Nevis

Nevis is an autonomous island, managed in part by St Kitts. This arrangement is apparently not without its struggles. When Britain tried to agglomerate Anguilla, St Kitts and Nevis in one entity, Anguilla revolted strongly and sent the St Kitts police force home. Britain finally agreed to keep Anguilla under their wing and St Kitts and Nevis are managed independently.

Nevis has no real bays or anchorages but they have installed a number of mooring balls north of Charlestown. We took the dinghy in to Charlestown (no Customs as Nevis and St Kitts are one country) for a walkabout. Sadly there was nothing about this little town that even gave you a wish to take the camera out and shoot some pictures. The town appears to have many homeless folks and no real cute old building like the other islands we have visited. Rather sad indeed. We did not even find a beer stop on shore that looked safe or acceptable.
Back to Ambition - it is about a 10 minute skiff ride to the moorings between Charlestown and the only major resort - The Four Seasons along Pinney's Beach - a couple miles long stretch of white sand. Unfortunately due to the large surf, it is only the brave who attempt to beach their dinghy on shore. Having 4 guys to help lift the skiff up the steep beach helps. Maryse and I got close and then decided that the cold beers on board Ambition were equally good as those at Turtle Time and Sunshine.

We figured that there had to be more to see of this little island of 12,000 folks than what Charlestown presented to us. so the next day we got back in the dinghy and headed back to Charlestown to find a guide that could show us the highlights of Nevis. No sooner had we tied the dinghy to the dock that we were met by John offering a 2 hour tour of his home island. Off we went!

It turns out that what we see from the moorings - a luxurious golf course surrounded by very impressive properties is actually all part of the Four Season Hotel. This represents a huge revenue for the island. This is a big resort!

Four Seasons Resort and Golf

The other resorts that John took us to visit are completely at the other end of the spectrum. They are boutique hotels that took the original sugar plantation homes and outbuildings and renovated and repurposed them. The main home is now the restaurant and central building. What was once the slaves "cottages" are today, delightful rooms. The landscaping is impeccable and manicured.