Leaving Antigua

[Kyle]The time had finally come to move on from Antigua for our next destination, Sint Maarten; but first I had to get to Antigua! I was stuck at work in the NE USA, and a cold front was approaching fast. All week the flight I'd been intending to take home had plenty of open seats However, with the approaching holiday weekend (Monday 19th was Martin Luther King day in the USA - a federal holiday) about 18 hours before the flight was to leave, it suddenly filled up with both paying passengers AND more senior non-revs (boarding order is based on seniority) it became apparent that there was NO WAY I'd get on that flight - the only one of the day.

I ended up rising super early and catching a flight to Atlanta and on to Antigua via Delta airlines, getting me home about an hour later than the original Continental flight. My intent had been to land in Antigua, clear customs at the airport, take a cab to English Harbour, clear out of customs for the boat and crew, then depart at 3am the following morning aboard Footprint. Since the Delta flight was scheduled to arrive at 3:20 and customs at English Harbour was supposed to close at 4 - this original plan was looking less and less probable. In Atlanta we had several gate changes, and the flight was delayed by 25 minutes - Doh!

This particular aircraft had Delta's new personal video system that allows you to pull up (among other things) a screen showing estimated time of arrival. Once we got off the ground, the display varied between 3:30 and 3:40 as an arrival time, resulting in me staring at the screen and stressing out about the arrival time for the entire 4 hour flight. We eventually managed to touch down just before 3:30, I called Maryanne immediately to see if she could clear herself and the boat out, leaving me to attempt to clear in and out at the airport (I could ask!); Maryanne said that she was at immigration in English Harbour and they needed to see my passport to clear me out - HOWEVER, since I was already on the ground they would stay open late for me if I could rush to English Harbour (my plan anyway). I managed to get off the plane nearly first and worked my way to the front of the customs line, only to find myself behind at least 200 people of a just landed Virgin Atlantic 747. Fortunately, since I'd traveled in uniform, I was pulled out of the standard passenger line and directed to the empty crew line; although they were terribly confused that I was not working the flight, they let me pass through the crew line and I was NOT going to argue.

So after 2 minutes I was through customs and within 5 minutes I was climbing into a cab for English Harbour. I managed to get there about 20 past 4 o'clock, and was relieved to find the Immigration and Customs people still smiling - they cleared us out and wished us a good and safe journey.

Once I got home and had dinner I was so exhausted I pretty much collapsed; I even left the dishes for the next day which I almost never do.

Next morning I got up at 1:30 (Maryanne, a bit later) and found because of my laziness the prior night that getting the boat ready to go took longer and delayed our leaving until 4:30am; we still managed a traditional Footprint early start.


Redonda
Once we made it to open sea with the sails raised, we had a nice fast uneventful downwind sail to Nevis, passing the rugged and uninhabited Redonda complete with absent Kings. Redonda (a big chunk of rock, ringed by vertical cliffs) appears to have nowhere inhabitable, but we know from our history and guide books that there was once an active phosphate industry and many workers there.

We arrived on the South side of Nevis, rounded to the South West and made it to the capital of Charlestown mid afternoon (a perfect time to spot any anchoring hazards on the bottom) - we found a spot to anchor (quite near the dinghy dock) and even had enough room to perform one of my favorite maneuvers: anchoring and backing down under sail. We were surrounded by local (small wooden) fishing boats, and in the near distance was a grounded and rusted out freighter - a reminder of the dangers of shore. As it was a Sunday, customs was closed, so we remained on the boat for the rest of the afternoon/evening; we swam (to check the anchor), enjoyed the views, and had a big dinner before retiring early to catch up with sleep.

Fig Tree Drive is Bananas

[Kyle]Our next day (and only full day to explore), we got up early for a drive around the south and west coasts via Fig Tree Road. Immediately, we discovered the other problem with Antigua’s road system (besides the holes) – no good signage. Our mileage suffered terribly because we had to drive every stretch of road three times.

We’d be looking for some particular place, realize that we’d somehow passed it, then turn around and pass it again before finally finding the place through the process of elimination. In most places there were no signs whatsoever.

Our first order of business was to top up the fuel tank. I navigated as Maryanne spent half an hour doubling back on ourselves looking for a gas station that was marked on our map. Once we were sure that we had to be in the right place but saw no gas station, Maryanne had a look at the map and it turns out that the Texaco symbol I was having her chase down was actually the symbol for a police station. Gas stations were marked by little gas pumps! Well, that’s just weird.

[Maryanne]I had to give Kyle a quick lesson in understanding that the key to the map just might be useful!!! Kyle was directing us to the little star with a P in it, rather than the fuel pump graphic, an easy mistake (he insists).

[Kyle]That solved, we got to a gas station just in time (a Texaco, ironically) and started our trip down Fig Tree Drive.

Fig Tree Drive itself is billed as a beautiful drive through the heart of Antigua’s rain forest. To be honest, to us it actually looked pretty much like any other road, ruts and all. There were a few banana trees (Antiguans call them figs), but otherwise nothing that stood out. [Maryanne] We stopped at a street vendor stall to purchase a Black Pineapple for Kyle to sample (and to ask directions). Fig tree drive is also the home to the Rain Forest Canopy tour - a series of zip lines over various "rain forest" gorges; we chose not to stop due to both time and cost, but it looked fun.

Wallings Dam has a host of trees, including this thorny species! but the trails and buildings are pretty overgrown - including the old well here
[Kyle]Along the way, trough trial and error we were able to locate the tiny road to Wallings Reservoir for a stop. The Reservoir is small but deep and on the dam side has a few park benches, a swing and a gazebo amidst some impressive trees, including a few that don’t want to be climbed. The place seemed to be used only by locals. Neither our map nor any of our guidebooks mention it. Maryanne found it on line. We had a hike up one of the more promising looking trails but turned around after a while when we realized it looked like it would require the whole day to complete.

Or next stop was the Summit of Obama Peak (the controversial new name for the old Boggy peak - the highest point in Antigua). We got about a third of the way up on a very bad and narrow road. After about 20 minutes of hitting our heads on the ceiling because of the bumps, we came upon a sign that said the road was the private property of Cable and Wireless. Why couldn’t they have put that at the beginning of the road where it would be useful?


Antigua - West Coast Beaches
Alrighty, then. Next stop: The Beach. We followed the coast road past too many gorgeous beaches to count. Antigua is amoeba shaped. There are two or three coves per mile with lovely white sand, palm trees and turquoise water. We eventually stopped at Darkwood Beach, which several sources assured us was the prettiest one. I’m not so sure about that, but it was very pretty. We stopped and swam/snorkeled in the surf for a while before continuing on. One hilarious thing that we saw was a woman going down the beach on a Segway with big beach tires. She was the guide for a company that offered guided Segway tours. Why you need a guide to see a beach you can walk the entire length of on foot in five minutes, I have no idea. That’s not the funny part. The funny part was that just like in a car, she was texting the whole time and wasn’t paying any attention at all to where she was going.

Our next stop was Jolly Harbour, where we hoped to have a look around and buy some stuff for the boat at Budget Marine. As soon as we got there, we got a bad vibe. Jolly Harbour is less of a town than a gated tourist compound. There was a sign near the guard gate at the entrance saying that condos were available for between $900,000 and $3.5 Million – US! Maryanne’s first comment once inside was that it looked like Florida – no Caribbean feel whatsoever. I was surprised not to see a guy in a mouse outfit. We had intended to have a drink at the famous Dog Watch Tavern but as soon as we realized that it reminded us of a bar at an Applebee’s, we kept walkin’.

We went to Budget Marine and found not only some items we wanted but also one of the least friendly sales people I’ve ever seen. When I went to hand one of them our cruising permit (so we wouldn’t be charged the tax since we were a yacht in transit), she wouldn’t even lean forward in her chair to take it from me. I had to stretch WAY over the counter to get it too her. When everything was totaled, the sum seemed wrong. It turned out the price on one item was different from what the sticker said. She said that the price had gone up and then just stared at us, apparently expecting us to just pay up. Maryanne just stared back and then kept staring until finally, with undisguised disgust, she voided out the sale and redid it with the lower price. HA!

From there we had intended to find a recommended hilltop viewpoint to watch the sunset, but we could not find the road. We kept asking locals, who were very friendly, but always gave us directions to a different road that passed behind the mountain we were trying to summit. Eventually, we gave up and decided to see what the behind the mountain road looked like. Our map indicated that it would be a shortcut back to English Harbour.


Shortcut home - was only short in distance, in places the road was a LOT worse than this
Shorter it may have been but it was not faster. The road kept getting narrower and narrower and boggier and boggier until eventually we ended up in low range four wheel drive, just trying not to get stuck. Most parts of the road were so bad that 3mph would have been a suicidal speed, if not for us then at least for the suspension and drive train. We were very glad we had rented a 4WD. Eventually, we did get spat out on the main road and made it back home. We were a little disappointed that the Jeep was not encased in mud after all that. All we had was muddy tires and some splatter behind the fenders.

The next day, I had to go to work. We got up early and went into St. Johns to see Heritage Quay and the Marketplace. There were two big cruise ships docked, though and the whole place was a little busy for us, so after buying a couple of nice fresh smoothies, we headed for the beach at Fort James.

On the way, Maryanne kept saying she knew the way because she had walked that way last time she came. I was amazed! Her description in an earlier post does not do justice to it. It was something like 8 or 10 miles to the beach from town and there isn’t any shade anywhere, just hot concrete ([Maryanne]Maybe 3 miles!!) Wow, she is a tough woman!

Anyway, we had a nice swim on the beach and used the “showers” (really just a pipe with a valve) to get cleaned up before changing into my uniform and taking the long way to the airport via the coast road. We stopped at this beach and that, keeping an eye on the time, stalling as much as we could before parting ways and sending me back to the freezing Northeast U.S. to work.


Russell's Restaurant from Fort James, and the beautiful Fort James Beach
[Maryanne]I was really keen to return and hopefully partake in the offerings of Russell's the restaurant just beside the fort that I didn't get to spend time in when I visited alone previously. Kyle was all keen and agreed it was a great setting, however, just our luck, they were closed (we were too early). We were able to take a peak and a walk inside and enjoy the views and imagine enjoying a great meal there!

On Fort James Beach however, we found a great food/bar shack, and enjoyed some delicious gray snapper fish cakes, while being thoroughly looked after by the owner. It was a perfect place to hang out and enjoy the sound of the surf, before we had to start Kyle on his commute to work. Ahh, Antigua. I'm glad we made the effort to enjoy the full range of sights - it really is a pretty cool place.


North Coast Beaches on route to the airport

Devil's Bridge and Beyond!

[Kyle]After spending 19 days away from my beloved wife and my beloved home, mostly at work but some time with family and friends, I returned for a whirlwind tour of Antigua.

Since I was only to be home for two days and therefore the per day-off cost of a cab to the airport was rather high, Maryanne decided that it would only cost us a little extra to rent a car for the period. This would allow us a little more time together during the short break, would allow Maryanne to run some “heavy” errands, but mostly would allow us to see some of the rest of the island that we have been calling home for the last two months before it’s time to leave.

[Maryanne]This was to be Kyle's last chance to spend any real time in Antigua, and I felt we had not done it justice by sticking with the sights and sounds within easy walking (or bus) trips from English Harbour. There were plenty of other places in the tourist guides I figured we should make the effort to see. I rented a small Jeep (the cheapest vehicle) from Big's Rental (very Soprano's) and en route to the airport stopped to check out a real supermarket (up to now, the stores I've been shopping in have stocked little more than a good UK/US petrol/gas station, so the prospect of a REAL supermarket was quite exciting, the Epicurean didn't let me down)

Antigua airport (ANU) is pretty basic, a single building with a few market stand type stores and a basic restaurant. HOWEVER the airport sits in the most beautiful grounds, complete with spas, restaurants, cricket pitch, and delightful gardens - so I wiled away some time climbing and enjoying the views from the observation tower.

[Kyle]My flight landed in the afternoon and Maryanne met me at the airport ready to hit the ground running. She wanted to get as much done as we could before the sun set and we lost the light, which happens fast in the tropics. Our first stop was Devil's bridge, a natural archway made by seas pounding the cliffs on the northeast side of the island. To be honest, it didn’t seem all that impressive. The bridge itself was only maybe 12 feet above the water, but apparently Devil's bridge is the best example of a sea bridge on Antigua. The waves crashing through it, however, made for a nice spectacle with plenty of churning water being accelerated into jets of spray flying everywhere. I even got Maryanne to stand in the path of one for a picture, which ultimately failed because there was too much water and not enough Maryanne in the picture. She has lately become so laid back with her Caribbean lifestyle that she took it in great stride and shrugged it off with good humor, even though she was soaked on one side. Almost nothing phases her anymore.

Kyle positions Maryanne to pose for photo - and get wet!
Devil's bridge does have a sad history. Apparently, it was a chosen place of escaped slaves who had decided the only escape was to commit suicide. The fall itself would, of course, be survivable, but there would be no way to avoid being crushed to pieces by the churning sea on the sharp rocks within seconds. Even if the slaves had somehow learned to swim, it would not have helped.


Enjoying the view... from atop the windmill of Harmony Hall
With only about a half hour until sunset, we decided to make a run for Harmony Hall. Harmony Hall is a picturesque resort in the grounds and buildings of a converted sugar plantation that sits nestled on a cove just to the South of Devil’s Bridge. My tour guide, Maryanne, described it as a place where we would never be able to afford a meal, but thought it would be a nice place to have a glass of wine while watching the sunset. She was absolutely correct about that. The place was lovely but understated. The architecture reminded me of Santa Fe, New Mexico or Sedona, Arizona. There was a deck with table overlooking the bay and some of the smaller islands farther off and the property was dominated by the remains of an old stone windmill of the type found all over the island.

Unfortunately, we were no match for the Antiguan roads. Even though we only had to go a short distance, there was no way we could have made it in time. We got there just after dusk. We had a quick dash around in the twilight and by the time we made it over to a table, there was nothing but a black void to look into, so we decided to skip the drink and return home to a nice pasta dinner aboard Footprint.

[Maryanne]I loved Harmony Hall, it's very remote (by road) there are only two villas set aside for guests, and the restaurant is only open for lunch. The old windmill once used for crushing sugar cane is now the home to a very posh yacht club, and although open to the elements is filled with trophies and photos - pretty cool.

Due to Kyle's delayed arrival we also missed seeing from my scheduled tour the restored sugar plantation of Betty's Hope

Home Alone in Antigua

[Maryanne]I've been "home alone" now since before Christmas and although very much missing Kyle, I am relaxed and comfortable with my pace of life (It is so slow it would be hard NOT to be relaxed). Each day I do some minor chore, either grocery shopping, some boat maintenance or improvement, or simple housework; but mostly I relax, read, maybe swim, and soak up the atmosphere. The views from the boat are wonderful and the weather great... I know, tough life eh?


Views From Footprint as I sit writing this blog - How could I not be relaxed?

For several days over the new year, the nearby island Montserrat was venting gas and ash (as it often does), along with fresh lava extrusion and pyroclastic flows. The atmospheric and wind conditions were such that it dumped plenty of ash on us here in Antigua. I was cleaning off the solar panel several times a day, and it made me reflect on the life of those in Montserrat who must deal with this daily (not to mention the devastating eruption of 1995 where they lost half the island and much of the population were forced to flee). The volcano there had been previously dormant, and there are now regular eruptions, and another big one expected as Soufriere's dome continues to bulge ominously. Luckily they have a good observatory monitoring things to give advance notification for any future "big" explosion http://www.mvo.ms/.

The ash fall here in Antigua has stopped (no doubt it is falling elsewhere), I finally scrubbed down the decks (with seawater), and then yesterday relaxed with a swim/snorkel over to the Pillars of Hercules (a geological feature of eroded sandstone cliffs on east side of the Entrance to English Harbour - and if you hadn't guessed, looking like huge stone pillars). This can be seen best from the sea, and is a common to see the local dive boats and snorkel tours drop off tourists here. It's amazing how much clearer the water becomes as you head off out the bay. Underwater, off the pillars, there are HUGE chunks of rock presumably fallen from the sandstone cliffs above ages ago variously worn with the action of the waves (there is a 300+ year old huge ancient anchor on top of it all, so much of the rock fall must be older), many of the underwater rocks look like cow pats as the layers of sandstone have worn away at different degrees, more at the top. The fish are huge and plentiful, and local fishermen are regularly seen fishing with nets.

Footprint is on the Northern end of Freeman's bay, so I snorkeled in shore and along the coast line - I was AMAZED to find a huge, black, long-spined sea urchin by small rocks very close to the beach - a warning not to be walking in waist deep water around that area.. Yikes. On the way back from the pillars I cut across the bay directly back to Footprint, but kept a good eye out for speeding motor dinghies. On both to and from the Pillars, there were often sudden water temperature changes which I would normally associate with a stream, but I couldn't find the cause.
Pillars of Hercules
I also saw plenty of beautiful worms.. At least I think this is what they are - I don't have a sea shore guide for this area, so I can only compare with British, N. American, and my memory of the Red Sea species (It looks like a Peacock worm or a Feather Duster Worm). Worms generally need a soft sediment to live in, but some can make a safe home on solid rock. Unless you had studied seawater species you would not guess that these were worms at all. The main body of sea worms often lives below the surface or in a protective sheath, while it catches its food with a vast net/fan of fine tentacles, as the water flows by. The tentacles look beautiful, like a flower, and can quickly be pulled back in to its straw tube like sheath. The Sheath is built by the worm, either from protein deposits (like our fingernails) or with scraps of mud, sand or shell; those worms without such a sheath simply have their body buried in the sand/silt/mud. In this area the fans of the worm were much larger than I have seen elsewhere (at least a foot across). I didn't think of it until later, but it is possible they are some kind of feather star (from the starfish family), although I've never seen one with so dense a set of tentacles! I wish I had taken a better look - I have seen NO starfish of any kind and have commented several times how unusual I found this on our previous snorkeling trips. I'm definitely sticking (for now) with the identification of a worm, but I'll take a better look if I get that far out again. The easiest identification will be if they retract when I get close.

The water (in the bay) is terribly clouded this last few days, and you can focus on the planktonic life just drifting by your eyes (well, goggles) as you swim - and all that life will explain how come I needed to clean off the dinghy YET AGAIN of a forest of bottom growth.

No matter how relaxed I am, I'm looking forward to having Kyle home on Sunday (even though it is barely for one full day and 2 half days), and I've planned an extensive tour of the island together to ensure we don't miss anything that Antigua has to offer.

Quiet and Peacful for New Year

[Maryanne]I've never been much of a party goer and much prefer small groups to huge crowds. This year had Kyle busy at work in the USA for both Christmas and New Year, while I stayed on in Antigua. I was quite insular (anti-social) and spent most of my time pampering to my own needs: reading, watching DVDs, and eventually moved on to some chores that I've been meaning to do (sewing projects for the most part).

I know that sounds terribly dull, what can I say? I can be very dull sometimes; but I still have a huge smile on my face and life is good. I did what I wanted with my time over Christmas and New Year. Of course I would have rather Kyle and I could share the holidays, but with his job this is often just not feasible, and we both understand that; it makes the time we do get together all the more precious.

Christmas holds less and less value as I get older, but New year is always a good time to reflect on the year passed, and the year to come. 2008 was a good year for Kyle and Me; I finally got to retire, and we began our full time cruising lifestyle which we had worked and planned so hard for. 2009 should (fingers crossed) see us travel more in the Caribbean, and hopefully over to Europe on Footprint, and if all goes well we'll also take a few side trips (without Footprint) to Africa, the USA and Australia - so NOTHING to complain about here. We are two happy, smug sailors.

I hope you each got to do what you wanted over the holidays - Happy 2009 to you all.

Return to Antigua

[Kyle]We got up with the sun and as we prepared Footprint to leave Deshaies we noticed all the other boats in the anchorage leaving rapidly ahead of us. Despite our early start, our check lists delayed us to being at least the 5th boat out (The Club Med-2 boat having left around midnight well before us).

We hoisted the sails in a brisk NE wind. We sailed as close to the wind as we could, but found ourselves steering about 30° to the west of our course to English Harbour. This path took us almost directly towards Montserrat which has always been a curiosity for us, looming on the horizon. The island is dominated by its volcano Soufriere, (all volcanoes in the Caribbean seemed to be named Soufriere), which so violently and devastatingly erupted in 1995 and is still very much active.

Montserrat Volcanic evidence and current activity
On this particular day (which we later learned was unusual) the volcano was emitting plumes of ash and hot gas high into the atmosphere. The visibility was great and we managed to get some good shots from fairly close (well, close enough for our comfort) before the wind died and we were forced to motor (MOTOR!, in the TRADE WINDS! Ugh!) to Antigua;

When we got back to English Harbor, we had hoped to find a better spot in the anchorage than the one we had left (nearer to row, better views, more wind for the generator), but alas, in the darkness we were unable to do so. We found ourselves in our good old spot. The next morning as we were preparing to clear customs, we decided to have a second look around (maybe someone had left?) and managed to find a pretty spot in Freeman bay, 200' from the beach (thanks to our shallow draft); still a fair way row into English Harbour dinghy dock, but great views (beach lined with palm trees) and plenty of wind for our power needs.
Footprint Anchored in Freeman Bay, English Harbour, Antigua
We are enjoying our view, and already other cruisers have waved at us!


[Maryanne]Hey - Kyle forgot to mention we caught a fish... OK, it did get away, but this is still progress! This fish goes by several names: Dorado, Mahimahi, or Dolphin fish.. too bad he got away.

Loafing in Antigua

[Maryanne]Shhh... Don't tell Kyle, but while he has been busy working hard and earning a living, I've been pretty lazy and loafing around. Apart from my earlier trip to St. John's, I have read 5 books while he has been away, and done a little more exploring.


Pirates of the Caribbean - Stage
Firstly the local (one show a year) Amateur Dramatics society (Fincham's Follies) put on a one night only show - a spoof "Pirates of the Caribbean"; along with spots of local talent. It was lighthearted fun, an outdoor (sit on the grass and watch) production complete with failing lights, occasional feedback from the sound system, and some very amateur acting - great fun, despite the obvious technical issues. All proceeds went to charity and at the interval they auctioned the amazing backdrop (painted by 3 talented folks) and got $1850 US for it - WOW!

I also took a tour to the Dow Hill Interpretation Center over by Shirley Heights. My guide book reports the multi-media show as "missable", but I had plenty of time and thought I'd give it a go. Unfortunately the show was not working, but I was glad I made the trip as the views were great, and hey, I needed the exercise! Making use of yet more colonial military buildings, and with great views of English Harbour, it was worth it, even without the official show.

Dow Hill Interpretation Center
On the way I came across this peculiar plant. At first I thought it odd to find a Scottish thistle (I hadn't noticed any thistles here at all so far) but then I realized the flower belonged to the plant, and I was enthralled - it seemed so out of place - what is it? I just call it a tulip thistle, it is so pretty. If you know what it is, please do tell me!


I took an unauthorized route to the Interpretation Center (so I didn't have to row/walk so far). This took me into the (closed to the public) grounds of Clarence House. There is some confusion about when it was built: Some say it was built in 1787 for Prince William when he was based here (later to become King William IV); others that it was built around 1805 for the dockyard commissioner. Until very recently it has been the country residence of the governor-general. In 1960, Princess Margaret spent some time here on her honeymoon. It was obviously a very grand residence, at least until recently as in September of 1998 two hurricanes severely damaged the roof and other parts of the building. The house and grounds appear now to be overgrown and abandoned. All the inside is gutted with no floors in place. Although renovation work clearly started, it looks as though nothing has progressed for several years. It was a prefect place for me to sit and rest, I could enjoy the views of English Harbor while reading a book sat in the window of the top floor in the shade of the veranda, with a breeze - all to myself - Not a bad way to spend an hour.

Clarence House

Of course I have done a few chores, but nothing too strenuous (well the one that was too strenuous I gave up on). I suddenly realized that not only is it December, but Christmas is right around the corner, I had to rush to turn out Christmas cards and get them mailed so they might (possibly) arrive on time. Kyle returns to the boat on Saturday, and already has a full schedule planned, I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with him based on my current pace of life. Ahh, but I'll try.

My life

[Kyle]After a trip in which I got to spend the night in the snow in Detroit (Ooooh, Detroit!) and Moncton, New Brunswick, I did get to go to the much warmer climate of Arizona for one day. Mom had apparently been waiting for me. There was potato soup, orange slices, fudge, oreos, cake, nuts and a big ol' bottle of tabasco. She was actually pretty good when I swore up and down that I could not eat all of that. I was so full by lunch that I had to beg her not to make anything for dinner, which she mercifully didn't. I'll go back in a couple of days and finish everything off.

For now I'm in Houston for a twice yearly simulator ride. The instructor tries to kill us, we try not to let him get away with it. It takes about six hours for the two of us (Captain and First Officer). It is not fun. I really should be trying to get some sleep.

St John's - Antiguan Capital

[Maryanne]I took the WHOLE DAY off today, and took an early morning bus into the Capital, about a 50 minute drive for less than $2US. I'd researched my day. The local Antigua Tourist office does a great job and recommends just four things: The produce market, the fish market, the Cathedral and the Museum. A bit of research had me adding a few more "to do"'s to that list, but I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to view. One of the main things I really wanted to get done was unlock a phone and purchase a SIM card so I can receive/make calls while here in Antigua.


Superman - Fixes phones now...
The phone was one of my Sister's old ones, very kindly donated to me (she upgrades whenever her plan allows) and we had had no luck unlocking it with the UK provider's instructions and special key. Rather than toss it, I was encouraged to go into one of the many offices that offer the service. With nothing to lose, I was directed to Superman (I'm not kidding), and with a little back and forth throughout the day we actually managed to unlock the phone - Yippie! Superman was full of info, and told me I couldn't use the SIM card / service provider I was planning as the phone used different frequencies - I needed to use Digicel. (Glad I hadn't already wasted my $ on a C&W SIM card). Next time I purchase (or acquire) a phone I need to make sure its tri-band (or whatever it needs to be) for full world wide usage, and with any provider. Anyway - Superman saved the day.


Produce Market
But anyway - back to being a tourist. The bus stop is right by the Produce and Fish markets - so I did get to see them. Next time I'll arrange to do a full produce shop as there was plenty of good fresh options (unlike the local stores); but for today I didn't fancy lugging around groceries while sightseeing.

Next I wandered around town without the aid of a map to get a feel for the place (it is not that big, and on a simple grid system). It is the main stopover point for all the cruise boats to Antigua. Things change on cruise ship day - even some of the one way streets change direction. Today was not a cruise ship day, and I think that was a good thing.


Antigua and Barbuda Museum
I found the Museum, and it opened at 8:30am; pretty impressive. It's in a fantastic building (the old courthouse) and has some interesting stuff from the early Arawak and Carib settlers, through to the end of the Colonial era, but really not terribly well done (think school project). None of the artifacts are in any kind of climate controlled environment, and those few that have labels, many are falling (or have fallen) off. But concentrating on the SPIRIT of the thing, it did teach me a bit about the islands, and especially about the slave era; there was even a slave uprising, pretty well planned, but not successful.

Just wandering the Streets of St Johns quickly confuses ones sense of the place. Some buildings are huge, modern, clean, and shiny; some are small, but well cared for and brightly painted; but many (most) are older, ramshackled and apparently uncared for (even some in regular use). The streets are interesting and the sidewalks, where they exist, are really uneven. This is NOT a town for anyone in a wheelchair or even who had difficultly walking. Curbs sometimes rise (or fall) 2' or more. Holes opening into the gutter (possibly sewage(?)) are frequent, in some areas the wide gutter is covered with nice wooden planking (making it easy to walk along), in others it is sometimes almost impossible to step and stay dry. Despite all that, there was NO litter that I could see (although there was the odd dead (drowned?) rat.

The island has lost many of its original buildings due to fire, hurricane and earthquake; very few streets have a set feel, each building often being of a totally different era, building material and quality to the next. Oh - and did I mention Christmas? It's strange to find oneself in a Caribbean Island and be bombarded with Christmas music, trees and decorations... very strange.


St John's Cathedral with impressive wooden interior
Next - St John's Cathedral. It stands high in the town so its towers are clearly visible from the sea. Although stone on the outside, it is fully encased in wood on the inside and I bet that makes for some wonderful acoustics. Like many cathedrals, the grounds are a cemetery, but to the locals it is like any other park - someplace to hang out in the shade, read, eat or catch up with friends (especially the local school kids). Nobody was giving the building, nor its grounds, any of the usual reverence (despite being a very Christian society). One quirk I found in the church was a florescent light hanging from the ceiling - strapped to a wooden prop from an airplane - very peculiar; I could find no way of learning the history of the building nor the prop from within the Cathedral.

I rushed through Heritage Quay, which is a very upscale outdoors shopping center selling posh named goods to the cruise ship passengers - Eeeek! Not my scene.


Scenes from the tranquil Redcliffe Quay
Finally I came across, what for me was the gem of the city - Redcliffe Quay; full of old stone buildings and established tree-shaded courtyards from the colonial days. Now filled with shops (many still intended for the yuppie end of the market) and restaurants, but so picturesque and peaceful. I could have pulled out a book and hung out there all day long - just beautiful.


Botanical Gardens
After all this, my phone still wasn't ready - so I decided to find the Botanical Gardens. The first 3 groups of people i asked (locals) had never heard of it; I fared better with the old 'uns and it really wasn't far away. En route, I found a mystery lighthouse which I could not decide if it had been moved to this odd (inland and partially hidden behind a gas station) location or if things had just been added around it... It was surrounded with mini-golf carts long overgrown with vines and flowers.. As for the Botanical Gardens - Again (as I'd quickly come to expect) no information about the native planting, but another tranquil spot, it was smaller and simpler than I'd expected. They had an impressive looking children's climbing / play area until I got up close and witnessed rotting wood and missing ladder rungs, a few of the paths were badly flooded and I had to detour to get to the other side (you always want to see what's on the other side right?). The only others in the park were solitary guys apparently sleeping on some of the benches provided. I didn't think they were homeless, just Siesta-ing? Not 100% sure. Anyway I didn't linger.

My phone was still not ready so I decided to venture to Fort James.. I figured if I just followed the coast around St John's town I would find it. From a distance I could see the old stone structures high on a hill and I just headed for it... about 2 miles maybe. I finally made it and could not find an entrance. I felt there must be a road so I just rounded the hill a little further, and a Little further - past the container shipping compound until I eventually got to the secure Coast Guard compound and the end of the road. I could SEE the building but I could not work out how to get there... Hmmm.. I braved the secure coast guard compound and asked how I could get up to the fort?.. Oh - that's not Fort James - you are not in the right place.


Not Fort James - What is that up there? and How DO I get there?
I never did find out what was atop that hill, but another 3 mile walk and I found myself in the right place. To get there (being on a peninsula of sorts) you first have to pass Fort James's beach, which is wonderful. Lots of trees for shade, public open air showers for rinsing off the salt water after a swim, and beautiful sandy beaches; how I wished I had my swim stuff with me, I was hot and dusty after the walk - it would have been great to jump in that water.


Fort James's Beach and views of the bay


Fort James

Eventually, I made it to the Fort; it was in reasonable condition, if just a little overgrown in places. I was the only visitor, nothing was labeled, no signage anywhere - a completely abandoned site. The inner fort was filled with more modern buildings long abandoned (earthquake?) that looked like they had once housed a gift shop and snack store. Some of the trails were blocked by huge spiderwebs with nasty looking spiders sat in them; I diverted as necessary. The powder house is standing and in good condition, and lots of old cannons are still up there (some very overgrown, but most clear). There WAS a wonderful looking restaurant there with stunning views of the fort, the beach and the bay which was very enticing (but I had to get back to my phone before the stores closed). So after viewing the ruins and cannons and appreciating the knock-out views as best you can alone - off I set back on the road to "town". If I find myself back there, I will definitely plan to have at least a drink in that restaurant (Russell's).

I was especially grateful on the walk back for a lift from Stacey who was off to work in town and gave me a ride the 3 miles. Whew.

Antigua is a place of some stunning natural beauty. Much of it's history is associated with colonialism, and I'm sure there must be mixed feelings about that in the community. However, everything (even one small park I found dedicated to the slave uprising and its ringleader) seems to be poorly looked after and decaying, clearly little valued by the community; I saw nothing newly built to be impressed by that may even hint as a tourist attraction or even an asset for the locals. It's a shame but it may be a case of see what's left while you can, since no money is being spent on protecting or maintaining what is there, let alone improving on it. OK, so they WERE installing new windows in the museum, I'm not 100% accurate in my statement, but close enough to be as much saddened by my tour as impressed.

I did finally pick up my phone and purchased a SIM card for the area; by then I was so tired (walking and the sun!) that I meandered back to the bus station and hopped a ride home. The buses here have set routes, but no set timetable. Each is owned individually, and they leave the bus station when they are full (or otherwise good and ready). The buses tend to be mini-buses (several rows of 3 fixed seats - one seat, the isle and a double seat the width of the van). But the aisle can be blocked by an extra fold out seat to carry extra passengers - I was the last on the bus and had one of the folding seats. At each stop, all of us in the aisle row had to pile out of, and fold away our seats, let the passenger(s) at the back off, and reverse the process. We repeated this until we were thinned out enough to no longer need the spare seats. I made it home just in time to row to the boat in the last of the daylight - whew, I'll sleep well tonight. I can hardly believe I've written so much but its is as much for Kyle as anyone else, so sorry he can't be here to enjoy, I know he would have LOVED exploring the Fort. If he'd have been around, I'd have been way more likely to stop in some of the enticing restaurants I struggled to walk by. Next time..... Oh and maybe watch a cricket game too...?

Falmouth Harbour

[Maryanne]English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour are so close, there is only a 1/4 mile walk between them. Falmouth Harbour is home to the Yacht Club and Mega Yachts; and since the Charter Boat show starts here this week there are plenty of pretty impressive boats and hard working crews about. I go to Falmouth Harbour for filling propane, the book swap, and basic groceries. Last night they were holding a start of the season hospitality event, where all the stores of the Marina there stayed open late and offered free nibbles and alcohol. Now normally once it is dark it is very close to my bed time, so I knew I would not stay long - but free food AND alcohol - I had to go.

I still find it almost impossible to befriend anyone here, and being on my own made it a little uncomfortable (the alcohol helped!). Anyway, I was grateful, for the music and spirit of the event.


On route to the event, I passed this a mobile bank; I've never seen one of these before - How's that for recycling those old London red buses?

Poor Kyle is busy working, but had managed to take a day to be fussed over by his Mom, so I wasn't too guilty about having fun without him.

Forgive me!

[Maryanne]Several weeks ago someone emailed me and offered to put me in touch with a friend in Antigua. I should have replied at the time but we were distracted wtih boat stuff.. NOW I'm digging back in the archives and I've lost the email, and although I can't take up the offer, I at least wanted to say THANK YOU. Since I lost the email I can't reply - but please don't think I was ungrateful - it was a wonderfully kind offer. If you see this please email me again so I can at least be reminded who proposed such a wonderful opportunity.

Return to the Rigging

[Maryanne]We had to return to Angigua to prepare for Kyle's return to the real world of work. When we arrived we were able to download a week's worth of emails, and noted that the local rigger we have been talking with was keen to see the damage first hand and inspect the forestay, which they were concerned would also be damaged and need replacing. However, we have got into a very lazy daily routine, and only really managed to surface for our respective coffee and tea by 9am. Suddenly, we had to have the boat elsewhere by 9:30am. Wow. I'd forgotten we could move so fast.

The rigger managed to climb the rigging, and actually reassured us. Despite finding a couple of extra (previously unknown, but minor issues), many of the known issues were not as dramatic as they could have been; YES they need fixing, and DEFINITELY before any heavy, long distance sailing, but they would last until we haul the boat and un-step the mast in the Spring. The only critical repair was to replace the upper toggle (very deformed), and that can be done by the local rigger without even unstepping the mast (maybe a 15 minute job - certainly no more than an hour!).

The rest of the day was spent getting cash, organizing flights for Kyle and a cab ride to the airport. Once Kyle heads off to work, I'll be back to chore mode and fix all the smaller issues from our trip - but I do hope to make a few more breaks as a tourist and I'll certainly post anything interesting.

We did decide to try Caribbean Taste, a "local" Restaurant (one that seems to be owned by locals and not some ex-pat) that is tucked behind the main street. We passed it several times but always just after we'd eaten, or when it was closed - today we made an effort to go there. It turns out we are not the first: Rachael Ray, in 2005 visited and was impressed with the Conch Salad. Kyle had a Vegetable Roti (a kind of curry burrito) and I had Fish with Fungi (pronounced Foon-Jee, basically a cornmeal dumpling) with a curried tomato sauce and veggies.

There are still a few local dishes we need to try, but most of all I'm looking out for the famed black pineapple, smaller and sweeter than the more common yellow pineapple; I'm hoping to get to the food market in St Johns and try a number of new food experiences! Unfortunately recent heavy rains have washed out most of the crops so many things are hard to find this season - I'll have to see what I can get.

Final Day in Barbuda.. Very wet

Kyle got close up to a ray... Too close for my liking
[Kyle]We decided for our last full day in Barbuda to spend it snorkeling the many reefs surrounding our anchorage (which we still had all to ourselves). We loaded up the dinghy with supplies and provisions, and spent the day anchoring near various reefs using the dinghy as a base camp to explore all the adjacent reefs, move on and repeat!

We spent a whole day doing this. Further out from the beach, but still behind the protection of the main reef system we were able to find several large, diverse colorful reefs, filled with many different corals (soft, hard, fan, etc) and LOTS of multi-colored fishes darting in and out. Highlights were 2 large sting rays; and a family of 8 spiny lobster defending their small overhang, and looking as scary as they could muster (Unfortunately the camera batteries had died by the time we got there, and luckily these lobsters have no claws so it was as much amusing as threatening - they deter most predators by making a noise with their legs!).

Coral reefs are such endlessly fascinating places, with a seemingly unlimited number of nooks and crannies to peer into. The more you look, the more you see colorful creatures of all types in places you had first assumed were empty. It's easy to spend hours examining a small patch and observing the lives led below.

We returned to Footprint to get the boat ready for the return trip to Antigua, but even then I could not resist swimming back out to a couple of our local reefs for one last look, finally being forced home by darkness. What a beautiful place Barbuda is!

The next day we arose early to exit at first decent light; Maryanne piloting us out through the reefs. Once we got into open ocean, we had a nice fast reach back to the relative hustle and bustle of Antigua and English Harbour.

Barbuda Tour Day

[Kyle]George (our Barbuda Guide) had apparently been under the impression that we had a fast dingy with a motor when he told us where to meet him the next day. Since we were rowing, we just took it to the same spot as the previous day and walked the 2 miles down the beach to the designated rendezvous point. We arrived in plenty of time and decided that rather than just hang around, we'd start the walk towards George's house. The agreed time came and went and a few miles later we were still walking (our guide books had warned us that often tours and taxis in Barbuda fail to turn up!). Just as we were starting to think we'd have to walk all the way to his house, he and his car finally came into view. Fortunately he had a cooler full of cold drinks in the back of his truck.

We then got George's version of the Cosmo Kramer reality tour, before he finally summarily deposited us at the boat dock on the west side of town. We boarded the boat and sped off across the lagoon to the Frigate Bird nesting colony on the NW end of the Island. It was not until we actually arrived and the engines were shut off that our boat guide spoke to us and formal introductions were made. Eventually, Clarance turned out to be a very friendly guy. He knew a lot about the birds and let us spend plenty of time just watching and enjoying them.

Frigate Birds (also known as Man-of-War birds, Weather birds and a host of other local names) have the distinction of being the birds with the highest wing area to body weight ratio. This makes them extremely maneuverable, agile fliers. Unlike seabirds, they don't float and can't get their wings wet, so they tend to feed themselves by harassing other birds to drop their catches. We were fortunate in that our visit coincided with mating season, with all the males clucking and showing off their big red throat sacks any time any white breasted female flew overhead. For those that had found a female, there was action to be seen, watching them steal the best nesting materials (in flight to the nest in progress) from each other. We observed the colony for an hour or so, and then made our way back to town to meet up with George for the remainder of his tour.

George is a quiet man, and seemed to think of himself more as taxi driver than tour guide (despite being the local council tourist representative). Maryanne wasn't going to let him get away with that and peppered him with questions during the whole drive - we were going to get our money out of this guy (nearly $200 US). The island was once owned and managed by the Codrington family - the patriarch of which was Governor of the Leeward Islands for a time. The Codringtons had an estate (read: slave colony) on the Island and used it for hunting. We visited the ruins of Codrington Manor, built on the highlands of the island; overgrown with the outlines of stone buildings to see. The best part of this site was the view and the remains of possible gardens. The highlands of Barbuda are a small plateau/spine, 125' above sea level (the rest of the island is VERY low and flat).



For our next and last stop we went to the caves at Two Foot Bay. (On the east of the Island). Legend has it that the bay was named from the story of an escaping slave who put his shoes on backwards, leaving prints in the sand to distract/confuse his pursuers. The highlight of the bay is the beautiful beach and the caves in the highland cliffs that run alongside. We were able to enter one cave at beach level and climb through up to the highland plateau for spectacular views of the white sand beach below and the eastern coastline. Along the length the highlands, rock had tumbled down from cliff and overhangs, leaving giant boulders at the base which have long since covered with greenery. This was a stark backdrop to the smooth sandy beaches alongside. George dropped us off at this site, with a pickup time 90 minutes later. We hadn't known what to expect but 90 minutes was very rushed; I was constantly getting rushed along by Maryanne, who was more mindful of the time. [Maryanne]Kyle was in kid heaven among the cliffs and caves, every time I managed to get him to agree to turn around for our return, he would sneak off for "one more picture", "just the next point", or some such thing. He really enjoyed the place and it was fun (if a little frustrating) to let him have his way.

[Kyle]George, being done with the tour, and to deter any more of Maryanne's questions, simply turned on his car radio (very loud), and returned us to our rendezvous point (while completing a few personal errands en route!).