Tales of a West Indies Cruising vacation
January 20, 2008
Tales of a West Indies Cruising vacation.
The last time we were in the Simpson Bay Lagoon in St. Maarten with heavy winds. Those winds persisted for a full week and we did not get out of the Lagoon until January 25th. Once we accepted that we had to don foul weather pants as well as jackets to use the dinghy we got off the boat with some regularity though there were no longer many boats entering the Lagoon as all who were traveling were already inside! We did get to watch the NFL playoffs at Ric’s Place in a most festive atmosphere.
We left the Lagoon at first bridge opening on Wednesday the 25th along with dozens of others. We headed down to Philipsburg to refuel and get water. Perhaps we were one day premature as our trip over to Anse Columbier on St. Barts was a motor into some significant seas. After a day of hanging out (“limin” down here) on Anse Columbier and another lovely night under the stars, we decided to circumnavigate St. Barts to Gustavia instead of the short motor around the point. It was great fun to see the island from the water and then to rent a car and see all of the island by land as well.
We LOVE St. Barts! Three visits in one month were not too many though this time we ate out less. On day four a huge swell worked its way into the Port of Gustavia and the dozens of motor and sail mega yachts had to vacate the pier. The dinghies on the dinghy docks were rising and falling about 3 feet with every swell and the Port Captain closed the port to any incoming yachts. Fun! The anchorage was rough enough (thank goodness for a cat!) that a small local yacht broke free and began drifting through the anchorage toward the rocks of Gros Islet. Al and I saw another local dive off his boat and start swimming toward the drifting vessel which clearly had no one aboard. Al took our dinghy to aid in the rescue. I couldn’t raise the Port Captain on the VHF so I watched in frustration. The swimmer grabbed the anchor chain (apparently it had sheared its chain) and was holding onto the line Al threw out. Al knew that they could not tie off the chain well enough to tow the yacht and it was now within 30 feet of the rocks. Luckily my calling out to neighbors produced two more dinghies (a Fold-A-Boat with a quirky engine and a Sunsail charterer) that managed to push the yacht from its sides while the swimmer climbed aboard and hooked our line to the bow. Al motored in reverse as he couldn’t turn and move the line single handed in the waves. With considerable cooperative effort the three dinghies were finally able to move the yacht toward a private mooring that was thankfully empty. The swimmer was able to find a line aboard and he and Al got the yacht tied off. Al had rescued several dinghies on this trip but this was the first yacht he rescued! On the 31st things had settled down enough for us to go to the pier and get water before our departure for St. Eustatius (Statia).
The sail to Statia was heavenly. The seas were moderate, the wind was in the 20s and we made short work of the passage. Since all the government provided moorings were taken we anchored close to shore just below Fort Oranje. For those who don’t know, in the mid to late 1700s Statia was the trade capital of the West Indies. Then (as now), it was Dutch. All along the waterfront was a seawall protecting shops and warehouses filled with goods from all over the world. With war all over Europe and England fighting the colonies, Statia was a free port and the center of trade. Today you must use your imagination to recreate this era from the ruins on the waterfront. One restoration has been completed, The Old Gin House restaurant and hotel. It is gorgeous and sets the mood. Today the town of Oranjstad sits high atop the cliffs on the flat land surrounding the restored fort.
Statia is lovely with miles of hiking trails and an excellent museum of local history. We spent two nights here and enjoyed some great walks though the toughest part was climbing up the steep “Slave Road” from the waterfront to town. As you might expect, groceries were expensive though we were told that goods in free port Statia were relatively inexpensive compared to St. Kitts and Nevis. Despite this warning, we made the short sail from Statia to St. Kitts on February 2.
We had been warned by several cruisers that checking into St. Kitts was a pain and we might want to go directly to Nevis. (St. Kitts and Nevis are one country with two different government attitudes toward cruisers!) Al and I decided “how bad could it be” and went in order and stopped in St. Kitts first. Since Free Spirit was due for a good wash we radioed Port Zante to see if we could secure alongside dockage. When they quoted us $38 US for TWO nights and all the water we could use, it was a “no brainer”. It was wonderful to be right in town (Basseterre) and to be tied up right next to the brand new shower house with great water pressure though no hot water. The facilities were so nice we were happy to forego hot water!
However, I thought Al was going to “lose it” checking in. Immigration is at the Police Station in the middle of the city. Customs is several miles away at the commercial port. We walked to Immigration only to be told that proper procedure is to go to Customs first (nowhere else we have ever traveled did customs before immigration). Al was about to blow but I smiled and asked could he please make an exception this time for us. He did, but not without a huff. We decided to pick up a rental car, drive to customs and then tour that evening and the next day. When we arrived at Customs we were asked which one of us was Captain. This is a duty/privilege/chore that we rotate with the understanding that “he who is captain pays the entry fees”. St. Kitts was my turn. As soon as I said, “I am”, the Customs officer ordered Al out of the room…not just asked, but ordered. When Al started to object, he was told to LEAVE. There was a pile of paperwork and the fellow asked me a ton of questions about businesses in the US. Not wanting to be rude, I answered as best I could. I guess about 30 minutes had passed (Al had been out in the car) and we were just finishing when Al burst back into the room ready to throttle someone since it was a 5-10 minute process in every other island we had visited. I quickly escorted him out of the facility calling a thank-you over my shoulder.
We found the quintessential “beach bar and restaurant” on Frigate Bay South at the Shipwreck. Great folks, great place, great inexpensive food and drink… all on the beach with a spectacular sunset to boot. After a few local brews (Stag) and delicious Tacos, Al had “forgotten” his frustration with the St. Kitts red tape. It was fabulous to drive into the fenced and security patrolled marina and park the rental car 10 feet from Free Spirit. The next morning (3rd) we headed north to Brimstone Hill an impressive, strategically located fort and surrounding grounds and walls that was once called the Gibraltar of the Indies. From there we went to see Rawlins Plantation Inn which was built from the ruins of a 17th century sugar plantation. The gardens and manor house were spectacular but it was a bit early for their famous West Indian buffet lunch so we sat on the veranda and enjoyed a drink before continuing our tour. We chose to have lunch at the Golden Lemon which is a lovely inn and restaurant restored on the site of the oldest estate in St. Kitts originally built by Huguenots in the 1600s. After lunch we drove the windward side of St. Kitts digressing only to drive through the Ottley Plantation to see its gardens and facilities. We dropped the rental car off that afternoon and explored the shops in town. We stopped at an internet café to catch up with the family and met a cruising couple from Cyprus who had lived much of their lives in Hong Kong before sailing around the world. We agreed to meet for drinks and dinner at StoneWalls which Newsweek once dubbed “One of the best bars in the world”. It was and we had a great evening with our “new friends”.
The next morning we rose early and began our preparation to leave for Nevis. We waited until the morning we left to wash our cat thoroughly so it took us a while to get off the dock. We decided to run down the St. Kitt’s coast to White House Bay to spend that night. We had a quiet dinner aboard and a good night on the hook. On the morning of the 5th we dropped our hook nearby off Shitten Bay and Bugs Hole (nice names!) for some fabulous snorkeling. We ate lunch underway as we covered the few miles to Nevis.
We dropped anchor at Pinney’s Beach just south of the Four Seasons resort and opposite Sunshine’s (the Foxy’s of Nevis). It was Superbowl Sunday and Al made a quick trip to shore to assess our options. He decided that Sunshine’s buffet, couches and large screen TV were selling points. We had a wonderful evening and met lots of interesting folks. I avoided Sunshine’s potent “Killer Bees” and was glad I did as I watched those around me get quickly smashed. At halftime a bunch of refugees from the Four Seasons showed up to watch the rest of the game. It was great to see a close Super Bowl and glad to see the Steelers prevail.
We enjoyed Nevis all week. Charlestown is a very welcoming port for cruisers. The dockfront is planted nicely and the government officials seem genuinely glad to see you arrive. We wandered through town, enjoyed both the Museum of Nevis History and the Horatio Nelson museum, scouted out the provisioning options and had a lovely lunch at the Courtyard amidst palms and songbirds. During the next few days we explored the long and beautiful Pinney’s Beach by foot and the rest of the island by car. We fell in love with the sprawling lawns and beaches of the Nisbet Plantation Hotel. The main building is the historic Nisbet house (Fanny Nisbet wife of Nelson) and the rooms sit among palm trees in small buildings all along the edges of the huge lawn. There is a fabulous view of the Atlantic and all of the beach (and pool) facilities from the main house and the cottages across the expansive lawn. We took a nature walk (interesting footing after days of rain!) through the rainforest at the Golden Rock Estate, a quaint historic inn on 96 acres at the base of Mount Nevis. We sat on one of their stone verandas and enjoyed a drink and the view following our hike. We were offered the use of their spring fed pool (available to all yachtsmen) but declined. We completed our circle of Nevis with a stop at the local outdoor market near the docks to pick up locally grown tomatoes and bananas…a treat after supermarket produce! We also enjoyed walking the grounds of the Four Seasons and having a delicious dinner on the water’s edge at their Mango restaurant. The mahi-mahi had been caught that morning as was immediately clear by its fantastic taste. It was amazingly reasonable. We would highly recommend a meal there though there are no dinghy docks along Pinney’s Beach so it is a challenge to land dry for dinner. As we strolled through the gardens and by the pools of the Four Seasons after dinner we scared a vervet monkey that appeared to be drinking out of the pool. As it dashed into the fauna we laughed and thought of the “monkey crossing” signs that we saw along the roads. With its fabulous beach, pools, gardens and golf course, no wonder Bob and Denise loved their honeymoon here! We didn’t get the chance to experience the spa that Denise raved about.
Our cruising permit was about to expire so we dinghied to Charlestown early on Friday the 10th, made a couple of last minute purchases and signed out. We convinced the customs officer to give us a coastal permit that allowed us to leave Nevis waters that day or the next. We pulled anchor and headed north to the narrows between St. Kitts and Nevis hoping to get a better angle for our sail past Redonda to Montserrat. By the time we worked our way through the reefs in the narrows and got out into deep water, the wind had died enough that we decided to scrap our passage and instead sailed and motor sailed around Nevis and back to Pinney’s Beach. Early Saturday we set off heading south this time for Montserrat. We were flying along just south of Nevis when we spotted a local fishing boat (long wooded dinghy) with its motor up and using long oars. At first we assumed they were fishing and rowing by choice. Then we saw them lift a life jacket and we realized they were in trouble as the wind, current and seas were sending them west. It took us a couple of minutes to pull in the genoa and return to their aid. We threw them a long line, made sure they were OK and started towing them back to Charlestown. Securely attached to us, one of the fellows went to work on their engine and by the time we reached the Nevis coast he had gotten his 40 HP engine started. With many thanks they dropped our line and took off…another successful rescue notch on Al’s belt. We just hope that should we have a problem in the future, someone will come to our aid!
As we have read and heard is often the case, the current in the passage from Nevis to Montserrat kept pushing us west. We sailed as close hauled as we could and tacked a couple of times but the eastward tack was countered by current and seas. We finally decided to motor sail into Montserrat. By the time we arrived customs and immigration had closed so we left Little Bay and moved around the point to a lovely anchorage in Rendezvous Bay. The cliffs are spectacular here and there is only one house high up off the beach. We swam, showered and enjoyed a beautiful starry sky with dinner. We had planned to stay another day and taxi tour the island but we awoke early to southeast winds. We had thought we would have to sail to Guadeloupe and then north to Antigua but we decided that once we rounded the head of Montserrat if the winds were still strong from the SE we would go directly to Jolly Harbour on Antigua. So well before customs and immigration opened we were on our way. The winds were strong enough…25-28 and off we went on one fabulous tack through seas that were just high enough to both exhilarate and soak us. We averaged 7 knots over the 40 miles east to Antigua. What a ride!
When we arrived in Jolly Harbour midday on Sunday the 12th we picked up a mooring in the outer harbor and dinghied in to check-in and check to see if Al and Jackie were about at Horizon Yacht Charters in the marina. They were and we had a fun, short visit. I needed to see a doctor and Jackie gave me a name and number. We found Eugene (Horizon dock manager who had taken me on a powerboat tour of Antigua anchorages on my January 2004 visit) and had a short visit. We learned from them that the active Montserrat volcano had started to rumble that morning shortly after our departure. Timing is everything! That evening we had a delightful dinner at Melini’s at the marina and Al had his first Wadadli (Antigua’s local brew). We really like this one!
Monday morning I was able to reach the doctor and get an 11:30 appointment the same day (just like the States!????!) We took the bus ($3.25 EC per person = about $1.30 US) into the capital of St. Johns. The bus station is conveniently located between the local fish market and the local produce market. We walked through town and amazingly located the doctor’s office with only one inquiry necessary. I was taken at the appointed time and out in 10 minutes with the necessary prescription and a bill of just under $30US. It took two pharmacies to find the RX in stock but the SmithKlineBeecham product cost us a whopping $12US. I hate to think what it would have been at home. There were FIVE huge cruise ships in town so we did not have the stroll with the locals we had hoped for. We had a brief walk, a delicious fish sandwich lunch under the trees at the Big Banana, and headed back to catch the bus. I should note that clearly Valentine’s Day is a big event here. From street vendors to shop windows…everywhere we looked things were decorated red and white …clothes hanging, baskets made up with teddy bears and candy, huge artificial flower arrangements…more like Christmas decorations at home). When we returned to Jolly Harbour I went to the large new (since my 2004 visit) Epicurean supermarket to pick up a few staples and Al ran out to Free Spirit to gather some books to trade. We had found several we wanted at the book exchange in the Marina Office. As much as we read on this trip, book exchanges are an important part of daily life (and a great friend like Anne Segermark who brought me a pile on her visit).
We paid our $10 mooring fee and headed to Five Islands Harbour. We anchored in Stony Horn just long enough to take a swim and decide that we did not like this anchorage in the current winds. Up came the anchor and we headed up the coast to Deep Bay. We anchored off the beach with a long white sand beach and the ruins of Fort Barrington … a lovely view if you avoided looking at the ugly, concrete Royal Antiguan resort at the end of the beach. Over dinner I pointed out to Al that the next day was Valentine’s Day. Late that evening I awoke to hear him on the Globalstar phone giving his credit card number. The next morning he told me that we needed to move Free Spirit to Dickinson Bay where he had made dinner reservations. Before we left we snorkeled the wreck of the Andes in the middle of the bay. The bow and mast stump of this 1905 wreck break the water here. Since the yacht burned and sank it is intact and sits in about 25-30 feet of water making it a great snorkel spot. We then swam ashore, walked the beach and explored the beachfront restaurant aptly named Andes. While we didn’t eat there it certainly sits in a beautiful setting. Before leaving the anchorage Al wanted to tighten the belts on the starboard engine. Unfortunately the threaded end of the bolt holding the large alternator sheered off in this process. We knew we needed to get that fixed as soon as possible but Al was determined to take me to the Coconut Grove for Valentine’s dinner. After a call down to Falmouth Harbour to Marine Power Services, it was agreed that we would sail to Falmouth the next day and have their assistance. We raised the anchor with one engine and set it the same way when we arrived in Dickenson Bay. There are a number of obstacles to avoid coming into Dickenson Bay from the south. It is not an approach I would recommend at night! This is a very active bay with lots of water sports and many hotels including the huge Sandals Antigua. We anchored down the beach right off the Coconut Grove, swam to shore, walked the beach and then later dinghied in for a delightful Happy Hour and dinner.
On the morning of the 15th we had 28-34kt winds from the NE making for a great double reefed sail to Falmouth except that the seas were huge. We decided to sail outside of Cades Reef in the strong winds and seas. Our tacks were tough legs but overall it was outstanding. That afternoon we anchored up close to the MPS dock, called them to learn that they “couldn’t come out today” and headed to shore for exploration. The dinghy dock at the Yacht Club Marina is a cruiser’s dream…a huge U shaped area that is flat calm, easy tie up and easy boarding. We walked down into Nelson’s Dockyard, had a Wadadli at the Copper and Lumber Pub and headed back to Falmouth, checking out the historic Admiral’s Inn and a number of local restaurant menus along the way. Al found a good free internet spot which he noted for use the next day. We stopped in at the Mad Mongoose for their late Happy Hour. We met a couple from Windsor, Ontario who are renting a local cottage for the month and had a nice visit.
At 8:30 AM on the 16th we called MPS again and learned that MAYBE they could come in the afternoon and we should call again at 2 to check with them. Free Spirit needed both water and diesel as well as a bath so we dinghied into the nearby Catamaran Club Marina to try to arrange the same. Despite its name, there was nary a single catamaran there and when we inquired about dock space for our trip home in March we were advised that they couldn’t give up two slips to a cat. Talk about a misleading name!!! They did finally agree to let us come in the next AM for an hour or two to get water and fuel. That afternoon MPS was able to spare a man and Al dinghied into their dock to pick him up. Luckily Chris confirmed that a replacement bolt was all we needed and he set off to find one. Within a half hour we had the bolt and Al was able to complete the repair himself.
Al then offered to take our mountain of clothes, sheets and towels in to the laundry. He discovered a small dinghy dock at the end of the Falmouth Harbour Marina that is a bit closer to the laundry and was back in no time. That left us time to head for free internet at the Anchorage and a stop at Skullduggery for Happy Hour on the way back. We met a gent there who had made his way to Antigua from San Francisco a few years ago on his Cal35. He now leaves it here when he flies to see his son in San Francisco and his wife in Mexico. He told us a hilarious tale of having lost his dinghy last week and his horror at having to buy a new one and new motor. Al asked how he had lost it. He sheepishly admitted that on his way back to the boat he was so drunk he fell out and the dinghy went on without him. He managed to swim to the nearest boat (apparently unoccupied), fell asleep/passed out? in the cockpit for a few hours, and then swam to his own boat. His dinghy was nowhere to be seen and though he announced it on the radio it had never appeared. Given where he is anchored it may very well have gone to sea! Expensive Happy Hour!!!! We decided that we wanted pizza so we headed back to the Anchorage where there is a wood-burning pizza oven in a small pizza restaurant.
So yesterday morning at 8 AM we moved to the Catamaran Club Marina to get water and fuel only to find that there was low water pressure in the entire harbor and it took us 3 and a half hours to pump 160 gallons. At that rate we had plenty of time to go into the restaurant overlooking the marina for breakfast. As we “watched grass grow” after breakfast a couple kayaked up to Free Spirit and asked if we were really from Annapolis. It turns out they live in the Downs and are here in a hotel on vacation. We finally got off the dock a little before 12 and headed across the harbor to anchor off Pigeon Beach. Our only pressing obligation was to pick up our laundry after 3:30. We swam and read most of the afternoon. I started this blog and Al inflated the kayak and lay in it to clean the starboard outside hull. Three more hulls need attention but we ARE on island time. After collecting our laundry we swam into the beach and had a nice walk then returned to Free Spirit for our own Happy Hour and a quiet candlelit dinner.
This morning I HAD to finish this blog. Al has been doing miscellaneous boat chores as I write. We hope this installation finds all of you well and that those of you in the northeast have cleared out all the snow!
