Antigua - Working on checking off the list & Friends

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We are now in Antigua. So, what have we been doing since we got here on April 24^th? The first order of business was to make it to shore to check into the country. In all of our travels this is the first time that we had to also deal with having a cat on board. We always report that we have a cat and it has not been an issue. Here we found that it was a different situation. Besides doing the usual paperwork for ourselves, we also had to have an appointment with a veterinarian. In actual fact they wanted to see the cat, but in our case as it was the end of the work day, the vet stated that he would trust us and just looked at the paperwork that we had with a record of her shots. We got his approval and then had to pay an additional $50 US for Sailor.

While waiting for the appointment with the vet, we were fortunate to have run into Ellen and Rob of Miclo III. We had not seen them since Trinidad so were glad to catch up with them. They had been in Antigua for the Classic Sailboat Race so they knew their way around the area already so gave us some tips on getting around the area. Fortunately we were also able to get together one evening with them and catch up on where they had been and what they were doing this season.

Saturday, the next day, is market day so we took the time to catch a bus to St. John, the capitol, to experience the market. We were not disappointed. It is always great to have a chance to re-stock the cupboards with fresh fruits and veggies, but the best part is talking to the vendors and finding out how to cook new dishes. When we were coming out one of the stores, we had a gentlemen with a NY Yankee baseball hat on ask if we needed a taxi. We told him that we were catching a bus back to Falmouth Harbour. He mentioned that buses are for locals and that we should use a taxi instead. We stopped to chat with him to let him know that we enjoy the buses as we get to meet nice people– we found out that his name (nickname) was “New York”, he lived there for a while and had even been to the Syracuse area. It was a lot of fun talking with him.

Now that the “crossing” is getting closer (Antigua is our jumping off point) we have been reviewing our “to do” list, setting priorities of those that MUST be done and deciding what would be nice to do if we have time. We sat down, compared our list to be sure we weren’t duplicating effort, added a few items and then we were off!

Bob has been accomplishing lots on his list – hooking up the GPS to the VHF radio, installing the hailing system to the radio (in order to put out fog horn signals on it as well as talk on it if necessary to contact someone) , hooking up more ground plate to the SSB to hopefully improve transmissions, getting the tow generator (this is a power generator that hangs on the stern rail and is connected to a prop which is towed behind the boat. As the prop turns the generator will produce 144 amps a day at 6k ,more than enough for us) and wind monitor (an auto pilot that does not need power to work) out of our storage areas to install these for use and what seems like a million other things. Janice on the other hand has been rearranging the galley and the food storage so that we won’t have to go into “deeper” storage areas for food during the crossing, cooking up some meals to put in the freezer to have some easy meals to eat, researching and organizing with a weather router (a person that we will communicate with regularly to get weather updates and advise on the best route to take to avoid bad weather), find a place to rent a Satellite phone (as a back up in case the SSB decides not to work) , contacting the insurance company so they know our travel plans and any other paperwork that needs to be done. Janice states she feels guilty many times as Bob’s projects are much more physical and demanding, however, luckily Bob states he is fine with the division of labor as he has no interest in any of the paperwork and organizing that needs to be done.

With the length of our list we haven’t taken time to explore any of the area unfortunately. English Harbour which is right next door to Falmouth is where Nelson’s Dockyard is located. It is part of the National Park and we did take the time to walk through a small part of it one afternoon. We are disappointed that we probably will not have the time to really explore the area – guess we will have to put that on the list for when we are back in this area again when we return from Europe.

We have been putting in very long hours to prepare Tsamaya for the upcoming crossing. Fortunately we did take a few hours off a few days to do some socializing with friends, old and new. As mentioned we caught up with Ellen and Rob from Miclo III, but were also happy to catch up with Hakan and Anna-Karin from Unicorn and Madeline and Skip from Saralane. Special thanks have to go to Skip and Madeline as they went out of their way to come back to Falmouth Harbour to connect again. They had left here just before we arrived to enjoy the island of Barbuda. Upon returning to Antigua we heard that they were in a nearby bay and did not plan on returning to Falmouth and suggested that we might want to take a break and join them. It sounded like a tempting idea, but with the boat completely torn apart it would have been difficult to move. No problem, they said, and indeed moved back to Falmouth in less than ideal weather conditions. They battled through some seas to get back here – we can’t thank them enough for doing that as we enjoy their company – thanks for being great friends!

Rick and Carolyn on Wild Horse are new to the islands as cruisers – they have been traveling south to the Bahamas but not further so branched out and came down the island chain. They had anchored nearby so we started talking and decided to get together to get better acquainted. It is great to catch up with friends we have met over the last couple of years, but we always enjoying starting new relationships. The cruising community is a nice one to be a part of – people with like interest with a wide variety of backgrounds. It is always great to cross paths with those that you have known as well as adding new people to the list of those you can call friends. Once we cross the Atlantic we know we will not run into many of them again, but will keep in touch through our blogs and look forward to meeting new ones to add to our list of friends.

We have been getting lots of rain lately – it hasn’t stopped much in the last couple of days. A few positive benefits are that we have added quite a few gallons to the water tank (after passing it through a filter), we can take showers for “free” and also saved $ on getting our laundry done (they charge $40 US for each large load of laundry). The down sides are that we have been living with a clothesline running through the boat trying to dry the laundry, hatches have to be kept closed which means it gets warm down below and we are just plain tired of feeling trapped on the boat with constant rain and everything feeling damp!!

We have also been hooking up with other boats that plan to cross the pond . Work has begun on setting up a small radio net so we can keep in touch with each other when we do finally leave on our crossing. Plans are for us to have a professional rigger check out our rigging to be sure their aren’t any problems tomorrow (weather permitting of course). Hopefully they won’t find any problems so we can then just wait for our fed ex package to arrive, move to Jolly Harbour where the others are going to be leaving from, and then we will be on our way. An update – had the rigging checked and we came through with flying colors which was great news.

At times we of course are anxious about the trip, but we are also excited about the next chapter in our sailing adventures.

When we are making the crossing we will not be able to update the blog, but if you are wondering where we are during the crossing, you can always check at www.shiptrak.org Be sure to enter my call sign of KC2TIU in the upper left corner and it will take you to a map with coordinates of where we are located. You can also click on the log at the bottom and read any comments that we may have given to them to enter. One thing to remember – if we don’t have a position indicated every day do not worry!! It may be that we couldn’t get to check in that day so check again the next day for an entry. We will really try hard to have a daily entry, but no promises.

We are hoping to start our trip this weekend so will try to put up a short entry before we actually go – if not, we will “talk” to you after our crossing to the Azores!

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Photos

What is Different?
The French islands are great for checking in and out of as they are all computerized. You just come in to the office, sit down at a computer, type in your details , print the page, they quickly look at it, stamp it and you are officially checked in or out of the country depending on what you are doing. The biggest challenge for anyone that knows how to type is the keyboard. Check it out and note the differences! Never knew our keyboard wasn’t international.

Made the First Bridge
The southern bridge in Guadeloupe opened on time at 5AM and we were through both of the bridges quite quickly and on our way.

Enough Light to Travel
There was enough light in the morning to enjoy the trip up the river. It reminded us many times of our travels on the Erie Canal.

2nd Bridge
The 2nd bridge that you have to go through opens at 5:30AM. We were happy to follow this boat through as he navigated the channel in front of us.

Peaceful Scenery
The river was lined with mangroves and they were filled with egrets resting for the night.

Egrets in flight
This early in the AM we were definitely waking all of the egrets as they took flight from their roost

Almost Up
Just as we were getting to the northern end of the river the sun was starting to rise.

Sun Rises are Great Too
A spectacular sunrise to start our crossing from Guadeloupe to Antigua.

Resting
This navigational aid was a nice perch for this crowd. We aren’t guaranteeing it but pretty sure these are frigatebirds – easier to identify when they are flying - please correct if we are wrong!

Before Officially Entered
Here is what it looks like when you arrive in country. You have their flag with the yellow quarantine under it until you officially check into the country which is when you take down the quarantine flag.

Is there room?
Our first look at Falmouth Harbour – there are lots of boats anchored here as the Classic Sailboat Race had just ended. Luckily there was still room for us to anchor.

A great "land"mark!
We anchored next to this “small” yacht from Spain. Just notice the other boats in comparison to get an idea of size. It was easy to find out boat at night!

Dona Amelia
We were anchored in the perfect spot to see many of the boats as they were leaving. This was Dona Amelia which was built in 1929 – what a beauty.

Using Old Cannons
Years ago In English Harbour they took old cannons that were no longer usable and used they as bollards (to tie a boat to) years ago. They still remain.

How do you like this rule?
Saw this in the museum and figured that there might be other sailors that would like to have this rule on their ship as well!

Using the Dockyard Buildings
The Nelson Dockyard is maintained by the National Park of Antigua and is located in English Harbour. Similar to Colonial Williamsburg they have been able to restore many of the buildings and use them for various businesses. This one was converted into a restaurant .

A Few Classics
We were fortunate to be able to see some of the classic boats that were here for the Classic Sailboat Race week as they were all located in English Harbour, close to the immigration office that we had to go to check into the country.

What are the Pillars For?
These pillars were the supports for the boat house and sail loft - they are quite impressive structures.

Interesting Design
Notice the drawing in the top left of this sign as it will give you a better idea of what the boat house and sail loft looked like in its day.

Connecting the Pillars
The National Park has put time and money into restoration and this shows an example of how the pillars were linked together to support the sail loft.