Nevis - Goats, Donkeys and MONKEYS!

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Geo: 17.15, -62.63

After departing St. Kitts the winds picked up to 30 knot gusts so we unexpectedly turned into the Pinney Beach mooring field in Nevis, checked in and stayed for seven days. This is a gorgeous, lush island with THOUSANDS of goats, donkeys and monkeys! Even better, was that it was Easter weekend and Pinney Beach was the place to be!

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Travel-g147377-c52861/Nevis:Caribbean:Wild.Monkeys.html

We met an incredibly generous Canadian couple who invited us to their home, insisted that we bring our laundry, and then took us to The Hermitage for lunch. Thank you so much, Linda and Otta for your kindness, generosity and our new friendship. My whites haven't been this white in a long time!!! 😉
http://www.hermitagenevis.com

March 29th, 2016 - St.Barth, St.Kitts & Nevis

Hello All,

With several days of good sailing weather upon us, we took part in the mass exodus and finally escaped Sint Maarten! Yes, almost every day, is indeed, a beautiful weather day in the Caribbean, but often times the winds are a bit stronger than what would hope for, or they are blowing from the exact direction we are heading. So we often wait, and hope, for optimal sailing conditions. And that's ok. It's not like either of us want to move any faster. We prefer to explore and experience each destination – not just say we've been there.

Final pics of SXM: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inspiration38/1/1459009832/tpod.html

We waved goodbye to Holly and Robert on s/v Shangri La who left the lagoon during the same bridge opening, and parted ways. They were heading towards Saba; we were en route to St. Barth. As with all cruising friends, we know our paths will cross again sooner than later.

I bet Shangri La had a great sail that day. We, however, beat into the wind for 7 hours even though it's only 12 miles at the closest point between SXM and St. Barth! So much for "favorable" winds! Of course, as we approached our anchorage, the wind shifted and came from the direction we had been hoping for all along. At least we did actually sail. We tacked back and forth...back and forth. We probably covered at least three times the original distance. Tony loved every second of it. Me, not so much. I like sailing, but this was just frustrating.

We weren't alone on the trip over. Now that the Heineken Regatta was over, numerous mega yachts were on their way from SXM to St. Barth for the Bucket Regatta. This one is for yachts over 100 feet. And it was spectacular! The largest entry was 90 meters. That's 295 feet. The spinnakers were HUGE. We managed to see the race from several vantage points. http://www.bucketregattas.com/stbarths/

After being anchored in un-swimmable water inside the lagoon in SXM for five weeks, we took a mooring ball in the clear waters of one of St. Barth's marine parks - Anse de Colombier - and chose to dinghy into town from there which took about 30 minutes. We enjoyed watching the many sea turtles from our cockpit during our morning coffee. We also enjoyed a couple of beach days and being able to jump right off the boat into the ocean again. It was also nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of a town and finally see an unobstructed sunset again! We got back to the basics that we love about living ours lives aboard a sailboat.

We stayed in St. Barth for five days and had such fun with Christa from s/v Simunye. Unfortunately, Craig was away at the time - we missed him by only a few days - but we did get to meet Christa's daughter, Brigit, and see where they both work. Christa kindly took us on a full tour of the island. She showed us many stunning lookouts and beaches, and we enjoyed the beauty of the island on which they've decided to spend their time. If not for Christa's guided tour, we would have never covered so much of St. Barth. Thank you, Christa – not only for the tour, but also for your dear friendship! xo

Linky-poo to St. Barth Pictures: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inspiration38/1/1459010012/tpod.html

From St. Barth we day-sailed to St. Kitts, passing Sint Eustatius along the way. At this point in the sailing season there are too many islands and too little time. We anchored in Basseterre, St. Kitts for one night to rest, (with the Quarantine flag up) and then carried on to Nevis the following day. We weren't planning to stop in Nevis, but we are glad that we did. It is so lush and beautiful here. We've met wonderful people and I got to see wild MONKEYS! Actually, Nevis has thousands of goats, donkeys and monkeys running wild. The goats and donkeys you see strolling through town. The monkeys are found on higher ground, moving in families and being complete pests to the locals. They wreak havoc on manicured gardens. Obviously they know they are a nuisance by how fast they scatter when they see humans coming. See what TripAdvisor says about the monkeys in Nevis HERE.

We ended up checking in here because the winds were blowing so hard. On our short sail from St. Kitts to Nevis we saw 31 knots wind gusts. That's just too much for this fair-weather sailor-girl! Although, I am proud of how far I've come. When we first started out, 20 knots was a lot – petrifying to me, in fact. Then, 25 knots was the threshold. Now, 20 knots has become the norm. I guess you could say that with experience comes more confidence.

Inspiration took a ball in the mooring field, just off of Pinney Beach, which has been the hub of activity over the Easter weekend here in Nevis. This is where the locals gather. We met a lovely couple from Toronto who have a winter home here. They kindly invited us to their home for a day, showing us the nearby sights, like The Hermitage, and were adamant that I bring our laundry to do in their household washer. My whites haven't been this white in three years!!! Thank you so much, Linda and Otta!

We are enjoying being deeper in the Caribbean where each island is a new country, and with that we are discovering new cultures, and new flavors with each short hop.

Just a few pics of St. Kitts: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inspiration38/1/1459010813/tpod.html

Nevis (pronounced NEE-vis) pictures here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inspiration38/1/1459011090/tpod.html

You're turn!! What's new with YOU??

Much love to you all,

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Comments

[Sue]

Got to love "employment prohibited"!