Nevis Nice

Yesterday, March 8th, we motor-sailed 54nm from English Harbor Antigua to the island of Nevis. The wind was within ten degrees of dead downwind, TWS 20, seas 6-8’, so we motor-sailed at 1800 rpm under jib alone. The autopilot did everything. We just watched and clicked the course up or down every now and then.

THE worst movie Mindy and I have ever seen is “Joe Versus the Volcano”. It all came back to me in the past few days. Doyle’s cruising guide characterizes these as “the islands that touch the clouds”. Huge conical mountains form the center of these islands, with plains sloping outward toward the ocean. A hotspot in the mantle successively popped up the islands of this inner chain, including St. Eustatious, St. Kitts, Nevis and now Montserrat as the plate shifted. Coming downwind from Antigua, we passed Montserrat first. This one is active and the smoke plume was revealed when the clouds that hang over it shifted. Sailing past an active volcano is something I have never done before, and it was a powerful experience. Eventually Nevis Peak, a long extinct volcano on our destination island climbed out of the ocean. After mooring off Charlestown on the western lee of Nevis, the vast unbroken horizon of the Caribbean Sea was off our stern and the breathtaking unspoiled green slopes of Nevis Peak were off our bow. Soon after the sun melted into the ocean behind us, the red planet Mars –the closest it has been to Earth in many years—rose out of the caldera of the mountain. We looked in silent awe at the immensity of the ocean, earth and sky around us. Soon after that, the full moon raised it’s face over the southern slope. We threatened to sacrifice Emily to the volcano but she was uncooperative (having never seen the movie).

We spent most of today ashore. The first few hours were spent dealing with customs, immigration, the port authority and then customs again. I’ll save you from the painful details. The people here are sooo friendly and measured in their pace. Even after five weeks in the islands, this place is surprisingly relaxed. We took a cab ride around the island for a few hours, highlighted by a stop at magnificent gardens at Golden Rock plantation and great food at a local restaurant. The quality and standard of living here are higher than many other places we have visited. This place is gorgeous.  Like their license plates read, "Nevis Nice".  David Watusi, our Rastafarian driver, gave us a very personal feel for his island. He plays reggae and his own style of island music in Onset (Beachcomber?) during the summers, so we hope to meet him again.

We finished off the day with an unforgettable pink sunset from the beach at the Double Deuce beach bar, followed by dinner grilled aboard—the last of the wonderful pesto chicken breasts that Jon left with us. The wind is calm for the first time since we arrived almost five weeks ago. The forecast is perfect for our 62nm trip tomorrow around the west coast of St. Kitts and then up to St. Martin.