After the last few “dryer” islands, most of St Kitts was a covered in green lush and looks tropical again...that is the larger northern part....the very southern tip of the island ...is dry and we joked the night we were anchored there that we could have been on a big dam in the Karoo (South African dry hinterland) or the Outback (in Australia)!
We anchored in Basseterre for a very rolly two nights – we could not get into the marina (small and very amateurishly operated by whoever is happy to be the harbour master...sort of!) There are not any other options if you want to be close to a town. So we just stomach it for the two days.
The marina will hopefully be upgraded as soon as the new development of shops and tourist cruising ship dockings has been completed. It has potential and the development looks great. The square in the middle of this town has an exact replica of the green Clock Tower on Piccadilly Circus in London – complete with the red Telephone booths around the square!

What amazed us about St Kitts is the general architecture! The shutters and the artistic use of colours and detail patio and balcony railings just had a different fresh look!
This is the island with the only surviving railway in the Eastern Caribbean! The double decker train is running right around the edges of the island and is probably not worth every cent of the $89 pp that you have to pay for it (unless you take 2-3 free cocktails..which is not easy at 9am !!) but it was fun. We met Nick and his whole married family from the yacht Scott Free – thanks to the Captain - I did not attend the cocktail invitation aboard their super yacht! Well – I will keep trying to broaden my network as we go...if the Captain will allow me!
The 2 ½ hour trip gives you an idea of how big the sugarcane industry used to be (not producing any sugarcane anymore) and to see the countryside in a “flash”.
This is not a tax free island, but with proof of being a foreigner, you get your purchases still tax free – and that is almost the last of the cheap quality shops before heading back home!
Cheap shops are everywhere in the Caribbean - all with the same stuff... very much like one of the T-Shirts is stating....”Different Island....Same Shit”!(excuse their French!) And that is a fact!

Our last 2 nights was spent at anchor in Whitehouse Bay in the south of St Kitts – lovely water to snorkel in – a wreck and a few coral and calm waters made it worth the effort to get there. We were planning on making a quick visit to Nevis in the morning but Captain J decided that enough is enough – we HAVE to give the Code Zero a go seeing that it will be light conditions tomorrow!
More on the Website about Code Zero and the Captain!