We decided to visit Sunshine’s Beach Bar for dinner.  We had fun there last year and wanted to return.  They are known for their “Killer Bee” rum punches.  We remembered from last year that the Killer Bee was quite strong, so we ordered smalls.  Even these small drinks were powerful.  This is a farm-to-table beach bar so we ordered a “Sunshine Salad,” which was delicious.  Steve had lobster and I had a fish sandwich.  The beach bar next to Sunshine’s had a loud band playing.  Vendors were selling their wares under palm trees while smoking Gange.  Mostly locals were on the beach and it was a mix of tourists and locals at Sunshine’s. 

While there, I had to go out to our dinghy, as some teens decided that they wanted to have a party in it.  I chased them away while Steve paid the bill.  There was a lot going on at Sunshine’s, and it was fun.  As usual, I forgot to bring a flashlight so we slowly motored back to our boat.  We had to go through the mooring field and avoid fish pots.  Luckily, we were able to see just enough to make it back without incident.  We went to bed early for a 6:30a departure.

As we were pulling into Nevis, the police or port authority were there to greet us.  There were only two other yachts our size in the anchorage and the police visited each.  They also visited at least one of the cruise ships anchored in the bay.  They just wanted to be sure that we checked in (and paid our fees).  It is unusual to have authorities visit us at our boat.  At least they didn’t ask to board.

The anchorage in Nevis was a little eerie.  Last year when we visited, the anchorage was full of boats and all mooring balls were filled.  This year it is unbelievably empty. 

We cleared out of the country and then walked approximately a mile to provision for the next week or so.  It felt good to walk and we were happy to have a good selection of food onboard again.

On 2/2/24 we decided to beach our dinghy and walk over to the marina.  Steve would like to buy a sling to catch lobsters with in Antigua.  The shop was closed, so we walked a little way down the road before returning to the marina.  The marina has big plans for the area, including a golf course and many private residences.  We saw one location where some private residences were being built.  Otherwise, we didn’t see any building progress since our visit last year.  The wind had changed directions so that it was blowing from offshore.  This meant that the waves had a lot of room to form and our boat was rocking.  So, it was really nice to walk around on land.  We spent most of the morning ashore.  Unfortunately the shop was out of slings.  This means that we most likely will not be catching lobsters for dinner in Antigua

The highlight of the day was when we went snorkeling from the boat.  There are rocks and coral lining the shoreline and many different kinds of fish inhabit the area.  There were large sea fans and we saw a bottlenose fish, which was the first for this sailing season.  The best part of the snorkel was that we saw a turtle swim right in front of us.  I love watching the turtles, as you can almost see the gears in their minds working.  They are slow, nervous animals.  Often they pop their head above water to breathe, see our boat, get a panicked look in their eyes, and dive again.  This turtle simply flapped its legs and glided through the sea ahead of us.  While keeping our distance, we did follow it for a short time before exploring a different part of the underwater sea world.  On our way back to the boat Steve said that he saw a spotted stingray.  Unfortunately, I didn’t see it.

After returning from our snorkeling adventure, we took the dinghy along the coast to one of our favorite Caribbean beach bars called the Shipwreck Beach Bar.  If you take on look at the building, you’ll agree that it was aptly named.  We both ordered Funky Monkey drinks, which are frozen and contain chocolate, among other things.  They are so good. 

Wild monkeys frequent the restaurant and are always fun to see.

We slept well last night, as the wind and sea state were fairly calm.  White House Bay is quite pretty, in my opinion, with green shrubs and grasses surrounding us in an oval shape, with a couple of mountains in the background.  When the sky is blue and the sun is shining, it is beautiful, and tranquil.  The superyacht masts and antennas peek out from behind a hill and a small, luxurious beach bar is in the center of the bay. 

The beach bar belongs to the marina but hasn’t been open when we visited last year or this year.  Only a handful of boats are spread out in the bay, so it is quite peaceful. (When the wind dies down in this bay, boats swing so they need to either pick up a mooring ball or anchor so that they can swing 360 degrees.) 

Part of being the captain is understanding and monitoring the wind and sea state.  After clearing out of Statia, we headed towards St. Kitts and Nevis.  Our plan was to see if we thought we could anchor comfortably.  If we believed that was a possibility, we would check in in Nevis.  There was very little wind and it took us approximately 5 hours to motor to Nevis.  Along the way we saw that White House Bay and Balast Bay had room for more boats and the anchorage conditions appeared calm.  So, we continued to Nevis and checked into the country as fast as we could. 

Unfortunately, the wind was blowing from a weird direction in Nevis and Steve didn’t want to stay there.  So, we motored back to White House Bay on St. Kitts and picked up a mooring ball.  We visited this bay last year and enjoyed its calm conditions.  It is within walking distance of a superyacht marina.  The turquoise water is typically calm and offers good snorkeling.  So, we plan to stay here for several days while the winds settle down.

On 1/30/24 we decided to hike up the Quill trail to the top of the dormant volcano.  It took approximately 1.5 hours to get to the top, hiking through a rainforest.  The trail was remarkably well marked.  Not far up the trail I scared a black snake with yellow stripes off of the trail.  I think it was catching some morning sun.  We saw, and heard, lots of roosters cock-a-doodling.  We also saw goats munching away on various plants. 

The most unique animals that we saw were the land hermit crabs.  They were so plentiful along the trail that we had to be careful not to step on them.  They were funny, in that they would get scared when we approached.  So, we would take a step and watch hermit crabs roll themselves off of the trail, down the hill. 

At the top rim of the volcano, we had a clear view of the sunken crater within the volcano.

After reaching the rim, we decided to go a little further on the trail, towards the panorama view. While the picture doesn’t make the trail seem difficult, it was actually quite steep. No Caribbean hike is complete without ropes to hold on to as we ascend the mountain. The Quill Trail didn’t disappoint us.

There are approximately 60 oil tanks on the northern part of the island.  It is apparently used to hold reserves for many countries.  We can’t see them from the anchorage, which is terrific. The island is known for diving and, as I mentioned, the water is very clear here.  The small town of Oranj is being rebuilt.  Caribbean-style gingerbread houses are found throughout town in varying states of repair.  Some have been restored and are beautiful. 

The streets are made of a combination of cobblestones and cement and are very neat.  We saw a couple of restaurants, some places to stay and a boutique or two. 

We also saw services like small grocery stores, beauty salons, massage therapy, etc. 

Most of the houses that we saw on Statia had fences around them. This was to keep the freely-wandering goats out of their yards.

There are many historic buildings on the island, along with ruins.  At one time, Statia was a busy trading port.  People would come from all over the world to trade items here in this neutral country, including slaves.  Once the slavery trade ended, and interest in sugar cane diminished, there was less of a need to trade in this neutral country.  The island was known as the Golden Rock in its heyday. 

There are approximately 60 oil tanks on the northern part of the island.  It is apparently used to hold reserves for many countries.  The island is known for diving and, as I mentioned, the water is very clear here. 

Below are pictures of some colorful houses we walked past when exploring the outskirts of Oranj.