It seemed like a good idea at the time. We thought we had enough time to get to Nevis and then on to Guadeloupe before the weather changed and we were faced with 70 miles upwind. After all, we could see Nevis from Barbuda – how far could it be? I felt we hadn’t seen enough of the island last time we were there, so we decided to go for it. It was listed as our next destination on our check-out forms from Barbuda, and so we were committed.

Nevis looks conical from a distance, and it isn’t until you get closer that you see the gentler slopes lower down. It is famous for being the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton, and of Horatio Nelson’s wife. It was a plantation island long before Nelson visited. The volcano hasn’t been active in recorded history, and the crater is a lush green, usually with clouds spilling over it.

We left around sunrise and saw lovely skies over Barbuda. The island quickly slipped from view – the highest point is only 130 feet so you only see it from about 5 miles away, and in fact the last thing we could see was a super yacht anchored off Palmetto Point. On the way we were able to fish, and caught a BigEye Tuna.

The wind was a little too dead behind us to sail until the last 20 miles or so, then we came through the Narrows between Nevis and St Kitts, and round to the anchorage off Charlestown. We knew we’d missed Customs and Immigration since they close early on Sunday, so we put up the Q flag, picked up a mooring buoy and relaxed for the afternoon. The captain has to check in before anyone else is allowed off the boat; I wasn’t sure whether that applied to swimming but I snuck in a few stealth laps. A squall came through around sunset, giving us wonderful light all around.

The next morning we woke to see a huge cruise ship anchored nearby. Jeremy headed off before 8 to do battle with Customs and Immigration and their famously cumbersome forms, which were clearly designed for cruise ships and aircraft. A steel band played endlessly on the waterfront as launches shuttled shippies over to the island. (This seems to happen at every port of call – doesn’t it get repetitive?). The immigration officer was tied up processing the cruise ship so poor Jeremy had to wait well over an hour, but eventually it was done and we were free to explore. We headed back ashore and grabbed a taxi for a tour. I might have shouldered a couple of tourists out of the way in the process – sorry!

Charlestown is a nice little town, well kept up and with a good variety of shops and businesses, but none of the tourist tat you expect at cruise ship stops. We drove up into the hills and visited a few plantations in the area known as Gingerland. One is now the Botanical Gardens and we enjoyed wandering around there imaging what plantation life might have been like (for those on the fortunate side of the business). Others are now boutique hotels, usually nestled into wonderful gardens and with interesting conversions and furnishings. We saw the place where Nelson married Frances Nisbet, the daughter of a plantation owner (thus gaining the social status he needed for acceptance among the elite on nearby Antigua). We stopped at Golden Rock for an unhurried lunch in stunning surroundings. Nearby is a hike to the source of the island’s water; however we were warned that this takes about 4 hours so it will have to wait for another time.

We were back at the boat by late afternoon in time for a swim and to prepare to leave very early for Guadeloupe the next day. We had 70 miles upwind to go with winds due to build so we were a little anxious about the trip. Nevertheless we are glad we came to Nevis and would love to go back there some time – maybe to stay in one of those plantation hotels, and to hike the volcano!

We were up at 4 to head East. Fortunately the strongest winds held off until afternoon and once past Montserrat we were able to sail. We came into Deshaies, grabbed a mooring ball in a good spot, and settled in for a week or so as we wait for our next guests to arrive.

Passing Redonda not long after sunrise; good views of Montserrat on the way by.