some refreshments. Our guide took us to a great watering hole. It was a very upscale watering hole. It is a magnificent restored sugar mill plantation known as the Rawlins Plantation.

Our lunch began with refreshments on the verandah. So very civilized.

Later we were served a fabulous meal of assorted West Caribbean dishes.

The next day we headed down island for some underwater exploration of a couple of boat wrecks. Our guide book tells us there is a wreck dating back to 1799. We find only bits and pieces but a more recent wreck is still pretty much intact.

Among the debris we find some colorful fish.

It is time to move on and Nevis lies only 2 miles south of the southern shore of St. Kitts. It is a nice sail and we have our trolling lines out. Soon we have a Dolphin fish (Mahi Mahi) hooked up. He is a wild one. Dancing as we haul him in, he flashes us with flourescent yellows, blues and greens. To our dismay, he is barely on the hook. We have him right next to the boat and we say every so nicely, please hold on while we get our gaff. Maybe mentioning the gaff was a bad idea because he now stands up on his tail and whips the hook out of his mouth. He is gone. There goes our Mahi Mahi dinner.

We don't spend much time in Nevis because we are expecting a friend in Antigua in a few days. We do sample the local drink at Sunshines Beach Bar and Grill. All we can say is watch out for the Killer Bees especially the night before you go to Antigua. Interested? Check it out. It is on Pinney's Beach http://www.sunshinenevis.com/

See you in Antigua

Anne and Steve

S/V Fine Line