Antigua

Maga Yachts at Nelson Dockyard

Our one week stay in Antigua to have the outboard looked at and repaired as well as the Sea Talk cable repaired stretched on to three weeks. We spent some time anchored in Ordinance Bay in English Harbor.

Anchored in Ordance Bay

 It is a great hurricane hole and looks at the Mega Yacht berths on Nelson’s Dockyard. There is little wind and the Bay is like a mirror. After some of the windy anchorages we have had it is wonderfully quiet and we can sleep without fear of dragging.

We dinghy in next to Admiral’s Inn which is at the edge of the Dockyard and a five minute walk to Falmouth Harbor which has three marinas that harbor many more Mega Yachts.

Royal Yacht Leander

Nelson Shipyard from above

Leslie is a Member

Clearing Trails

It is here in the English and Falmouth Harbor area that we meet members of the Tot club, officially the Royal Naval Tot Club of Antigua and Barbuda, and undergo our initiation into the Tot club.  The goal is to carry on the tradition stopped by the Royal Navy to give all in the mess a tot of rum at the end of the working day aboard any of her majesties ships.   The Tot club, a social group who meets nightly at 1800, has at least one tot together giving a nightly toast, one of seven and ending with the Queen, God Bless Her. That drink is nominally a Tot of rum, about 2.5 oz., but everyone stays around for another drink or two to socialize and sometime dine together. It is a wonderful group of like-minded people who enjoy getting together. To join we must join them in having a Tot of Pussers Rum each night for 7 nights, but it must be completed within 14 days. Also on the night of your sixth Tot you must take a test on the club’s aims, its nightly toasts, which are different each night of the week, and Nelson’s British Naval History. To our credit, we completed the initiation in 10 days, and also helped the club clear some historic sites and trails. However, we were now on the way to becoming alcoholics!   We had to move on to dry out.

During our stay at English Harbor we have our new outboard sent out for its first service. They tell us the propeller seal is leaking and the lower end has water in the oil. Since it is only 3 months old it has to be sent to a dealer for service. This takes 4 days. Days that we now paddle into shore instead of motor and 4 days we cannot go to Galleon Beach, which is our favorite.  We discover we can take a 1.5 mile hike over a hill and thru a vale and arrive at Pigeon Beach. 

Pigeon Beach

This is another great white sandy beach with nice shade trees and clear water. We get some work done on the boat and install a wireless antenna so we can get internet on the boat while anchored out. Carl also removed the non-working refrigeration and we gave it to people we met from Australia on Lateral Thinking as he has a generator that can run the system and it matches what he has and if nothing else can use it for parts.   We anticipate getting a 12 volt system in St. Martin. We use the time to hike a number of historic and scenic trails looking over breath taking views of the sea cliffs and ruins of an age gone bye. One evening when we returned to our boat, we were met by some friends and asked to help them re-moor a boat which had broken loose from its mooring and floated into the mangroves. So we helped run new lines and haul the boat back to its mooring and re-secure it. Fortunately there was little wind and very minor damage. The owner is gone for the next 3 months so we just secured it and kept it under observation.  It was the second saving we had done.  It is definitely an aware and helping community of sailors in the Dockyard area.

Green Island

Carl relaxes on Green Island

With our dinghy engine back and now members of the Tot club, we sail out to Green Island. This is a deserted island on the edge of Nonsuch Bay on the East side of Antigua. It is protected by a line of reefs on the ocean side and reminds us of the Tobago Cays in the Grenadines. They have recently put in moorings so we grab one close the beach and go in to explore. We find a number of trails through the island and around the headland a bunch of picnic tables. We also find a large tent made by draping a large spinnaker over a small tree. Pretty neat! In the days we were there we dinghy out and snorkel the reef, which is unfortunately mostly dead and broken up. We also meet a family from Cape Cod in Mass. They have twin boys that are 5 years old so we enjoy playing with them and watch them build fires on the beach. It brings back memories of our trip to the Bahamas many years ago.

Leslie goes to relax in the "tent"

When we leave Green Island we go to Falmouth Harbor and anchor off of Pigeon Beach, with its long sand beach, trees and tables to hide from the sun, a great playground for kids, a bath house with restrooms and great showers, and a beach bar and restaurant. What more could you need? We could just stay here forever, we have run into people that sailed in here 20yrs ago with plans to continue sailing and never left.  As we walk the beach one day we run into Rodger Fontaine, a fellow Newport Yacht Club member who we used to race to Block Island during the Mitchel Regattas. It is a small world.

Front window of the Post Office

Testing the rum

 We came back for the infamous RUM RUN…… Friday dawns clear and we get things done we need to do and then go in to meet Sharp Boy’s Taxi as he is gathering the 14 of us that will make the run.  This is an official run as the Tot is out of rum for the nightly tot.  We arrive at a Post Office, cum gas station, cum car repair cum grocery plus distillery. What else does a small village in the hills need?   We brought limes and chips because we must fortify as we test the various brews before we purchase. 

We stop for a coconut milk break

Back on the boat with our purchases

We purchase 5 gallons of rum for $15.00 a gallon. These we take back in gallon jugs to store with the bottled water.  Yes, Eric you will get to try this and then some.  It is actually very good and smooth.  Returning to the boat we make preparations to continue on our northern path.  Nevis is next and we are hoping for a down wind run and the inauguration of the Gennaker.  Do you know the difference between a cruiser and a cruise ship passenger?

Folks off cruise ships tend to be “underdressed or well-dressed”.  They don’t wear paint-stained or frayed shorts, boat shoes or Mt. Gay Rum Regatta hats.

Cruisers walk, ride bikes, or take local buses.

Cruisers make and sell jewelry, not buy high end gold and silver pieces. We’re frugal, but not the seeking-a-deal-on-a-$15,000-gold –watch cheap.  Cruisers are splitting-an-entrée cheap and finding the best happy hour prices cheap.

Cruisers tend to be polite.  Sailors greet other passengers on buses and say good morning or good afternoon when meeting locals and asking questions.

We use local services such as Laundromats, marinas, riggers, varnishers, woodworkers, mechanics, and local restaurants.  We buy local groceries and go to the open air markets.

We won’t be caught dead on a tourist pirate ship.

We are rigging the Gennaker in anticipation of a down wind run to Nevis.

A Century Plant in bloom. They only bloom once in their life