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Larry's LogAfter touring the Dockyard, Ron and Bridget went snorkeling at a small reef near the harbour entrance while we relaxed on the boat. After picking them up we went back to the Admirals Inn for Happy Hour and then to the boat dinner. It was Thursday now and our guests had signed up to go scuba diving. They would be leaving tomorrow and wanted to see some of the colorful reef fish. While the dive boat took them to the reef, Diane and I explored Falmouth a bit. We saw some of the largest MEGA yachts ever. The Tatoosh, owned by an Antiguan, was the size of a cruise ship! There were also some boats there for the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta already, due to start in early April. Simply beautiful boats and one from Mystic Connecticut, the Brilliant, a William Fife design, had brightwork done so well you could see your reflection. When Bridget and Ron came back after lunch, we met them, went back to the boat and they packed to leave in the early morning. After a great farewell dinner, it was an early night. They had to leave by 7am. The next day, Friday the 8th, after we dropped them off and they got the taxi to the airport, we took a short hike back up to the fort and then tried calling a friend of a friend who was coming in and staying at a resort on the other side of the island, the Allegro at Pineapple Beach. Larry (yes, his name was also Larry) was due in on Thursday with his family and was bringing us some more boat parts and some stuff that Ron and Bridget couldn't find. Joe, the guy who worked on my engine and was supposed to do the Bermuda - St. Martin trip had put us in contact and had volunteered Larry's services as a courier if we needed it. Of course, I never turn down the opportunity so I asked Joe to pick up some things that he, as a mechanic, would understand about and send them down with Larry. Larry very graciously accepted his role as courier, and would also take a tool back to Joe that had been left on the boat. We left a message for Larry at the resort to call and leave us a message at the Admiral's Inn when he wanted to meet. We then went to the boat to restore the boat to its former state, pre-company, and relax. Diane then went in to shore later to do some shopping and called Larry again, but this time they connected. Great. Larry would meet us tomorrow. We walked back to Falmouth again for Happy Hour at the Last Lemming Bar and then bought some boat parts from a local chandlery. Prices are high in Antigua, but I needed them and unfortunately, the need had just come up and Larry wouldn't have these with him. The next morning, we met Larry and his son Lars at 10:30. We wanted to take them sailing but the wind was really up and we thought better of it. It would not have been fun, 20 knots with 5 to 7 foot waves. So we got our boat parts and miscellaneous things, gave Larry the check and the tool for Joe, and went to explore Nelson's Dockyard. We took them to the museum and up to Fort Berkeley and we could see from there that we had made the right decision about a day sail. We saw a boat leaving and he was rolling through about 40 degrees. They came back to the boat and we made some rum drinks and just enjoyed the surroundings. After lunch, we went to shore and Larry rented a car for a few days. He then asked if we would like to go to his resort for the day tomorrow. Absolutely! We made arrangements to meet him at 10am tomorrow. The next day Larry picked us up and we went to his resort. It was great, as we had use of the equipment and really enjoyed their company. Larry had come down with his son, his daughter Hilary and his mother, Virginia. Unfortunately, his wife and their youngest daughter couldn't make the trip. We spent the day relaxing, taking the Hobie Cat and Sunfish out and very much enjoying it. I gave Lars and Hilary a brief sailing lesson on the Hobie Cat, which they both seemed to like. Of course, we also got to take nice long showers before we left. Larry kindly offered to pick us up again the next day, Monday, as well. Definitely! Monday was spent much like Sunday - a very nice mini-"vacation" for us. We made arrangements with Larry the next day to give Grandma and Hilary a tour of Nelson's Dockyard while Larry and Lars went golfing at Jolly Harbour. I stayed on the boat and did some boat chores and updated my logs while Diane was the tour guide. I picked them up around noon and had lunch back on the boat. We were a little concerned that Grandma would have some trouble getting on and off the dinghy or boat, but she was perfectly able and had no trouble at all. That afternoon, Diane walked them to Falmouth Harbour. Larry returned around 3pm from golfing and we again made arrangements to try to go sailing tomorrow. Their golfing trip was not particularly good as the course was very dry. Antigua was having a drought and we had noticed that the hills were very brown. Antigua is normally pretty dry but this was evidently a drier period than normal. But sailing the next day was not to be, again. The winds were up again. Larry, Lars and Hilary came by around 10:30am but Larry and I were both a little concerned that Hilary might have a problem so we skipped it again. We took a drive up to Shirley Heights to get a better view on the conditions outside the harbour. Shirley Heights is also part of Nelson's Dockyard Monument and has some restored (and not so restored) ruins from that time. The view from there was much better than Fort Berkeley since it was much higher and you could also see the whole of English Harbour! Damn, I wished we had brought a camera! Oh well. We could see though that the wind was up considerably and that a day sail would not have been fun for anybody, including Diane and me. After the sights from there, we drove back and went to the boat for lunch. They left around 2pm since they were leaving the island the next day in the afternoon. We wished them a safe trip back and thanked them for all their hospitality. I hope we see them again. |