St Kitts & Nevis : Profile

Facts

The Federation of St Christopher (more popularly known as St Kitts) and Nevis is part of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles.
St Kitts and Nevis are rather off the cruising track. It is a tough return beating against wind and current to more popular Antigua.
The rebuilding of Port Zante Marina at Basseterre following hurricane damage means a considerable improvement to facilities; breakwaters have been redesigned to make the marina much more protected from surge than formerly.
Although they do not abound in scenic anchorages, the islands themselves are extremely attractive and their interesting past makes visiting ashore a worthwhile experience.
Facilities are very basic on Nevis where there are plans to build a small marina at Fort Charles, at the southern end of Charlestown. Another development is planned at the old Newcastle harbour, on the NW side of the island near the airport.

Based on reports to noonsite from cruisers, petty theft from yachts is on the rise in the Caribbean in general. Cruisers should take basic safety precautions and use common sense when leaving the boat or going ashore at night. Dinghy thieves operate throughout the Caribbean and best advice is to place your dinghy on deck and chain it overnight.

Check the Noonsite Piracy Pages and the Caribbean Safety & Security Net for information on the current island situation.

The Caribbean Safety and Security Net (safetyandsecuritynet@gmail.com) gather information by anchorage or by island, so sailors can plan their cruising in the Caribbean with an eye to appropriate behaviour and precautions wherever they decide to go. Should you have information about a security incident, as well as contacting Noonsite please also forward details to the Caribbean Safety and Security Net, as theirs is the most comprehensive source of Caribbean security incidents against sailors on the net. Please be sure to include boat name, date of incident and anchorage/port where the incident took place.

Weather

The islands are in the trade wind belt. There is plenty of rainfall on the hills, but it is less humid on the coast. The hurricane season is from June to November.
StKitts Weather Forecast.

Main Ports

There is no customs office at Zante Marina for the time being, but this is still the more convenient place to berth the boat and complete formalities in Basseterre which is best reached by taxi. There are plans for the clearance facilities to be reinstated at Zante Marina.

Nevis: Charlestown *

St Kitts: Basseterre *

*Indicates a port of entry.

Using the ESeaClear System (05 Dec 2011)

New Free Caribbean Cruising Guide - A Thinking Mans Guide to Voyages South (23 Jul 2011)

Caribbean Clearance ESeaClear - Does it really work? (22 Jan 2010)

Caribbean Cruising, St. Lucia to Antigua (05 May 2009)

Caribbean: Reported Crime Incidents Against Yachts, 2005-2008 (26 Aug 2008)

Grenada to the Virgin Islands, A Cruising Guide to the Lesser Antilles: Book Review (23 May 2008)

Credit Card Fraud In Caribbean Alert (29 Apr 2008)

Nevis Mooring Buoys (28 Jan 2008)

Island Nations Support Commercial Whaling (05 Jul 2006)