Mackenzi and her crew get ready for a day of racing. Home is Jolly Harbour, Antigua.
Captain Paul Jackson, my cousin Marguerite (Migs) Jackson, their daughter Sandy Isaacs, and Adam Isaacs (Sandy's husband) after a day of racing Mackenzi
Here's a map showing the journey of the good ship Mackenzi -- Antigua to St. Kitts to Nevis to Antigua, February 17 to 24, 2009.
Sailing from Antigua to St. Kitts on Mackenzi
That's Nevis off the port bow
Picadilly Circus in Basseterre , St. Kitts
Sandy and Diana in Picadilly Circus, St. Kitts
St. Kitts Museum
Cousin Marguerite and her daughter Sandy beside Francis Marguerite Shepherd's (Migs's grandmother's) grave, which is right behind St. Peter's Church in Basseterre, St. Kitts. Our uncle Malcolm Henry Curll Shepherd is buried with his mother (he died at six months of age).
St. Peter's Anglican Church, Basseterre. My grandfather, Henry Curll Shepherd, was the Pastor there in the 1920s.
February 11, 1926: My father, Ronald Malcolm Henry Shepherd, was baptized by his father, Henry Curll Shepherd. Grandfather Shepherd's "Quality, Trade, or Profession" is listed as "Clerk-in-Holy Orders".
Close-up of Dad's baptismal record in Grandfather's handwriting
Migs and Diana sitting on the Rectory steps at St. Peter's.
St. Peter's Rectory, where my Dad was born on December 21, 1925.
The interior at St. Peter's.
Baptismal font at St. Peter's.
Me, The Rev. Fr. Isiah Phillip, Migs, and Sandy outside St. Peter's.
At Romney Manor, St. Kitts. Once owned by Sam Jefferson II, the great great great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson (3rd President of U.S.A.) the great house was renamed Romney Manor following its acquisition in the early 17th century by the Earl of Romney. In 1834 contrary to the instructions of the British Parliament, Lord Romney declared his slaves free men. Romney Estate therefore became the first estate in St.Kitts to emancipate their slaves.
Brimstone Hill Fortress, St. Kitts. Situated almost 800 feet above sea level, this remarkable fortress sprawls over 38 acres. In 1782, Brimstone Hill had been under nearly continuous construction (by slave labor) for almost nine decades.
Brimstone Hill was abandoned in 1851, and the fort suffered neglect and vandalism for the next century. In 1965, when the site became a national park, intensive restoration returned the imposing fortress perched atop the hill to its original grandeur.
Brimstone Hill's massive Fort George citadel is defended by seven-foot-thick walls of black volcanic stone--then better known as brimstone.
Diana and Sandy at Brimstone Hill.
On a clear day, you can see the islands of Nevis, Montserrat, Saba, St. Martin, and St. Barts from the top of the fortress.
Adam Isaacs, Sandy Jackson Isaacs, Paul Jackson, Diana Shepherd, and Migs Jackson at Brimstone Hill.
Rush-hour in St. Kitts -- total gridlock!
Ottley's Plantation Inn outbuilding
Ottley's Plantation Inn. My grandmother, Evelyn Isobel Smith Shepherd, was born here, and my father has many happy childhood memories dating back to when this was still a working sugar cane plantation owned by his family.
Today, Ottley's comprises 35 acres of rolling lawns and gardens in the foothills of majestic Mt. Liamuiga, with breathtaking views of the Atlantic.
In my father's day, Ottley's was a 368-acre working plantation. This photo was probably taken in the mid 1940s.
L-R: Sheila Smith Perkins, Great-Grandmother Smith (the gardens are named after her), Evelyn Isobel Smith Shepherd (my grandmother) L-R: Rev. Hal Shepherd (my grandfather), Errol Perkins (Sheila's husband), Great-Grandfather Smith.This photo was taken in the early 1930s.
Ronald Shepherd (Dad) and his cousin Keith Perkins in the mid 1930s.
Diana at Ottley's.
The ruins of the windmill in the 1930s.
The same ruins today. Traces of the working plantation from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries still survive.
Adam and Sandy behind the Great House.
The rolling lawns and gardens are named for my great-grandmother: Mrs. Smith's Garden".
The old boiling house, where sugar cane was turned into syrup, is now a restaurant and swimming pool.
Vuew from the restaurant at Ottley's towards the sea.
Beneath the boiling house, they used to keep the barrels of syrup for transport to Basseterre and/or England.
Driving away from Ottley's.
Leaving St. Kitts. Goodbye, Basseterre! Mt. Liamuiga is shrouded in clouds, as usual.
Looking back on St. Kitts, approaching Nevis.
Arriving at Nevis after a brisk one-hour sail. Nevis Peak, a dormant volcano, is almost always shrouded in clouds.
Moored in the harbour at Nevis.
The jetty at Charleston, Nevis.
Nevis's major town, Charleston, retains its Victorian charm.
Charleston roofline.
You'll find one of these lush parkettes/piatzas/squares every couple of blocks in Charleston.
See: here's another one!
At Golden Rock Manor on Nevis.
Also Golden Rock Manor.
We stopped for a coffee at Golden Rock Manor; this was one of the views from our table on the terrace.
Sandy and Diana at Golden Rock.
Diana on the Yellow Peril. Sandy, Adam, and I rented scooters on Nevis and circled the island in a day.
This hill is MUCH steeper than it looks!
Sunset in the harbour at Nevis.
Montpelier Plantation Inn is a romantic hideaway located 750 feet above the Caribbean Sea on the island of Nevis.
At the center of Nevis stands the spectacular Nevis Peak, a dormant volcano covered by dense tropical forest. You can see the top today, which is very unusual: the peak is almost always shrouded in clouds.
The site of the original Montpelier House, where Lord Horatio Nelson married Frances Nisbet on March 11, 1787.
The Botantical Gardens, Nevis.
Walking back to Charleston from the Botanical Gardens.
Memorial to the sons of St. John's Antigua, who lost their lives in WWI. My grandfather's brothers, Arthur and Malcolm Shepherd, are honoured here.
The British Naval Brig "Diana", built about 1840.
Boat House and Sail Loft Pillars, Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua.
My great-grandfather's – Henry Young Shepherd's – grave in St. John's, Antigua. He was the Dean of the Cathedral in St. John's for many years; he served 64 of his 89 years as a priest in Antigua
Sarah Elizabeth Shepherd, my great-great-grandmother, and three infant grandchildren: Charlie, Willie, and George (my great-grandfather's brothers).
My great-grandmother, Amy Louise Shepherd. Of her six sons, three died in infancy and two died in WWI – my grandfather (Henry Young Shepherd) and his sister, Gladys, were her only surviving children.
