Giggling and joking, we clamber down the steps from the plane onto the tarmac at the St. Maarten airport. The sun shines warm on our shoulders as we walk to the terminal, a golden welcome to the start of our holiday. We are meeting our charter yacht, Pauly D, for an adventure that will take us to Saba, Statia, St. Kitts, and Nevis. We clear customs and immigration and cross the street in front of the terminal to a little bar called Aqua. Not because we are thirsty, but because that is where Capt. Lee will pick us up in Pauly D’s thirty-one foot Contender for a quick ride across the bay to the yacht. The trip takes 5 minutes by water, close to an hour via cab.

A quick jaunt across Simpson Bay to the marina is a lovely way to start a charter. Sailboats tugging at their anchors, dinghies darting to and fro, all with the deep green hills of St. Maarten as a backdrop. Once on board, we are greeted by the rest of the crew, our luggage disappears into our cabins, and we have a lively discussion as to where we would prefer having our cocktails: the roomy aft deck or breezy flybridge. The flybridge wins out this time and we are soon enjoying an “island” drink with delectable hors d’ouvres. We won’t be to leaving until the next morning, so we have plenty of time to play this afternoon. Part of the group decide they want to go jetskiing, the rest of us opt for a trip in the Contender over to Marigot, the capital of the French side of the island.

We gathered on Pauly D’s flybridge in the early evening to watch the sun go down and twilight darken into night. Dinner conversation centered upon our upcoming adventure. Two challenges faced us: bridge times and check-ins. Simpson Bay, where most marinas in St. Maartin are located, is a very calm and protected body of water, surrounded completely by land, with only one way in and out for yachts. A bridge that opens three times a day guards the opening, so arrival and departure times must be determined ahead. We decided to leave at the earliest possible time, the 9 A.M. opening.

The second challenge was that of clearing in and out of customs. Clearing of customs is the sole responsibility of your captain, so you will be asked to give your passport to your captain at the beginning of your charter, to be returned to you at its finish. Even though the islands we had chosen to visit were very close together, they were all separate countries and we would need to clear in and out of each island. Sometimes this process only takes an hour or so, sometimes the process can take several hours. “Island time”, so to speak. Remember, until the yacht is properly checked in, you are not allowed to disembark. Since we only had a few days to play, we sadly decided to leave Saba for another holiday, and visit Satia, St. Kitts and Nevis.

The next day as we were cruising past the magnificent vista of Saba, we almost changed out minds. I had been to Saba a couple of months prior to our charter, but was ready to return in a heartbeat. Actually, probably the best way to visit Saba is to fly in from St. Maartin, as the anchoring is very difficult and the tiny marina is too small for most charter yachts. Besides, flying into Saba is a wonderful, if heart stopping experience. The runway is extremely short and there is no room for pilot error since there are cliffs leading down to the sea at either end! Sit on the starboard side of the plane for maximum heart palpitations. On a windless day with the sea glassy calm, the island reflects upon it’s mirror image and makes me think that is truly is an island Brigadoon.

The villages of Saba are spotlessly clean with whitewashed red roofed cottages that look as though they have been plucked from the European countryside. Indeed, the 1500 inhabitants are descendants of English, Scottish and Dutch settlers, along with a few Africans who originally came as slaves. Up until the early 40s Saba was almost inaccessible. Everything had to come and go via Ladder Bay. This landing on the leeward shore provides scant shelter from ocean swells, and some 800 steps have been hewn into the rock to reach “level” ground. There is absolutely no way you can visit this paradise and gain weight, no matter how much you eat, thanks to the challenging terrain. Hiking in Saba is excellent with trail maps readily available. If you want something even more challenging than the steps of Ladder Bay, take the walk to the top of Mt. Scenery, which includes 1064 steps. If you are lucky enough to be there on a clear day (clouds tend to get caught on the top of the mountains) you will be treated to one of the Caribbean’s most spectacular and terrifying precipitous views, about 2000 feet straight down to the village of Windwardside. As splendid as the aerial views are, it is the underwater vistas for divers will make them want to return again and again.

Saba plunges down into the sea as rapidly as it rises. Even if you arrive on a charter yacht, the best way to dive Saba is with one of the local dive shops. While all levels of divers will revel in the sights, advanced divers will feel they are in blue heaven. About a half mile off Saba’s shores lie its most famous adventure dives: pinnacles rising from 1000 feet deep to within 90 feet of the surface. Dive Third Encounter, Twilight Zone or Outer Limits and I guarantee you will return to Saba for more.

We leave Saba in our wake and proceed on to St. Eustatius, affectionately known as Statia. The village of Oranje sits upon the cliff that we anchor beneath. Captain Lee leaves us to check in as we sit down to a lovely lunch served in the shade of the aft deck. From this vantage point we can see the stone ruins of buildings at the base of the cliff, hugging the road that leads to the top of the bluff. We try to imagine what it was like here in the mid 1700’s when this was a boom town, the trade capital of the Indies. History tells us that one to two hundred sailing ships would lie at anchor here at one time. A sea wall protected a long street of shops and warehouses. It was a time when European powers were fighting each other. The Dutch, who owned Statia, remained neutral and maintained Statia as a free port.

Satia was the first nation to salute an American naval vessel, if only by chance. Legend has it that in 1776 the Andrew Doria, an American vessel, came into the harbor and gave a salute. The governor of Statia was quite sure what to do, so he decided to fire a return salute, not realize that even though the Andrew Doria was a merchant ship, she was under command of an American rebel navy captain.
The changing political and economic climate of the Caribbean by the early 19th century ended Statia’s role as the Caribbean’s first shopping mall. The sea wall slowly sand and hurricanes destroyed much of the lower town, with the exception of the last couple of ruins on the verge of joining their compatriots in the sea. I have often snorkeled in the anchorage, and today was no different, with hopes of finding a mug or nail or something tossed off one of those hundreds of ships long ago. Nope, never have found anything. The diving in Statia is quite good, and there is a very nice marine park for the people who only want to snorkel. Downside of diving in Statia is that nonresidents are only allowed to dive with someone from a local dive shop, and inside the marine park you can only snorkel with a guide. Which explains the reason I prefer to snorkel in the anchorage, especially along the ledge close to the shore.

Captain Lee returns to Pauly D and changes the yellow “Q” flag that we were displaying to indicate that we had not checked in, to the Statian flag, telling us that we are now free to go ashore and explore Oranje and the surrounding area. Statia is a quiet little island, and the climb up the old cobbled Slave Road that leads from the port up to Oranje is a good introduction. Brilliantly colored flowers border the road, and once you have made your way up the hill the vista is one of picturesque gingerbread houses. Most of the major attractions can be visited in about an hour, leaving you plenty of time for hiking, shopping or a relaxing with a cold drink as you gaze out at your yacht tugging at its anchor on the bay below. One of the nearby attractions is Fort Oranje, which has been beautifully restored and is now the site of the tourist office. The nearby museum is in the house which British Admiral Rodney lived during his stay on Statia. You can obtain maps and information from either the tourist office or the museum.

Hiking on Statia is much more tranquil than the sheer heights of Saba, and are very well marked, so there is no need to fear that you will end up lost in the middle of the jungle. The Quill is the name of the volcano and is the reward for hiking one of the more challenging trails; it will take about two hours to get there. Or take it a bit easier and stroll on over to the new Botanical Gardens.

The following morning after a sunny breakfast on the aft deck, we head on over to St. Kitts. Green and lush, St. Kitts features a steep central mountain range that rises to 3750 feet, home to thousands of African green monkeys. Between the mountains and the sea are gentle, sloping hills that are planted to sugar cane. The southern end of the island is connected to the main island by a long narrow peninsula and is home to several large salt ponds. Bassterre, the capital, is located about half way between the verdant green of the mountains and the desolation of the salt ponds. Originally settled in 1623 by the British, a group of Frenchmen arrived, the two nations teamed up and soon massacred the 2000 Carib inhabitants before falling out between themselves. Today St. Kitts and Nevis are a fully independent twin-island state. The economy of St. Kitts is based on tourism and agriculture, with sugar cane as the most important crop.

There is a small marina at Bassterre, and we choose to dock there, rather than anchor out. Captain Lee hops off Pauly D to go check us in as our chef entices us with a luscious lunch. Following lunch, we wait for the Captain to return. He finally returns, about 4 hours after he has left, looking a bit the worse for wear. Sometimes checking in is easy, sometimes, like this time, the Captain will spend an extraordinary amount of time checking in. Lucky for us, he is the one being run ragged while we sat in the air-conditioned salon of Pauly D and watched DVDs, or hung out on the flybridge, catching some sunshine and lazing in the Jaccuzzi. Now that he is back, and Pauly D is sporting a jaunty St. Kitts courtesy flag, we hop off the boat and head for the town to explore.

We head almost straight into the heart of the town and discover Piccadilly Circus! Okay, not the Piccadilly Circus of London, but an island-style facsimile. Indeed, The Circus is modeled after its famous namesake. Close by is the old treasury building, now recycled into a new museum with several artifacts and some great old photos. We wandered on over to Independence Square, admiring several large unusual palms there. Continuing on, we stumbled upon a magnificent Anglican church, its doors are open, and entered its hushed silence. Its simple beauty echoed the dignity of the people who worshiped there, with soaring ceilings, large windows with wooden shutters closed against the sun, and rows and rows of wooden pews waiting for the parishioners to arrive.

The edges of evening were drawing in as we strolled back to Pauly D. On the way back, we stopped at Stone Walls, voted by Newsweek Magazine as one of the best bars in 1996. The stone walls the pub is named after; silence the street sounds, so the lushly landscaped courtyard is almost eerily quiet, except for the sound of tree frogs, and our laughter which soon shattered the silence. Let’s just say that they do amazing things with coconut!

We had a late start the following morning, as several in our party decided to check out the casino housed in the new Marriot. Listening to the tales from the night before, I perceived the casino won, but everyone had a great time. At our request, our captain had set up an island tour with a local guide named Basil. Basil showed up at the appointed hour and we all piled into the van. A veritable fountain of knowledge, he kept a running dialogue up about regarding the island. We walked in the rainforest, visited Romney Manor and imagined ourselves as British soldiers defending Fort Brimstone. Our foray into the forest was brief, too short in fact, to have any encounters with the monkeys. With branches forming arched avenues, I would have liked to spent an entire day hiking in the forests’ shadowed coolness, to climb Mount Liamuiga that still puffs steam from several vents. I will do that when I come back.
Romney Manor is an old plantation set in a beautiful 10-acre estate garden. Exotic flowers form a palate of color against the deep green of the forest. Caribelle Batik is headquartered here and you can watch as the white sea island cotton is transformed into the riot of colors that the Caribelle Batiks are known for. Well, you can watch if the workshops are open, which they weren’t on the day we visited, a sure case for “call ahead”!

My favorite stop on our tour was Brimstone Hill Fortress, a remarkably well- preserved fort built between 1690 and 1790. The main structures are 800 feet above sea level, surrounded by steep precipitous slopes. It is constructed of the hard volcanic rock that it sits upon, the mortar used to cement the stones, produced from limestone found on the middle and lower slopes. The Fortress is virtually a man-made out cropping of the natural hill. Wandering around, one marvels at the amount of effort to construct it in the first place, and after looking at the pictures taken before the restoration, you applaud the dedication and hard work of the people who returned it to its former glory. This is an absolute must-see if you go to St. Kitts.

We continued our journey around the island, stopping on the windward side to view the pillars of volcanic rock that protrude from the ocean. Formed from a long-ago volcanic eruption, they bear evidence to the lava's flow to the sea. During our stop, we were joined by children from a birthday party taking place in the adjoining meadow. One of the men proved to be an adept magician and was soon pulling quarters out of children’s ears! I am not sure who felt sorriest when we left, the children, their parents, or us.

Returning to Pauly D, we relaxed and discussed our day as our chef hastened to prepare hors d’ouvers to “tide us over” until dinner. Then, a surprise! A local band showed up beside the yacht to play island music for us. The treat had been organized for us at the request of one of the guests. That is what chartering a yacht is all about…a request made, and fulfilled.

The following day we used Pauly D’s Contender to visit Nevis. Since it only took about fifteen minutes to run over in the Contender, it wasn’t hardly worth moving the yacht from her berth. Viewed from the water, Nevis resembles a sombrero, peaked in the center and low around the edges. There is no marina located on Nevis, simply a couple of dinghy docks. The beautiful new Four Seasons resort is located a short distance from the Charlestown, the only village on the island. Two historical figures are associated with Nevis: Alexander Hamilton was born here (look at your ten dollar bill in case you don’t remember who he was from high school history class!) and Horatio Nelson, who married Neviasian widow Fanny Nisbet.

Charlestown is a pretty town, spotlessly clean with brilliantly painted buildings. We found the Tourism Office housed in a lovely stone building within a block of the harbor. We decided to first wander around Charlestown then take a tour of the island. Our immediate destination was the Museum of Nevis History, in the home where Alexander Hamilton was born. There is also a Nelson Museum, but my friends decided that I needed to be limited to one museum per day. Glad they didn’t consider the ruins of Fort Charles a museum, or I would have been over my limit within the first hour on Nevis! The ruins are a short stroll in the opposite direction from Hamilton House, down a lovely lane flanked by flowers and delightfully colored buildings. As we came back into the town, it was time for shopping! There are numerous fun shops, including Bocane Ceramics, Knick Knacks, Gig’s Island Fever. Don’t forget to visit the Nevis Handicrafts Cooperative for searing hot sauce, guava jelly and delicate island honey. We took our treasures back to the tender and joined our taxi to tour the island.

We had decided that we wanted to go clockwise around the island, so we could have lunch at the Nisbet Plantation Hotel, followed by a visit to Newcastle Pottery. Newcastle Pottery is a cooperative of local potters who make attractive and inexpensive unglazed earthenware from the local clay. Yes, my pitcher did in fact make it home in one piece! Continuing on our journey, the next stop was Golden Rock Plantation, built in 1815 as a sugar plantation. Its 12 terraced stone buildings are located on the edge of the rainforest and surround by magnificent exotic gardens. After Golden Rock, Montpelier was next on our “visit” list. Guarded by a grand entrance gate and heavy stone walls, Montpelier offers a quiet, gentile atmosphere.

By now we were thirsty and opted for a cold drink in the impressive living room, pretending we were plantation owners and guests visiting for the afternoon. Refreshed, we made a quick stop at the new Botanical Garden of Nevis. Covering 8 acres, the gardens include many artificial rivers and pools, plus a shaded rain forest conservatory. We had thought to include the Hermitage on our tour, reported by our guide to be charming, with many small old buildings and peacocks wandering about, but decided to save it for our next visit, as the sun was starting to dip into the western waters and we needed to return to Pauly D.

We left early the next morning for St. Maarten, to make the 11A.M. bridge opening. As Pauly D motored past Brimstone Hill, we reflected on how much we had seen and enjoyed in the past few days. And vowed to come back….soon.