A day with Jumie & Della

St Kitts and Nevis are two of the few islands in the Leeward islands that are nicknamed "islands that touch the clouds". These sister islands gained independence only a short 30 years ago. The government put an end to sugar cane production only 5 years ago. Both islands are now heavily dependent on tourism. When the cruise ships are in St Kitts Port Zante is bustling. Fortunately, for us we were able to check in as the cruise ship passengers were receiving their cattle call to head back to their respective floating resorts. We were also glad to hit the Ballahoo for happy hour, wifi, and a chicken roti that is popular everywhere down here. Day 2 on St Kitts was to be a hiking and tour day. Taxi driver, Jumie, happily obliged after a minor negotiation. Jumie gave us a wonderful tour all the way around the island. As a born and bred Kittian he seems to know countless numbers of people through each little town. The highlights were abandoned sugar plantations, batik wax silk screening and the Brimstone Hill fortress. The fortress remains mostly intact and was a bustling city of soldiers, families and slaves in its time. Sadly, the French and British took St Kitts just after slaughtering all the Carib Indians that lived there. The island was then divided into thirds with the French occupying each end of the island and the British in the central part. Of course the division and unity amongst the settlers did not last and the British took control following years of battles. The inhabitants today are said to be generations of the slaves brought from African countries. The only remaining Caribs are living today in islands further south like Guadalupe and Dominique. While we completely enjoyed the history lesson from Jumie we were ready to move on out of the busy Port Zante to Nevis. Upon arrival to Nevis main port and only true "town" Charlestown, one would think you may have travelled to Jamaica or a Hatiaan port. We walked around a bit as the heat of the day set in, consulted our trusty Leeward Island cruiser guide and decided on the "short" walk to a nearby restaurant with wifi. Fortunately, a gentleman that had seen us in town stopped and offered a ride the remainder of the 20 minute short walk. As I said in a previous post, the Double Deuce easily became a favorite spot. The owner, waitress and bartender had a good word for Brian and I in parenting and sailing with our kids. They also arranged a hike, taxi and just about anything else we needed. The tour the next day with Della was beautiful and restful. She took us to some beautiful former sugar plantations and gave us the best history lesson. Again, the island was built on the backs of slaves. And now the Nevis economy is driven by tourism. Following our tour we waited out a short rain shower and headed back to the beach where we had beached Bessie. Sailing lesson #500 would be, when a local offers to help you get your dingy off the beach at high tide with a northern swell coming in, take the help. We got Bessie in the water but immediately knew the next wave was coming to quickly and Bessie's nose turned sideways back toward the beach. Kaylee ended up off the boat in the sand, Brian and Cody steadied Bessie, William worked to get the engine down, I prayed and quickly bailed to ensure Kaylee didn't get hit by another wave. In a matter of moments it felt that 10 locals had gathered behind us to help and give sound instruction on getting out to sea. Cody and I paddled hard while William and Brian wrestled the motor down and fired her up. The bag of ice we had just purchased was now a huge puddle in Bessie and we bailed water as we hurried back to Hakuna Matata. I am sure it took a solid 30 minutes for my blood pressure to level off. Nobody was hurt and we learned some valuable skills. The next day we chatted with two couples that were unable to even get their dinghy to the dinghy dock in Charlestown due to the swell. Again, we were grateful for the two days there. Be sure to read Brian's last post about our round trip sail to Monserrat after we left Nevis. If you want to learn lessons in flexibility this type of life will offer numerous opportunities. As we have said in almost every post we will always be grateful for this time. I have seen myself push through physical and mental situations that life back home will not compare. Our time spent learning the history of the Islands that touch the clouds has been an unexpected education in our intentional travels. Sail on.