We left White House Bay in St. Kitts for the Pinney Beach anchorage outside of Nevis. It was only an hour-long trip, but it was a sunny day and a great opportunity to raise the sails and teach Chilor how to captain the ship.
Once we arrived in Nevis, our plan was to treat Chilor to lunch at Golden Rock Inn and then take a brief tour around the island. We locked our dinghy to the dock near Charlestown Ferry Pier and then walked to Low Street where most of the taxis wait for passengers. We found a really nice man named Fitzroy Williams who was willing to take us to Golden Rock Inn for $15 a person. It was a bit more expensive than the last time we took a taxi there, but after only five minutes with Fitzroy (aka “Teach”), we realized it was worth every Penny.
Teach, who used to be a teacher, is more than a taxi driver. He operates his own Teach Tours (teachrtours@gmail.com) and knows more about the island and its history than most. Plus, he was willing and eager to drive us around the historic sights without us having to pay tour guide prices.
We had lunch reservations at Golden Rock and Teach got us there in plenty of time. We had been there once before and wanted to take Chilor so he could experience this beautiful place in such a tropical jungle. We didn’t see any monkeys on this outing, but Golden Rock was still a golden gem to us!
Teach was kind enough to wait in the parking lot at Golden Rock Inn while we enjoyed a nice lunch and stroll around the property. I don’t think he minded too much, however. He seemed excited to take a nap in his car and enjoy the cooler weather up in the mountains while he waited. The restaurant even brought him a sandwich to enjoy, so I suspect this isn’t the first time he has lingered in the parking lot.
After lunch, Teach was eager to show us a couple of Nevis’ main attractions. He drove us by The Bath Hotel which was built in 1778, and lays claim as the first hotel in the Caribbean. It was the center of Nevisian social life throughout the 19th century, but stands vacant today.
On the hotel’s 7-acre property lie thermal baths, or hot springs, which are warmed by the island’s volcano. These have been a big attraction for travelers for decades. The mineral baths are said to have therapeutic properties, and are still in use today. The hot springs themselves are nothing fancy, but the draw to their medicinal value has been considerable over the years.
We had a great day touring Nevis with Teach! We weren’t prepared to soak in the baths on this visit, not to mention we were a little skeptical. But after reading many testimonies from others about how the mineral waters soothed aching bones, rheumatism, and sore muscles, I decided I’d give it a try on a future visit to the island.
After our day of sightseeing, we headed back to the boat to start mapping out a route to the island of Montserrat, on our way to Guadeloupe, the next morning. We had just experienced a huge thunderstorm the night before, with heavy rain, lightning, and rolling swells that rocked our boat vigorously all night. Once morning came, and the storms had passed, the waters in our anchorage were fairly calm. However, would leaving 24-hours after the big storm give the open Caribbean Sea enough time to smooth out as well? That’s what we were going to find out.
The next morning, Chilor started the engines and checked the raw water exhaust to make sure everything was flowing smoothly, while Kory freed our lines from the mooring ball and set sail for Montserrat. The seas were definitely rolly, but it seemed tolerable until we got out of the protection of the leeward side of Nevis. Once we were in the open waters with no protection from the island, with the wind and the four-foot swells on our nose, and everyone feeling a little queasy, we decided it wasn’t worth continuing on. The guys turned the boat around to go back to Nevis, and with the wind and the swells now behind us, it was a smooth and comfortable ride all the way back. We’ve made it a boat rule that we will always divert our course and wait for a better opportunity if any conditions are too unfavorable for us or the boat.
Within an hour, we were back at our anchorage, and enjoyed a nice night watching an old John Wayne movie. We were confident that the next day’s sail to Montserrat would be better since the wind and the waves were going to be shifting, and the sea state was going to be calming down. That turned out to be the case. It was a great day of sailing to Montserrat, and no one got sick! More to come!