On February 23 we left Dominica for Terre de Haut, Guadeloupe. We have previously visited these islands during our trip south, but wanted to return to one of our favorite spots that exudes the feeling of French streets and French bistros.
The geology is fascinating.
This is the only beach, we have visited, that has roped off lap lanes for swimming.
Enjoying the French Bistro experience.
Normally, purchasing fuel in a European country would not be something we would consider. However, this happened to be the day after the U.S. bombed Iran and we wanted to make sure we had enough fuel to get home…no matter what happened in the world. This fuel cost $7.31 per gallon😳
After a relaxing few days in Guadeloupe, it was time to move on. We were scheduled to meet our niece and nephew in St. Kitts on March 13, and the weather outlook was not great. We were hoping to arrive there about a week before them so we could scout out the area since we had never been to St. Kitts.
On March 6, we decided to take a weather window that looked doable, but certainly not comfortable! The forecast was for 5-6 ft. waves, with conditions deteriorating after that day. We left at 4:00 a.m. for a 95 mile crossing to St. Kitts. Conditions were actually fairly nice for the first few hours, but that was only because we were still behind the ‘shadow’ of Guadeloupe. About 4 hours in, conditions deteriorated quickly!
Waves built to over 8 ft, with us definitely seeing some 10-12 ft waves hitting us on the starboard quarter and causing the boat to slide sideways down the face of the wave. Keith watched the Lev-O-Guage (inclinometer) and saw a 35° tilt on one of those drops. This caused a drastic change in our steering practices, watching for the large wave chains, and turning the bow into the waves. With this, our headway progress was down to about 3 mph. We quickly reevaluated our options and decided to ditch in Monserrat, which was thankfully halfway between Guadeloupe and St. Kitts.
We call this an interior redesign, by Mother Nature.
We were aware that Montserrat was home to one of the most active volcanoes in the Caribbean. However, we were surprised by the amount of smoke spewing from the top.
The chart clearly marks restriction zones where anchoring is not allowed, and as we passed through this area the smell of fire and brimstone was very strong. Little did we know that our plan to seek refuge would end up being one of the most interesting and educational experiences of this adventure.
In 1995 the volcano showed signs of high activity, and much of the southern part of the island was evacuated. The big eruption came in July 1997, which left 80% of the island uninhabitable. This eruption destroyed the capital town of Plymouth, and totally whipped out the airport.
All inhabitants were relocated to the northern tip of the island. This area was safe from pyroclastic flows because of an extinct volcano located in the middle. This peak provides a bearier to ensure future pyroclastic flows cannot reach the northern tip of the island. Between 1995-2000 nearly 65% of the island’s population relocated, mainly to England. Montserrat was/is still a British ‘colony’ (only because it was always to small to rebel) and England offered all residents the opportunity to relocate and start over as full English citizens.
While we are here we might as well take the tour😳…or maybe we shouldn’t!
The town of Plymouth was destroyed, but luckily only 15 people died from this event. All 15 were people who were frustrated with the evacuation, and snuck back to their property for one reason or another. Our tour guide lost his cousin who went back to pick vegetables from his garden.
The pyroclastic flow buried the town in sand, ash, and rocks two stories high. This picture shows this three story building before the eruption. Now we can only see the top floor.
This was the harbor front near the port.
This was the town square.
Even houses and businesses on the outskirts of town were destroyed by several feet of ash and debris.
The main church ‘The Mother Church’ with the only pipe organ on the island, was destroyed.
Montserrat was a very eye opening, and educational stop, but a weather window has opened up on March 12…LUCKILY allowing us to arrive in St. Kitts one day before the kids arrive.
Thankfully, the seas calmed and we made it to St. Kitts with no problems.
Allison and John arrived successfully, and it was time to explore and have a little fun!
This man is crushing sugar cane to extract the juice.
St. Kitts and Nevis (pronounced Neevis) is a two island nation. After exploring St. Kitts we were excited to hop to Nevis.
From our anchorage, this was the view of the extinct volcanic cone that makes up Nevis. Of course, our young and energetic guests, were looking for a challenge, and decided to climb the peak. Keith and I were happy to sit out on this one out, and watch from this viewpoint.
We did send them with our Garmin satellite tracker so we could monitor their progress (and know where to send help should the need arise)😉
Apparently, the climb was brutal, at times…and they both discussed quitting more than once.
However, they fought through
And made it to the top. Nicely done! And Keith and I were oh so thankful that we didn’t attempt to climb that peak!
The very next day we rented a car to tour the rest of the island, and they were willing to take a short hike to a waterfall.
Probably good to get some blood pumping through those sore muscles.
There were several monkeys enjoying the fruit from a tamarind tree.
We visited several beaches, on the east side of the island, and all had sargassum seaweed.
We enjoyed a lovely lunch at The Plantation.
On their last day, we all agreed that a relaxing beach day was in order.
They flew out on March 22, and we are scheduled to meet my cousin and her husband in Virgin Gorda, BVI in two weeks…let’s get moving🤣
