A wicked fast catamaran and a beautiful bay full of life
Whenever we visit the Caribbean we try to get out for a day at sea. Not only do we not sail and snorkel when at home, but there’s just something liberating about cruising alongside a lush tropical island surrounded by so much blue – from the water and sky. Sailing provides a rare “big picture” perspective of the island you’re visiting and snorkeling allows access to a world so refreshingly different than what we’re used to on land.
While vacationing in Saint Kitts, we arranged to do a half-day sail and snorkel excursion with Leeward Islands Charters, and we’re glad we did. When we arrived at Basseterre’s Port Zante Marina the morning of the tour, it was a little overcast and the wind was blowing – A great day for sailing. A representative from Leeward Islands Charters helped us get through port security before leading us to the boat we would be venturing out on. Ooooh, what a beauty! The “Spirit of St. Kitts” as she’s called, is a large 78-foot catamaran with a sleek low profile – She looks fast just sitting in port.
The friendly crew welcomed us on board, along with 2 other couples and a family of 5, for what would amount to a near-private sailing excursion on this spacious sea-faring vessel! With the 5 crew members in place and all the guests settled in the catamaran’s cockpit, we untied from the dock and were on our way. To the rhythmic and soothing sounds of reggae music, we left the port and headed south hugging the beautiful coastline of St. Kitts. The wind was fairly strong and the water was a bit choppy, although you wouldn’t know it because the ship remained steady and level.
We ventured to the front of the cat, taking a comfortable position on the trampoline/netting to take in the scenery. The mountainous interior of northern St. Kitts initially dominated the view and as we sailed, it became clear that there are very few low-lying areas of coastline with beaches along the western side of the island. Not to be outdone, the southeast peninsula offered equally picturesque views. We passed the beach at Frigate Bay with the famous “strip” of beach bars/restaurants as well as Timothy Hill, probably the best place on the island for spectacular southern views of rolling hills with Nevis as a spectacular backdrop. We then sailed by the other beaches on the Caribbean side of St. Kitts along South Friar’s Bay.
We passed some mega-yachts anchored at Christophe Harbour before we slowed and reached our snorkeling destination called Shitten Bay. What a crappy name (pun intended) for such a gorgeous location. With 30 plus foot cliffs lining the coast, it’s easy to see why this snorkeling spot is only accessible by boat. Considered the best place to snorkel in St. Kitts, the protected bay is sheltered from wind and waves, allowing the water to be calm and clear – perfect for seeing what’s down there!
Fortunately for us, there was only one other sailboat there when we arrived, and its passengers were almost finished their snorkeling adventure. I was surprised to see how close to shore we ventured before we tied up to a buoy. The view of the water was like something out of a Caribbean magazine. You know, that inviting turquoise colour that you just don’t see at home. Peering over the side of the boat I could see the ocean floor about 15 feet down, covered with seagrass along with a row of rocks/boulders in shallower water closer to shore. Oh, this is going to be awesome. Not able to contain my excitement (or wait for the kids to get off the ladder), I grabbed some fins, donned my mask and jumped over the side. As St. Kitts & Nevis is not well known for its underwater world I wasn’t expecting too much, however, I was pleasantly surprised!
I was immediately greeted by a school of black & yellow striped sergeant majors along with a handful of large silver fish with a yellow strip down their backs that I believe were yellow jacks. I slowly floated closer to shore leaving the seagrass heading for the boulders. That was a good move, as it quickly became apparent that this is where the sea life hangs out. I was amazed to see such a wide variety of fish swimming among the rocks. I saw little silver fish, medium-sized brown fish, butterflyfish with their distinctive black dot near its tail fin and a mixture of awesome-looking blue fish that may have been chubbs, chromas and/or tang. I was mesmerized by a small black fish with fluorescent blue dots that appeared to be glowing – Incredible! I also saw some fun-looking bluehead wrasse as well as a number of unique yellow trumpetfish that I thought were cool.
I floated over the rocks slowing heading north where I eventually encountered a coral structure jutting out from the shore into deeper water. One of the many highlights for me was seeing a fascinating ribbon-like eel. It was whitish with bi-coloured dots along its body. I couldn’t study it for long as it quickly left one hiding spot only to disappear again between two rocks. Perhaps it was a snake eel or a juvenile spotted moray. All I know was that was neat to see! I also saw a beautiful but deadly (and out-of-place) lionfish. I must have seen close to two dozen different species of fish in all. After a while, I started to pay more attention to everything in my new underwater world. I soon realized that there were several species of corals and other sea life down there as well. I saw fire coral, brain coral, a few different stick-like corals, as well as some vertical tubes, plenty of large purple fans as well as a variety of other plants I don’t know by name.
Swimming back towards the boat I got pretty excited when I saw a decent sized puffer fish swimming along the grassy ocean floor. I followed above it for a while, although I could tell I was making it nervous as it sped off to the safety of the rocks. Wow, that was special – Another great encounter
When my time was up, I reluctantly got back on board the catamaran, being met by a crewmember who hosed me down with fresh water. Likely to protect the boat from saltwater, I enjoyed it nonetheless, and I got to rinse off my snorkel mask in the process. Once we were all back on board, we had a light (pre-packed) lunch, and then the drinks started to flow. We sampled some of their grate rum punch – No that’s not a spelling mistake, I’m referring to the fresh nutmeg that was shaved on top 😉. OK fine, and we more than just sampled the tasty Caribbean beverages – we may have had a few.
The crew carefully motored out of the bay, then 3 if not 4 of the guys were needed to set the mainsail along with the jib. Just like that, we were off, sailing toward Nevis at a nice brisk pace.
That said, once we hit the gap between the sister islands, we were really in for a treat. Now, with nothing blocking the wind, the cat shifted into high gear and we flew across the ocean at an exhilarating speed! While the water was quite choppy and the occasional crest sprayed over the front of the hull, the Spirit of St. Kitts remained flat and steady – Although I did need to grab something for balance, as I didn’t want to spill my drink. Sitting on the edge of the trampoline, I was captivated by the water rushing beneath the netting. For northerners (like me), it’s sort of like staring at a campfire…
What a marvelous experience – That may have been the fastest I’ve ever travelled under wind power. I would say that I loved the feeling of the wind blowing through my hair, except one key element is missing for that to have happened – and it wasn’t for lack of wind! Anyways, all good things must come to an end… One of the crew asked me to sit down (to avoid getting hit in the head by the boom), as we were about to tack. The catamaran slowed and almost heaved to a stop as we bobbed and turned, then headed back up the coast towards Basseterre with more fantastic views of the island of Saint Kitts.
I can’t imagine a more enjoyable 4 hours in the Caribbean, although I don’t know what I loved more, the surprisingly good snorkeling or the fantastic sail. Thanks to the friendly and professional crew and the awesome boat from Leeward Islands Charters, we got both!
For more information about Leeward Islands Charters, including what they offer for you to experience your own St. Kitts and Nevis adventure, visit their website or facebook page (just click on a link below):
- Leeward Islands Charters – Website
- Leeward Islands Charters – Facebook Page
For more material on sailing in the Caribbean, go to our Caribbean Sailing page.
For an overview of the beautiful Sister Islands, take a look at our St. Kitts & Nevis Vacations page.
For some great Tourist Attractions on the islands, check out our Things to Do in St. Kitts & Nevis blog post.
For more underwater action, maybe you’ll enjoy our St. Kitts & Nevis Snorkeling blog.
If you’re looking for more exciting things to do while vacationing on the islands, click on our St. Kitts & Nevis Adventures blog post for some great ideas!
ACT Staff
