50 Shades of Green: St. Kitts and Nevis

At first glance, the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis look like the green section of a Crayola crayon set. All shades are visible: Fern, Granny Smith Apple, Medium Chrome Green, Sea Green, Forest Green, Shamrock, Mountain Meadow, etc. It’s no wonder the African Green Vervet Monkey thrives on these two islands. The monkeys are believed to have originally arrived on the island via slave ships. The island’s fertile soil and tropical climate created the perfect environment to grow sugar cane, so sugar and tobacco plantations were a key part of St. Kitts and Nevis’s history.  To provide the large amounts of labor needed for the industry, African slaves were imported in large numbers in the 1600s.

Today the wild monkeys can be spotted all over the two islands. The locals swear that they outnumber the people and view them as pests that ransack crops. It was not unusual for us to hear the monkeys chattering in the trees when we went to shore to walk the dogs. Apparently, some monkeys develop drinking habits (click here to watch a BBC video about drunk monkeys on St. Kitts) and they tend to hang out near beach bars looking to score their next drink. Our pups, especially Jaela, became obsessed with them, constantly looking up into the trees hoping to spot one. They might as well have been giant squirrels and she would have chased them from tree to tree all day if we had let her.

We spent a total of two weeks in St. Kitts and Nevis. The first we spent with our boat guests, Michelle and Steve, and the second week we met up with our cruising buddies Ben and Quinn on s/v Wanderlust.

St. Kitts

We checked into St. Kitts on Nov. 28^th and quickly decided to leave the Basseterre anchorage. It was extremely rolly and the town welcomes 2-3 cruise ships a day which was more activity than we were looking for. So, we sailed down to Whitehouse Bay, which is a quiet anchorage with a nice beach bar on shore.

As soon as we dropped anchor (we didn’t even have time to crack open a victory beer and cheers our arrival to a new island), we were boarded by the St. Kitts and Nevis coast guard. This was our first time being boarded EVER. They asked to see our documents, passports, life jackets, flares, and fire extinguishers. We were tired and hungry and the coast guard seemed to linger forever, but they were very professional and nice. They would board us again a week later in Nevis. If you plan to sail here, make sure your safety equipment is not expired.

We spent two rolly, sleepless nights in Whitehouse Bay with Michelle and Steve. However, when we returned the following week, the anchorage was well protected from easterly winds and the water was like glass. We have a new appreciation for how much a northern swell can stir things up.

We were able to walk to the road from Whitehouse Bay and hail a taxi to explore the island. First we visited Brimstone Fort. The British, or rather the British slaves, built the fort in the early 1700s. It was overwhelming to think that each stone that was used in the massive fort, was mined from the ground, shaped, and then carried all the way to the top of the hill by slaves. It was difficult to wrap my head around the amount of labor that must have been required for such a task. The French eventually captured the fort after 1,000 British soldiers held out for months against 8,000 French soldiers. The French were so impressed by the British that they allowed them to surrender with honor and didn’t take any prisoners. A year later the fort was returned to the British as part of the Treaty of Paris.

Afterwards we visited Romney Manor, the headquarters for Caribelle Batik. In the workshops, the workers use wax and dye to transform white cotton into bright beautiful works of art. It was fun to learn about the dyeing process and browse the colorful clothing. The manor is on a gorgeous 10 acre garden, which is covered in beautiful flowers, trees, and plants. There is one giant saman tree which covers an entire acre. Walking around the gardens was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Nevis

We left St. Kitts in search for calmer waters and we found it in Oulie Beach. This small fishing port provided a relaxing base for us to explore Nevis and for Michelle and Steve to finish their trip. While there, we set up a dive with the local shop. The four of us boarded Sea Monkey for the day and dove two beautiful sites on St. Kitts: Green Point and Shitten Bay. We saw too many lobsters and turtles to count. The turtles were rubbing their shells on the coral and even let us give them some back rubs. And for the first time, I saw a sea horse floating about in some coral. Snorkeling is certainly more convenient, but diving is so relaxing. It was nice that we were able to take our time and really soak up the magical underwater life that surrounded us.

Like most cruisers, we have Chris Doyle’s guidebooks on board and reference them frequently. After reading that ‘the coastal roads are relatively flat” and that “a bicycle is a very pleasant way to get to know the island”, we rented 4 bikes and took off towards Charlestown to explore. By the time we made it to town, our quads were burning and we were a sweaty mess.  I guess the roads are relatively flat compared to somewhere like Moab, but biking Nevis is far from a walk in the park. It was nice to explore Charlestown (Nevis’s only town), but our legs were jelly by the time we returned. Unless you’re an avid biker, I wouldn’t recommend biking around the island.

Chris Doyle might have been off about biking, but he made up for it by recommending a nearby Indian restaurant. Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE Indian food. While most people crave pizza late at night, I want Chicken Saag. It is my favorite cuisine and the one type of food I really miss. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. Sure I’ve made curry on the boat, but it had been over a year since I had authentic Indian cuisine. We took a short taxi ride to Indian Summer and devoured Saag Paneer, Vindaloo, Butter Chicken, and Curried Lamb. Not only had we found Indian food, but it was top notch. We weren’t planning on stopping in Nevis when we turn around and head north, but we might have to rethink that decision. The Indian food was so good, it’s worth going back for.

We covered a lot of ground and shared many new experiences with Michelle and Steve during their two week visit. However, vacations don’t last forever and it was time to say farewell to our friends. For their last night in the Caribbean, they booked a hotel room at the resort on Oulie Beach. We celebrated the new memories we made with cocktails in their cushy, air conditioned room. The next day we woke up early to see our friends off and they had one last surprise for us. Check out wasn’t until noon, so they tossed us their room key and for four glorious hours we enjoyed the benefits of land life again—a hot shower, cable, fast internet, and air conditioning. Ahhhh, we felt refreshed.

After meeting up with s/v Wanderlust in Whitehouse Bay, we eventually made our way to Piney’s Beach on Nevis (just north of Charlestown). With a long gorgeous beach and plenty of beach bars and restaurants, Piney’s was the perfect place to stay while waiting for a good weather window to cross to Guadeloupe. While there the pups wore themselves out running circles on the beach, we provisioned in Charlestown (just a dinghy ride away), and we shared drinks with new and old friends. One night we even taught the locals how to play our favorite college drinking game.

While anchored at Piney’s Beach, we would look off the bow of the boat at Nevis Peak which ascended into the clouds. At 3,232 feet, the peak towered over everything else on the island and I wanted to climb it. While most people will tell you that a guide is required for this hike, we did some research and determined that we’re experienced enough hikers to give it a shot on our own. The hike to the top of Nevis Peak is challenging. Most of the mountain trails we’ve hiked in the past have switchbacks winding up the mountain side to the top. However, this trail went straight up, making it more of a climb than a hike. Several ropes were secured along the trail, which was a huge help, especially when descending.

We decided that the trail would be too difficult for the pups, so we left them behind on the boat. However, when we were walking to the trailhead a dog half of Baxter’s size jumped off a wall and buried his face in Rob’s lap. They were instant friends. He was a very sweet pup and started following behind us. Despite our efforts to shoo him off (we didn’t want him to fall or get injured on the trail), he was determined to make it to the top with us. We named him Spike and the three of us set off on our climb. He was very coordinated and scrambled up some pretty steep segments. But about half way through, the trail turned very steep and muddy and we knew Spike shouldn’t continue with us. Luckily an Irish family was descending at that time and with a lot of coaching we were able to convince Spike to follow them down.

We continued pulling ourselves up the trail using the ropes and tree roots as handholds. The trail continued to get muddier and we eventually gave up on staying clean. Muddy and a little wet, we finally reached the top and expected to be engulfed in a cloud. However, it was an unusually clear day and we were rewarded with a great view of the island. Before heading back down, we signed the guestbook. I expected to see numerous entries, but discovered that only a handful of people make the trek each week. It was no 14er, but it felt good to once again climb the highest peak in sight.

We had explored Nevis’s town, beaches, underwater life, and tallest peak, so when a nice weather window came along, we decided it was time to say goodbye. Before the sun came up on December 16^th, both Kairos and Wanderlust pulled out of the anchorage and we set our sights on Guadeloupe.