Author: tomhesterhk

Oranjestad, St Eustatius (Statia)

Approach: Statia is fairly steep to, with no significant natural off lying hazards. That said, there are numerous tug mooring buoys associated with the oil terminal in Tumbledown Dick Baai (N of Oranjestad) and these can have long warps streaming from them. To the S of Oranje Bay there are numerous buoys about marking dive sites but we saw very little in the way of fishing marks. I wouldn’t suggest an approach by night as a sensible option. The green buoy at the end of the Roro wharf has disappeared but two large metal buoys (yellow and lit, F) about a cable to the W mark it clearly enough.

Anchorage: Oranje Bay is the only place to anchor as Statia’s coast is designated a marine park out to the 30m contour. The ‘bay’ is really an open roadstead with a modicum of protection afforded by the Roro wharf and breakwater in the SE and Interlopers Point to the NW and wide open to the SW. Not surprisingly a swell makes itself felt but in normal trade wind conditions this is not too bad. The Bay has many mooring buoys for small craft, mostly local fishing and dive boats. Some were laid specifically for yachts and an elaborate colour coding system was introduced but all this seems to have gone by the wayside. No fear, as the holding on soft sand is excellent. We anchored in 8m on the seaward side of the mooring field, others chose to go closer inshore in 4m or so. There is a dinghy dock on the N side of the breakwater which, I’d imagine, would be untenable if there was a serious swell running in but was fine during our stay.

Formalities: Contrary to some recent accounts we found immigration and customs friendly and efficient both, along with the harbour master’s office, are to be found at the root of the breakwater. You’ll also need to visit the Park Office (turn left from the dinghy dock, about 100m on the right) to get a permit to anchor (US$30/week) and hiking permits for the land parks ((US$10/head).

Services: Statia is not a place to come for a major re-provision, arrive with adequate water, diesel and gas. The supermarket ‘Duggins’ on De Windtweg looks as if it’s fallen through a time warp from the 50’s but has a decent range of basics – particularly just after a fresh container has been breached. The bakery is sadly disappointing. There are plenty of restaurants both in the upper and lower towns offering the usual suspects at rather less than the usual rates but also some more specialist Statian fare such as Goat Burger. As at Deshaies our children enjoyed doing their school work in the air conditioned calm of the library which also has good WiFi. There a couple of banks with ATMs (note that Statia works in US$ not € as one might expect) but when I tried to exchange some E Caribbean $ I was treated as though I were attempting to swap last Christmas’s paper crowns for real money.

Fun and Games: We loved Statia. Some people might feel that the constant comings and going of the tugs and big ships mar the peace. We felt it gave a lovely feeling of activity. The lower town is mostly made up of dive operations, small restaurants and a couple of hotels amongst which chickens, goats, ground doves and the occasional, thrilling, humming bird meander. Up a sharp climb to the upper storey of Oranjestad and you are among a charming mix of brightly painted wooden houses…

…ancient stone mansions…

…and many ruins left over from the island’s commercial glory in the late 18th century. History lies thickly everywhere you look.

We particularly enjoyed the remains of the Dutch Reformed Church and the Synagogue and the museum in Simon Donke House.

As some of the history isn’t terribly to the credit of British interests so much of it was news to us!

The snorkelling in the harbour is terrific with the centuries old sea wall now ten feet under water and teeming with fish. Apart from shoals of small reef fish we also saw large barracuda and tuna as well a turtles. It really is a treat.

Another joy of Statia is the hiking up and around The Quill, the volcano that dominates the S half of the island. The paths are well made and clearly marked. Climbing up to the crater lip is much less demanding than the St Kitts version but the last climb up to the highest point on the N side is very steep, tho’ assisted with fixed ropes. From the top you can see the whole island as well as Saba, St Martin and St Barts, about 30M away. There are also paths leading round the volcano’s base.

Statia is a most lovely place, amazingly overlooked by most cruising sailors. Make sure to visit next time your passing!

A short clip of Cherubino under sail along the W side of St Kitts heading for Statia…

We spent a few days exploring St Kitts, basing ourselves in Port Zante Marina, these are my notes that might be of help/interest to potential sailing visitors to this most congenial island.

Approach: Coming from either N or S there’s plenty of water with no real hazards and only a light sprinkling of fish traps. The actual approach to the marina is a little tricky at the moment as there are mighty works on hand, building a second pier for giant cruise ships to moor up to. The best bet is to come in from the SW which will which leave the beach to port and opens out the marina entrance on the stbd bow.

Marina: Charlie the dock master, while friendly and helpful but not in the first class when it comes to answering emails or the phone. Probably the best bet is just to call up on Ch 68 when approaching, as the marina seems to be very sparingly visited by yachts and there’s usually likely to be a slot. The berths are in the form of strong posts (no rings) and short (about 12 feet long) finger piers attached to the marina wall. The tidal range is only about a foot. The posts are about 50 feet from the wall so yachts longer than about 45’ will need to rig springs from the middle of the boat whether coming in bow or stern first.

There is electricity (flat pin style, Charlie has an adaptor to EuroPlug) and good water for each berth. A fuel pontoon dispenses diesel and petrol. The showers and loos ashore are basic but clean. Most of the boats in the marina are either small motor vessels or giant catamarans running fishing or sailing excursions for the passengers from the cruise ships. There are also a number of commercial fishing craft and the atmosphere is lively. Generally evenings are peaceful but on holidays the music can be very loud and go on very late. Security seems pretty good but you have to aware that a lot of people are passing through and that it would be silly to leave valuable stuff lying about.

If you don’t fancy the marina you can anchor off the not terribly attractive seafront to the W in 4-5m. There’s good protection from the N and NE but it does look pretty rolly if there’s any S in the wind. There’s a dinghy dock in the marina where you can safely leave the tender when you check in.

Formalities: Customs are based in the marina office and immigration is a short walk away in the Port Zante complex. Both are pretty relaxed in their approach to office hours and more than one visit may be required.

Services: If you are planning to spend a few days and look around the island hiring a car is a good idea. Expect to pay c.US$50/d plus US$25 for a local driving licence (no test involved, just hand over the money). The island is circled by a (literal) ring road so there is no excuse for getting lost.

We found an excellent laundry at Elite Laundry Services in town. For boat bits there is a small Budget Marine chandlery on Bay Road. The are two supermarkets just outside the marina complex which are OK for basics and numerous small stalls selling fruit and veg. For a bigger restocking a better selection is available at Ram’s at the far end of Bay Road (next to the Cash & Carry), a couple of miles away. Inevitably local bread is something of a disappointment after Guadeloupe.

Observation & Activities: Port Zante was built to cater for the vast cruise ships that call in, one or two at a time, almost every day.

Each boat can have as many as 6,600 passengers aboard so when they discharge things get busy. Most of the punters are swept away to see the sights by a fleet of mini buses, put to sea in the fleet of motor boats and cats or left to wander The Mall into which they flow as they clear immigration . As you can imagine, the Mall is full of shops flogging the tackiest of tat while the food on offer would, on the whole, disgrace a motorway services station (honourable exception, ‘Sweet Cane’). All this is going on adjacent to the marina.

The key to a happy Kittitian experience is to plan to arrive at wherever you’re going bang on opening time before the cruise ship crowds arrive. It’s well worth visiting the National Museum, which is housed in a colonial building within the Port Zante complex, to get an idea of the island’s history. We particularly enjoyed visiting wonderfully preserved Brimstone Hill Fortress, zip lining at Sky Safari on the Wingfield Estate and the tough but rewarding hike up Mt Liamuiga.

St Kitts is a superlatively friendly island and really worth getting to see ‘on the ground’. The facilities for yachts are on the simple side but don’t let that put you off!

The girls will be posting more shortly…