St. Kitts, West Indies

Saturday morning, June 14, we had to load the dinghy back aboard, as we had taken it down from the flybridge deck to try to mitigate the rolling action of the boat the night before. (Didn’t help much!) This was a hairy thing; dropping it down on the hoist and then reloading it, swinging in the winds and rolling with the waves. So, we got a later start than usual, hoisting the anchor about 10:00am, for the 51 mile trip to St. Kitts, West Indies. We tied up at Port Zante Marina in the town of Basseterre, about 6:00pm, just as dusk was falling. Two weeks later, we are still here, due to an unusually long period of higher winds and waves to the south and east of us - directly in our path. We’ve taken the opportunity during our layover here to finally get our computers working again. We are back online, and can use the free internet access, as well as Skype, to communicate with our family again.

Approaching St. Kitts - The top of the mountain is almost always cloud-hidden.














We arrived here on Saturday night, and cleared customs that evening. Sunday, we went ashore and roamed the town a bit, finding virtually everything closed! The streets were deserted! The locals seem to party hardy here Friday night and all day Saturday, so I suppose they really do need to take a break on Sunday. The quiet Sunday morning was broken only by very loud and robust preachin’ coming out of the open front doors of many churches.















Fortunately, we have met some wonderful people here! For example, the couple living aboard their sailboat in the adjoining slip, have been great neighbors, offering introductions to technical folks, rides to the grocery store, as well as sharing meals, cocktails, scrabble, and various University and local characters with us. They are Mike and Beth Smith, aboard “Justin’s Odyssey II”, a 38’ Morgan sailboat. Mike is adjunct professor of histology at the new medical school here in St. Kitts. Beth is a retired R.N. who was integral to the opening of the Nursing College also located here. They are about our age, and like us don’t act it, friendly and full of fun. Mike is a Kenny Rogers wanna-be, and does a mean Karaoke thing. They still have a home ashore, in northern Colorado, and alternate between there and cruising their boat in the Caribbean. Mike enjoys his gigs teaching here, and they enjoy a wonderful semi-retired lifestyle.

Beth and Mike Smith













On Tuesday, the 17th, Susan and I engaged a tour guide, Mr. Seamoss, to show us the local sights around the island. He was a wealth of information, and lots of fun as well. “Connected” doesn’t begin to describe him, I think he’s related or knows everyone on the island, even the local DJ on the Rock station…(while we were cruising around he subtly turned up the volume on the radio, and the 5 of us passengers were all welcomed to the island, and advised to stay out of trouble with Seamoss, which was almost impossible since he knows all the fun spots.) We were also on the tour with three young (20-somethings) people who were crewing the “Frangines”, a 54’ Catamaran charter sailboat. Captain Dustin, Mate Courtney, and their pal Mike were very good company and lots of laughs. We exchanged life stories, boating experiences, and at the end of our day, visited each other’s boats, making for a long day and waaay too much fun.

Susan and Green Velvet Monkey child














Susan's new baby - note the diaper!













Town Center Roundabout - Bassaterre. Modelled after Picadilly in London














Bassaterre's Cathedral













Walls of the original fortifications - made of lava rock, mortared with limestone mortar














We visited the high and low points of the island, including the original fort built high on the mountains, old cane plantations, rain forest, and a local batik craft guild that is now housed in one of the old plantation homes.

Look closely - in the center is a wild Green Velvet Monkey













Susan and Walt in the Bell tower - Romney Plantation



















Ruins of old sugar cane processing buildings















Local Charter Captain (left) and owner of Reggae (right) - lady on the captain's left is creating a sailing school for local children













At one high elevation point you can see both the Atlantic and Caribbean separated by a little strip of St. Kitts with sister island Nevis off in the distance. The island is now home to the Green Velvet Monkey, and hordes of wild goats and cattle, which all just roam around wherever they want.

The salt pan in the center is to be dredged to create a brand-new marina -













We saw lots of new development, too, including the 5-star Marriott hotel. A second new marina/resort and golf course is planned for the southern end of the island. This side of the island is more arid, the homes are new and quite impressive and most of the owners are only part time residents.

Atlantic to your left - Caribbean to your right













Dustin, Courtney, and Mike - Crew of S/V "Frangines"













Mr. Seamoss, Walt and Susan













We wound up the afternoon at “Reggae”, the island’s premiere Tiki Bar, for hamburgers and cold Carib beer. Carib is brewed here on the island, is cheaper than water or soda pop, and quite an acceptable brew, too!

Reggae's Motto - "Island Time - Rush Slowly"













The beach at Reggae













At Reggae, not only did we meet Wilburt, a huge docile wild pig, but the captains and crew of the local day charter catamarans, and a wonderful woman that has set up a sailing school for the local children.

Wilbert, the Reggae Pig!













Mike and his new friend Wilbert













Mr. Seamoss and Mike at Reggae

This weekend, Thursday thru Sunday, the island has hosted a Caribbean Music Festival, held in the open air a few blocks from the marina. We haven’t needed to buy tickets, since we could easily hear the music from the boat! I can’t imagine standing anywhere near the bandstand, as permanent hearing damage would surely be the result. The Grateful Dead or the Rolling Stones got nothing on these people!

The culture here is laid back, as one might expect. The people are friendly, helpful and polite. It is always customary to greet people on the street with a formal “good morning” or “good afternoon” sir or madam. The impression one gets is of a relatively high literacy rate, and a conservative demeanor.

The government has recently shut down the sugar cane industry, as it is no longer profitable here for anyone. Displaced sugar workers have largely been retrained for tourism-based work. Some have been provided with subsidized housing - (quite nice, I might add, 15 year rent to own with ocean views!) Others have taken advantage of low-cost government loans to buy taxicabs, or open small businesses. We have been impressed at the general industriousness and entrepreneurial spirit of these people. There seems to be jobs enough for everyone to find work. Marriott is the largest single employer on the island at present. But there are a number of large projects underway, employing lots of construction workers.

Of the 5 Universities here there is a highly successful Veterinary School, a School of Nursing, and a new Medical School on the island. If I were going to be a Vet, Nurse, or Doctor, I can think of few places nicer to get my education. All three schools are located so as to have spectacular views of the ocean from their campus windows. Hmmm, maybe that would be a distraction…

We are planning to leave St. Kitts on Tuesday, July 1st, providing the weather forecast holds true. Winds and waves are forecasted to abate from the high of about 14 ft. Our destination will be the island of Montserrat. And yes, that is where the active volcano still rumbles daily. Hopefully, for several reasons we will not be on the side of the prevailing winds. We only expect to be at anchor there overnight, on our way to Guadaloupe.

We look forward to returning to St. Kitts, especially once the new marina is completed.