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Larry's LogOur first day in Antigua (the "u" isn't pronounced) was pretty busy. We cleaned up the boat and made other preparations for Diane's cousin, Bridget, and her husband Ron to arrive tomorrow, 3/8. We also went to the bank to get some EC (Eastern Caribbean) currency and checked in with the marina office. The "other" preparations consisted mainly of removing our stuff from the "garage" (aka the aft cabin) and redistributing it throughout the boat. The big jib, (135% which we haven't used yet down here) went on deck in its bag, tied down to the companionway hatch cover. The rest was "arranged" (aka stuffed) into any available space bigger than 3 inches. Other than that, we were exhausted from the crossing since we had both been up much of the night before. It was an early night, needless to say. The day they were to arrive, we continued the mission to give them some space they could own during their stay. Somehow, we managed to get the aft cabin cleared and even emptied a locker with 3 shelves for them to stow their clothes. We had told them in various emails not to bring a lot of clothes and that we would definitely NOT need a jacket and tie. Although I used to wear a suit to work every day, I now don't even have a sport jacket with me, much less a tie. We would not be patronizing any establishment that required one of THOSE things! We found a pool we could use as part of the marina and relaxed there in nice fresh water while anticipating their arrival later that night. They weren't due in until around 10pm so we had plenty of time. We went back to the boat, ate dinner and went back ashore to meet them. We had said to meet us at the Dogwatch Tavern, which is a local watering hole well known to all in Jolly Harbour. We waited at the front of the marina since we were told that any taxi coming in would have to stop there. And we waited. And waited. Finally, Diane went to the tavern, maybe they had slipped past us. Sure enough, their taxi had gone down a small alley to drop them there. They were already into their second drink wondering if they could get a hotel room. But no problem mon, we be here! We loaded their luggage, a box for us with boat parts, mail and a cooler full of great frozen meat, into the dinghy and took the ride out to the boat. I took Ron and the luggage first so we could get the stuff aboard without swamping the dinghy. Then I went back for Diane and Bridget. As it was quite late, we showed them accommodations, left the frozen stuff in the cooler and went to bed. On their first full day here, we went back to the pool and just relaxed a bit. They had brought us our mail, shipped to them by Diane's Dad who is taking care of the mail and paying the bills that couldn't be automated (Thanks Dad!) It was about 15 pounds worth, including tax documents we would need when we filled. (Yech!!) Taxes in paradise, doesn't seem right somehow. We ate dinner aboard and decided to go to St. John's, Antigua's capital, the next day. The trip to St. John's was pretty easy by bus and certainly cheaper than a taxi. They wanted $16 (US) versus 2EC for the bus, per person ($1USD = 2.67EC). We also got to see some of the sights, at least along the road. The bus dropped us off at the terminal right near the big market and we looked through it a little but didn't see much to buy. We then walked to Heritage Quay, which is the main tourist shopping area. Ron and Bridget bought some souvenirs and we window-shopped. I may still get an Antigua t-shirt if I see the right one. We had lunch of burgers and pizza at the Big Banana that was pretty good. Ron graciously treated us. Thanks Ron. We also went to the main town dock and saw a tall ship owned by a cruise line. There were 2 men working way up on the foremast. Now, I go up my mast that's about 65 feet off the water with a safety harness on and suspended by halyard. These guys had climbed up to over 100 feet and weren't attached to anything. We could see them walking along the boltropes of the yards, working their way along. Not for me, thank you! Back at the boat, we barbequed some of the meat (steak) that they had brought with them for dinner. It had already been marinated when it was packed and frozen and it was delicious. The next day they had planned to go scuba diving but couldn't so they went to the very nice beach near here while Diane and I stayed on the boat and did some routine chores. We met them later and had a late dinner. On Tuesday, we decided to go down to English Harbour, although it was blowing fairly well (about 15-20 knots). The trip there was about 2 ½ hours and we had to motor the entire way since the wind was on the nose. Once we went around Pelican Island, which is the southwestern tip, we were also no longer protected by the island's lee, so the waves came up as well. We started pounding into about 4 to 6 foot waves and this was no so comfortable, particularly for our guests. Ron seemed to enjoy it - he got out the binoculars and looked along the shore just taking in the scenery. Bridget was having a slightly rougher time, but she never complained and never got sick. We went inside Goat Head Passage, which is a piece of water protected by Cades Reef, so that at least part of the way we wouldn't have to bear the burden of large waves. Of course, once we passed the reef, there was no choice. I offered to go into Falmouth instead which is a little closer, but they were set on English Harbour. The entrance to English Harbour is pretty easy; you just need to be careful of a small reef on the right side of the entrance. We got there around 5pm and after searching for the right place to anchor, we set the hook in Ordinance Bay, which is one of the furthest reaches of English Harbour. We were in about 15 feet of water with mangroves on all sides. After one false set, where we were a little too close to the boat behind, we were in, good sticky mangrove mud. I just hoped we didn't catch the hurricane chain that was also down there someplace. As we settled in, the difference between the trades blowing outside and the protection in there was amazing. No wonder Nelson liked it! The next morning, we set off to explore Nelson's Dockyard, which is a historical landmark that's been restored. The buildings are in use as shops, businesses and hotels, but the façade and the interiors are very close to the way they were in Nelson's time. The Admirals Inn, for example, is a hotel and restaurant but was the Pitch and Tar Store and Engineers Office. The Admiral's Inn, especially, was a great place to sit and relax, with overhanging tree branches, flowers and always a nice breeze blowing through the open courtyard. The pillars from the Boat House next to it gave the feeling of privacy in a very open space. The staff there was also great and we enjoyed it tremendously. They also had a small dinghy dock in front of the Inn which we used quite a bit as it was much closer to the boat than the one for the Dockyard itself. We also walked up to Fort Berkeley, which overlooks the entrance and has a terrific view of the harbour. The history of the place is fascinating and the museum gave us a very good description of how it came to be established and how it was later restored. |