By air or by sea, you won't soon forget your first sight of Nevis. Its
volcanic centerpiece, rising almost 3,300 feet above the cobalt Caribbean and
usually shrouded in a wreath of clouds, is particularly dramatic when backlit
by sunrise or sunset. It is mystical. Alluring. Like the abode of some
powerful, mythical deity.
Like Columbus, who named the island Nuestra Senora del las Nieves
—Our Lady of the Snows—for its cloudscapes, Gail and I arrived by
boat—a 40-foot Sunsail yacht, carried by the prevailing winds from Antigua
some 50 miles to the east. This long approach gave us plenty of time to
contemplate Nevis' exquisite profile as it rose slowly above the horizon, a
Caribbean Bali-Hi.
Our first close-up view of Charlestown, Nevis' diminutive capital, was from
our anchorage offshore. We were greeted by the sight of the town's red roofs
against the verdant fields and palm forests ascending gentle foothills. A lush
rainforest embraced the summiit.
Spring/Summer 1999
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