The sunlight was amazing sailing into and out of Basseterre today.
Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest sovereign state in the western hemisphere and a dual-island nation and known for cloud shrouded mountains and beaches. Saint Kitts was home to the first British and French colonies in the Caribbean and was “The Mother Colony of the West Indies”.
Saint Kitts is the larger island and is dominated by the dormant Mount Liamuiga volcano. It hosts the capital Basseterre. Nevis sits 2 miles to the south east across the Narrows channel.
A few key moments in history for the islands:
– 1493 – Christopher Columbus lands on the islands and names St Kitts after his patron saint, Christopher.
– 1623 – The British establish their first Caribbean colony on St Kitts.
– 1626 – The British massacre 2,000 indigenous Caribs.
– 1628 – The British establish a colony on Nevis.
– 1983 – St Kitts and Nevis jointly attain independence within the British Commonwealth.
– 2005 – Government decides to close the 300-year-old, loss-making sugar industry.
Just an amble around Basseterre for me today. As an avid cricket fan, the first stop was Warner Park, the international ground. Sadly, there wasn’t a match, however, the nice groundsman let me wander around!
There are some beautiful colonial buildings in town and Independence Square was a great haven to get some shade and people watch.
Next stop St Maarten…
