Nevis has it all!
We staged in very rolly Simpson Bay, on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten, in order to do laundry, do a last-minute shop at Budget Marine and fill our propane tank, everything in dinghy ride distance.
The next morning, we were up at 4.30 and anchor up by 5.20. We were able to sail most of the way on a close haul/ close reach until we got into the lee of St. Kitts and had to slog our way to the southern anchorage, White House Bay, putting our anchor down just before sunset at 6.20. We rested here for 2 nights then hopped over to Nevis to check in.
Nevis has a more down-to-earth, 'real' town feel, and a laid-backness reminiscent of Luperon. This also translated to the check in process which took a couple hours and was paperwork heavy. However, it gave me time to get to know some other sailors in the bay - a solo sailor who had crossed from England, a veteran charter captain and another cruising family with 2 daughters who invited us to join them at the beach later. Sweet!
We took a wander through the town to find cobblestone streets and a proper town square with the feel of an English village. Nevis was a strategic island for the British, Lord Nelson was married here and holding it prevented the French from taking all the Caribbean islands. The island is covered in old forts, settlements and historic churches and plantations dating back to the 1600s. It has an extraordinarily rich history. We found the locals to be friendly and very proud of their beautiful island.
We met our new friends on the beach and followed them to floating beach bar they had promised to visit. We had an awesome evening with them and the kids even got to try out their efoil!
I had read in the guidebook that Nevis is bikeable, and that you can bike all the way around. I tried to find a rental shop, but the owner had retired and the rest only offered tours on e-bikes. So, Michael and I left the kids on the boat and got our folding bikes out to give it a go. It turned out to be the most fantastic way to tour the island, despite our out-of-shaped bods. We made our way around clockwise, through villages and fields, dotted with goats and stone ruins. In the south, we cranked our way up the 1000ft at the base of the volcano and enjoyed the long cruise downhill back into town. A magical day.
Next, we walked through town to tour a local fort and visit the hot springs - a bit of a mind bend in the Caribbean heat, but a fun experience, nonetheless.
On the way there we met a young couple at the bank machine, who were anchored close by. They were on their way to hike to the peak of the volcano and stopped by our boat after to tell us how great it was - we must do it! So, the next day, we checked out and then boarded a local bus with personality - decked out in pink vinyl interior and a diamond gear shifter, blasting out reggae! He dropped us at the poor man’s bar to start the hike. It began on a road, which turned into a forest path, which turned into a vertical scramble to the top. The trail is well maintained with ropes to help on the steeper sections. It took about 2 hours to climb up, we started at 300m and climbed to 980m. We were rewarded with an incredible panorama of Nevis from the peak. On the way down Christian found a pile of old tires and got me to film him being chased by one rolling down the hill - too funny. Its so great seeing what a big kid he still is. We caught the bus back to town and got a recommendation for a Chinese restaurant where we feasted on fried rice and stir fry. We loved Nevis and will gladly return again.
On our way back we recommended the hike to our boat neighbor Holly, who we met in Luperon. She did it a couple of days later, and so it goes...
