Spencer Hanley, General Manager of Nevis Air and Sea Ports Authority, contacted All at Sea in October with new information for boaters.
“In an effort to establish Nevis as a yacht friendly destination, NASPA recently installed 100 yacht moorings along the western coast of Nevis from Oualie Beach in the north to Charlestown,” advised Hanley. “I am happy to inform you that our yacht moorings are installed: 100 in total from Oualie Beach to Gallows Bay (Charlestown).” He provided the following additional details:
Five of these (in Gallows Bay) will be “quarantine” buoys for yachts arriving to clear into Nevis. 90 will take yachts up to 60 feet or 50 tons.
Five will take yachts up to 90 feet or 80 tons. The moorings are designed to withstand winds up to 60 mph while occupied. However, Hanley noted, if there are unfavorable sea conditions, vessels may be asked to relocate. In addition, NASPA will designate a safe area where yachts over 90 feet can drop anchor.
Most of the moorings are placed in three tiers along the stretch from the southern end of Pinneys Beach (in front of Double Deuce restaurant) north to Sunshine’s, just south of Four Seasons Resort. Legislation governing the use of the moorings is not completed. Fees have not yet been set.
“In addition to the moorings, we have installed 50 swim buoys (300 feet from shore) along a section of Pinneys Beach to designate a safe swim zone. Jet skis and other water sports activities are prohibited in this area,” said Hanley.
The sponsoring agency, Nevis Air and Sea Ports Authority, held an informational meeting on September 26th at which David Moor, the installer, explained his MoorSeacure mooring system to the public and noted that local people will be trained to do the required periodic maintenance.
Nevis-based cruiser Hudson Hoen welcomed a change to current procedures which will allow yachts that have cleared in St. Kitts to simply call Nevis authorities on the VHF and be assigned a mooring. In other words, no more clearing out in St. Kitts and clearing in again in Nevis. Mr. Hoen noted that that requirement was an extremely inconvenient procedure for visiting yachties.
