Date: 06-21.03.2025
Route: Basseterre-Charlstown-Montserrat-Deshaies-Terre de Bas-Rerre de Haut-Pointe a Pitre
Miles/hours: 148Mm/40h
St. Kitts
Bus
There are minibuses (about 15 people) running around the island, there are 2 lines – eastern and western (departing from different points in Basseterre). There are a lot of buses at the station, and they leave when they are full, or the driver decides that it is enough. The ride costs 3-5EC$, depending on the distance, payable in cash to the driver. The bus stops on request both when getting off and getting on. Again, we are the only white people on the bus. Americans travel in rented cars or tourist buses with a guide.
License plate system
Depending on the purpose of the vehicle, there are different license plates – they have different colors and start with different letters.
H on a green background are buses
T on a yellow background are taxis (Taxi)
GT on a pink background are tourist buses (Guided tour)
P white characters on a black background – private (Privat)
R on red – rented (Rent)
Brimstone Fortress
Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. An 18th-century fortress has been preserved here, which in its heyday played a key role in the fights between the British and the French. During the Battle of Saint Kitts in 1782, the fort was captured by the French after a 30-day siege. However, the British regained it a year later after the Treaty of Versailles.
Since the mid-19th century, the fortress was abandoned and slowly fell into ruin. It was not until the 1960s that it was thoroughly restored, and in October 1985, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the national park during her visit to the island.
The main complex of buildings features 24 historic cannons. The defensive walls offer beautiful views of nearby Sandy Point Town and the islands of Sint Eustatius and Saba.
Brimstone Hill itself rises to a height of about 250 meters above sea level. Entrance to the Park costs 40EC$ (cash only) or 15USD (card payment). The fort is constantly being restored and nicely maintained.
Caribelle Batik
The Caribelle Batik house is located in the Romney Manor house and garden. Inside there is a batik shop and a production demonstration – first you paint with wax on a white material, then you dye the material, then you boil the wax, dye it, another layer of wax, another dyeing, another boiling and so on. It is important to start with the lightest colour. You can apply up to 8 colours this way.
There is a beautiful botanical garden around the house. Entry costs 3 USD or 7.5 EC$.
Nevis
Charlstown Anchorage
The anchorage, or rather the buoyage at Charlstown consists of over 20 numbered buoys. The buoys are about 6m long, well-maintained with a long rope and an additional float for catching. From here our boat sails for about 10 minutes to the dinghy jetty – it is the second jetty after the ferry jetty, but you have to moor either from the south or from the north, but close to the ladder at the beginning of the jetty (the water trams stop further away).
Charlstown
The capital of the island, a nice, tidy town, a large, well-stocked grocery store (Best Buy) open from 7 to 21 every day. Many banks, local buses and taxis, a courthouse, several monuments.
There is a large beach and a holiday resort by the town opposite the anchorage. There are many bars by the beach, prices are moderate for beach bars. You can pay in USD and EC$.
Check-in
Customs and Immigration are right behind the exit from the ferry port on the first floor of the building (there are arrows). They are open from 8 to 16 from Monday to Friday, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 to 13. To check-in, you need to fill out the exit SailClear and have the entry check-in paper. Departure check-in is free, only the port authority charges a fee of 54EC$ for the buoy day and 12EC$ for the port fee.
Nevis Peak Volcano Tour
We take a bus to the town of Market Shop (4EC$ per person). Then we take the road up, the road turns into a path and we enter a beautiful forest. The path becomes narrower and steeper, and eventually ropes appear to make it easier to climb (they will also be very useful when descending). On the way we pass several groups with a guide, and one guide claims that without a guide it is very dangerous – I don’t know how such a guide would ensure safety – the path is clearly visible and the ropes are in quite good condition. Higher up the ropes have knots – there is more clay and they become slippery. Finally we reach the top. Unfortunately, there is cloud at the top, so visibility is almost non-existent, but a hummingbird flies around. Traditionally, sandwiches at the top. Another group with a guide joins – young Americans. They eat candy bars, the cloud passes for a moment, so we admire the views together and descend. The descent takes us about 2.5 hours. On the road we stop the bus and go to stock up on groceries (yogurts and cheeses).
Montserrat
An island with an active volcano, half of the island is a prohibited zone. With a guide you can enter to capital of Plymouth Island, flooded with lava. You can see the smoking volcano in the distance.
Check-in
Saiclear is operating, there is even a separate room with a computer, if someone does not have internet on the yacht.
Customs and immigration are handled in one window, in the window opposite we pay 60EC$ (cash) for the check-in and stay. Up to 72 hours of stay you can check-in immediately to leave.
Anchorage
Good anchorage in Little Bay, sand, anchor holds well, although you have to be careful because there are a lot of stones on the bottom. You can even stand at about 6m, although most yachts stop further away.
There is a small steel jetty for dinghies by the concrete jetty for the ferry – they ask you to tie the boats further away, and leave this jetty only for disembarking – most do it that way.
There is a bar on the beach with loud music.
Transport around the island
Traditionally, buses with green license plates starting with H run, although not all of them are public buses. They run quite rarely. Each time we waited about 20 minutes.
Montserrat Vulacno Observatory
The observatory is on the border of the exclusion zone in the town of Salem. For 10-EC$ we watch a film about the history of the volcano’s eruptions since 1996. Very interesting – this film can also be bought in the shop. There are also a lot of photos hanging in the office corridors.
The entire tour takes about 1 hour (including half an hour of the film)
National Museum of Montserrat
Admission 10EC$ or 5USD per person. The museum is quite modest, 2 rooms. One describes the history of the island from the first settlers, some historical objects and copies of petroglyphs, and in the second room carnival costumes and instruments. In the corridor there are photos from before the volcano eruption, after the first eruption and after the last one.
Guadeloupe
Grande Anse anchorage
A beautiful bay with a sandy beach and a good anchor. Unlike the Deshaies anchorage (a bit further away), there are few yachts here.
Anchorage on the western shore of Terre de Bas
A beautiful bay with turtles (we had to let one pass because it was swimming in the place where we wanted to anchor :-)). There is a concrete pier by the beach, where you can dock a dinghy.
A trip around Terre de Bas
The island is a typical “summer resort”, with many cottages and houses for rent. There is a ferry from Guadeloupe to the island. There are two towns on the island: Petites Anses and Grande Anse. You can take a trip around the island (about 10 km) – one way through the mountains, and the other along the coast. The mountains are about 200 m high, but the path through the mountains is rocky, so it is worth having good shoes (mountain sandals will be enough). On the way we meet many small lizards, but only one iguana, which escapes into the bushes anyway.
Anchorage at Terre de Haut
Basically a mooring place, the moorings are well trimmed and checked. The mooring costs €16 per day for a 13m yacht. You pay at the port authority, and the port boat that came to us informed you about it. You can pay by card. There is a special jetty for pontoons, although it is very crowded during the day.
The town of Terre de Haut
A “summer” town, every hour ferries sail to Guadeloupe and bring or take away tourists. The seaside promenade is pedestrian only with a whole bunch of shops and bars. There is also a tourist information point.
Fort Napoleon
Fort Napoleona towers over the town. The property is owned by the Departmental Council of Guadeloupe and has been classified as a historical monument since 15 December 1997.
The fort was built on the summit of Morne Mire, on the site of the first fort, initially called “Fort Louis” and in 1805, shortly before its destruction by the English, renamed Fort Napoléon. Completely rebuilt in 1867, under Napoleon III, the fort never served as a fortress in war, but until the beginning of the last century it served as an internment camp.
It is now a small museum of the history of Les Saintes and its cultural environment. It is located in the middle of a botanical garden dedicated to succulents and also numerous iguanas. The fort is open until 12:30, admission €7 per adult. The museum has 18 rooms with exhibits, pictures and paintings by local artists (unfortunately all the inscriptions are in French). In one of the rooms a film is shown about the Les Saintes islands, the forts on these islands, nature, fishing and the life of the inhabitants.