Nevis and St. Kitts

[lreslock]

I'm thinking about heading down on a charter to st.Kitts and Nevis. I'm looking for some quiet secluded beaches with good snorkeling. Will I find that in ST. Kitts or Nevis. I'm having a dificult time getting good info. on these locations. I want to hang out with less people around. Are there good anchorages at either location. Are they pretty islands? Any info would be great.

[Chuteman]

We did that last May/June out of SXM.
Source of info = start with Doyles' Cruising Guide - then island's tourism websites.
Welcome to Nevis
Honestly, neither one struck me as 1st Class beach/snorkeling destinations. Can you do some - sure - but it's not like Anguilla or Barbuda.
We did a bunch of hikes and land stuff on each island - Nevis was a favorite because it was less populated & the people were very friendly.
Anchorages = we used White House Bay on St. Kitts - good holding & protection from swell but it was evident that some private company was planning to develop the land around the bay & was trying to make it look like it was off limits.
Nevis = we used Mooring ball off of Charlestown - just North - off the beach near the famous Sunshine's Beach Bar. - sorta open - so depending on wind / swell direction - you could be affected - it was not a problem when we were there
We took a long dinghy ride to the North side of the island for lunch, met a woman who did offer diving & snorkeling trips.
Pretty - they both have high peaks, get lots of rain/moisture up high - so they are green with flowers & unique vegetation - just depends what you are looking for.
I can dig out more info - just depends on what you need
Here's Nevis Sunset (a hobby for me) - our last night there

[Kashmir cat]

Nevis is a very cool island. Its been mainly left alone by development except for the Four Seasons Resort. It has a great old Carribean town that used to close for car traffic one day a week when the court house was in session so the jury could hear testimony without car noise coming through the open windows. Of course the rest of the town hung around outside evesdropping. There is great anchorage off of Pinneys Beach. Also great old bed and breakfast places in converted 18th century sugar plantations on the slopes of a rain forest covered volcanic peak.
As for nice secluded beaches , I think you are out of luck. Most of the beaches are fairly accessible by car and Pinneys Beach has lost most of its former glory and sand due to the construction of the town pier which diverted sand accumulation from the beach years ago. Don't know much about the snokeling here but you don't have that crystal clear water of the Bahamas or even USVIs.
If you are looking for secluded, gorgeous beaches and fairly good snorkeling, the Bahamas are your best bet. There are literally hundreds of deserted islands and thousands of gorgeous empty beaches.
Further south of Nevis is of course, Tabago Cays with great snokeling and a some great beaches that are only accessible by boat, so are fairly secluded. Also you can sail to other islands in the Grenadines with some great beaches. Petite St Vincent used to alow cruisers access to some of their beaches and of course there is Mopion, a beautiful 1/2 acre sand island with good snorkeling around it. Also Sandy island off of Carriaocou has great snokeling. I haven't been to these lovely places for 10 years so for all I know there may be a MacDonalds on every beach by now. I hope not. Erik

[Hud3]

Hello, lreslock.

There are some nice beaches and some fairly interesting snorkeling spots, but they're not "world class". Where Nevis excels is in it's friendly and welcoming locals, it's natural beauty, and excellent plantation inn restaurants around the island.

I'd recommend that you sail to Charlestown, Nevis to clear into the Federation, then take a mooring ball at the south end of Pinneys Beach, near the Double Deuce restaurant/beach bar. Most cruisers hang out their and they have free WiFi. It's an easy walk up the beach to Sunshine's, Randy's Lime, or Chevy's, three other beach bar/restaurants.

At Customs, ask for the following anchorages in St. Kitts to be included in your cruising permit: White House Bay, Ballast Bay, Shitten Bay, Majors Bay, and Cockleshell Bay. In Nevis, Pinneys Beach, Tamarind Bay and Oualie Bay are enough. Then you'll be covered for anything you want to do. Chris Doyle's sailing guide for the Leeward Islands has a great sketch chart showing these locations.

You can arrange a snorkeling trip with Barbara Whitman, a marine biologists and very nice lady, or you can go on your own. The best snorkeling is in Shitten Bay and near the rocky points at either end of Majors Bay. Mostly fish, not much pretty coral. On Nevis, you can snorkel from the beach out to the rocky point at Cliffdwellers, and the stone breakwaters in front of the Four Seasons Resort are also of interest. Pinneys Beach is about three miles long and has plenty of sand. It's not isolated, but it's never crowded. Lovers' Beach on the north end is very isolated and also very pretty.

It's worth it to have a three to four hour taxi tour of the island, stopping at the Golden Rock Plantation Inn for lunch. Ask for a table in the gazebo overlooking Redonda and Montserrat. Order the lobster salad sandwich. Trust me!

If you want to take a land tour of St. Kitts, I can suggest an itinerary if you like.

[Chuteman]

Crazy coincidence - I just received an e-mail(spam) from Yachting magazine with a full ad from the group that is developing White House Bay. As I said, they already had "private" signs up when we anchored their last year - couple of other boats were there too.

Taxi driver and other locals complained that development is uncontrolled & that certain groups seemed to be operating outside gov't oversight - or the gov't is looking the other way - sad because this is a very small bay that is so natural & quiet because it is away from any town

I am only adding the link because it will give you a sense of the scale this "progress"
Caribbean Real Estate | St Kitts Luxury Homes at Christophe Harbour

[Hud3]

It's not just White House Bay. It's all the way down to the tip of the southeast peninsual. 2,500 acres. The Great Salt Pond is destined to become a marina for Mega-Yachts, with the entrance in Ballast Bay. 2-3 thousand villas to be built. Golf courses, restaurants and four star hotels.

[Chuteman]

Yeah, I know - saw some of the signs/construction preparation and heard about it during the visit. Know there is tremendous economic pressure to support the island but Sad on some levels especially when according to the local residents "planning" and respect for the natural setting seems to absent.............
Must be taking planning lessons from too many of the cities & towns in the usa.........
After looking at the Mariott development & the new cruise ship dock area (disney like) - hate to see the "final" result or if the developer goes belly up leaving remnants

Where are the "rest" of us going to anchor?

[Hud3]

Come on over to Nevis. None of that sort of stuff here. We're pretty laid back and relaxed.

[Chuteman]

Hud3
I'm sold - the first trip (last yr) allows me to understand your comments very clearly and agree. We were only there 3 days - so next time it will be longer - St. Kitts - 2 days which were fine but a VERY different vibe.

[PyotrBee]

Im also in St Kitts. Feel free to contact me when you get here.

Christophe Harbour is going to be very exclusive. None of us normal people will be able to afford to go in there. Our current marina is expensive and lacking - so you pay for a BMW and get a Kia. Thats why I just anchor far out in the bay as it would cost me so much to put it in the Marina, its just not worth it.

There are places to anchor here now, but as with any place a bit of upfront knowledge helps. Be sure to get your check out pass for Nevis.....

Check out the entries I made on ActiveCaptain for anchorages. There are also some additional locations I did not add yet...

[Chuteman]

Originally Posted by PyotrBee

Thats why I just anchor far out in the bay as it would cost me so much to put it in the Marina, its just not worth it.

There are places to anchor here now, but as with any place a bit of upfront knowledge helps. Check out the entries I made on ActiveCaptain for anchorages. There are also some additional locations I did not add yet...

OK, I'll ask
Anchor far out in the Bay - Which Bay are you referring to?

Other Anchorages You are suggesting - can you give a couple of examples here?

[PyotrBee]

Basseterre Bay, but I must warn you its not good for smooth sleeping unless you enjoy a bit of chop. Most people that want to sleep go to Whitehouse... Frigate Bay if often smooth but not always and technically foreign boats are not supposed to anchor there, but a few days they usually don't bother you.

You can anchor deep water port and boats often anchor in shallow water there. It usually smooth, but last few months here its been odd and often choppy. Also dont go in at night, you have to watch out for the pipelines etc (all clearly visible in day light). Dont anchor near the customs shed. You are allowed, but there is an idiot fisherman with a 80 foot rustbucket that comes in at night and I think he's drunk when he anchors (he always anchors there). He once dropped literally right on top of my anchor and he doesn't put out much line. I had to move my boat to prevent them from smashing up when the wind changed.

[PyotrBee]

There is also Dieppe Bay etc, but they are up on the north side of the island.

[speciald@ocens.]

Sint Maarten/St. Martin, St. Barths and the surrounding islands are much better for snorkleing and scuba than Nevis and about a days sail NW.

[Chuteman]

PyotrBee: Thanks for sharing
Basseterre - "bit of a chop" sounds like a country mile - very familiar with that "chop" since I went into marina to pick up water. Luckily I was warned by a good sailing mate (also forum member) before the trip - So I decided to get sleep & stayed down in White House until that last am before heading to Statia where it's even more of a chop
Frigate Bay - visited by dinghy - yeah, pretty open
Deep Water Port - would never cross my mind before, now or ever
Dieppe Bay - wow, I went past the North end twice and never saw anything I would consider an anchorage - then again both times it was blowing pretty good

Thanks again - enjoyed the visit last year & will be back at some point