We left Saba on another windy day and headed for St Kitts. This was a shorter trip than our last passage, and broken up by passing St Eustatius on the way. We didn’t stop as it seems to be basically an oil refinery, and is reputedly a very uncomfortable anchorage. Could it possibly be more uncomfortable than the last two nights on Saba? We didn’t need to find out!

We reached St Kitts in the early afternoon and came into Basse Terre, the main town, to clear Customs and Immigration. They get 2-3 cruise ships every day there, and seemed more geared towards them than to cruising yachts. The anchorage was rolly and not particularly attractive, so we continued to the south end of the island and anchored in White House Bay. This was a nice protected spot, so we stayed for three days while we waited for the wind to drop. There was nothing much on shore except a wannabe Super Yacht Marina which overcharged us for ice and trash, and have a minimum order of 1000 gallons for diesel (this is probably more than we’ve used in the entire time we’ve had the boat!). Cruising guides describe a great beach bar onshore but sadly it seems to have closed. Fortunately, Persephone is far from being a dry boat and we were able to maintain our Sundown traditions!

We swam and snorkeled, and took a taxi tour of the island. With so many cruise ships coming in, we figured there must be lots to see! Of particular note, the old Romney Manor Estate, where there is a restored sugar mill, rum factory, beautiful gardens and a batik workshop; also a huge fort at Brimstone Hill; and a beach that still has black rocks from the last volcanic eruption 400 years ago.

The next day we left our anchorage and went back to Basse Terre to fill up with diesel. The dock hands there were not particularly helpful and managed to bang our bow against a nasty looking cement pier. More about that later!

Overall, we felt that St Kitts was a nice enough stop, but the island isn’t doing much to attract visiting yachtsmen – unless you happen to have a super yacht!