Morning
I filled my morning hours with virtual office work. After this was done, Zed and I prepared to go shoreside and headed to the docks in Charlestown.
What I had not taken into account was that today was Labor Day. Consequently, most of the island was closed down. Although officially the C&I offices were open for business from 09:00, we were confronted with locked gates when we came ashore at 09:30. We weren’t the first in line; another boat was already waiting. While we sat on our bench and waited, John, the taxi driver, approached us and inquired about giving us a Nevis tour.
The ferry security had already called in, and Zed and I settled in to wait in the shade. An hour later, the 2 officers showed up and opened the office. Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of the problems. I’d filled in the 2 online forms that the website had stated were required. Now, there was a third form to fill out. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a simple web page, but an Excel form which needed to be downloaded. We only had Zed’s phone, and it was very difficult to fill out and then upload. This took most of an hour and required constant help from the immigration official (who was very friendly and helpful). We didn’t finish our clearance until around noon.
Island Tour
By this time, both Zed and I were frustrated and hungry as well as thirsty. We accepted John’s offer of a tour and went off on an exploration of the island. I’d done 2 previous tours, but today was Zed’s first time on the island.
We hit the highlights – the Hot Springs, The Montpelier Hotel, The Hermitage Inn, and the sights on the windward side, as well as the Passion bar & grill.
Back Aboard and at Sunshine’s
We’d had a long day at C&I and the Nevis Tour. So, we returned to the boat (with bottles of beer we’d purchased at a supermarket).
It didn’t take long before we once again left Zanshin. We dinghied to the beach next to our anchoring spot. There’s no dinghy dock, so we had to pull the dinghy up high beyond the high-tide waterline to prevent it from going walkabout. Ours was the only dinghy, despite several cruisers anchored in the vicinity.
I’ve been to Sunshine’s Bar many times over the years, and this visit was as much fun as always. Everything has gotten bigger and more upscale on Pinney’s Beach. They now have many bars and restaurants and have even put in a wooden boardwalk.
Zed and I had drinks and dinner ashore before returning to Zanshin for the night.
