Time for Antigua

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Time for Antigua

 Central America Caribbean » Antigua and Barbuda » Antigua » Jolly Harbour By sailtripper
April 4th 2007well folks with the Cricket on the screen over in the bar, things are looking pretty peachy for a beer but before i do i want to add some more pictures so you can see and i can recall later what this place is like.

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Photos

The Bucket
Maltese Falcon looks immense roaring along she reaches 28 knots and is a massive 288ft long. Their tender looks really hot too. What a ride!

Oh Rebecca
a absolute stunner, both chris and my favourite of the day. She has such classic lines and really storms by. I thought she would win but I was mistaken.

Barbuda Beach
This is the view to spyglass and the blue endless horizon from the pinkish sands that make up the some of the beauty of barbuda. We were in total paridise of isolation here, making it a great hideaway with perfect weather.

Wild Horses
One afternoon walking along there were some horses that came from the scrub on the beach of Barbuda and went off for their afternoon stroll. All the horses and donkeys and goats are roaming free here yet the locals all pitch in and look after them, in particular the horses, giving them a cooling off in the salt water every couple of days, and racing them every other sunday.

the big bike ride and walking expidition
Our roaming friends on the trail that we took. Over about 8 hours chris and I rode to the northern part of the island and saw some caves, walked to a tropical sink hole and swam in delicious water of crystal clear blues and greens. After a day like that it was time for a beveragae on the boat and an early night!

oh lush lush blue green seas!
This is the view from the top of the top island and the highest point in Barbuda. Not very high but very hot, dry and cactusy. Time to go back in that water!

goofing around
Chris and I are always taking the piss out of each other, making fun of the silly simple things in life and bursting into fits of laughter. Maybe a little cabin fever or deliriousness has set in, but whatever we are mis match having a good time. Any ladies out there keen on sailing must meet this man to spend some quality time with this character. Good guy all round!

frigot birds
These birds are quite something, they have the widest wing span for their weight in relation to any other bird and dont have any oil on their feathers so unable to land in water, so to get their food sometimes they hover over other birds feeding to grab theirs!! The males in mating season puff these big bright red sacs out from their chest so many together amongst the mangroves are a sight to behold for photographers and nature goers alike...

hammocks and oceans
ah the life of cruising is hammocks and reading and watching sunsets with rum in one hand and cuban cigar in other. But in antigua there was much more to do so the hammock stayed quite empty.

fun in the water
On Easter Sunday Chris and I stopped in Dickenson Bay where it was a busy beach in the best kind. Full of locals, all hanging out with friends and family, eating, playing and enjoying that laidback "no problem mon" lifestyle. Ahh just love seeing kids having simple fun.

when i grow up...
how irresistably cute is this girl. "Daddy when I grow up im going to be a diver"!!! There are so many amazing photo opportunities like this in the carribean but one can only take so many and the other times you just savour the moments without clicking away

when i grow up...
how irresistably cute is this girl. \"Daddy when I grow up im going to be a diver\"!!! There are so many amazing photo opportunities like this in the carribean but one can only take so many and the other times you just savour the moments without clicking away

tyne
Just hanging out on Fiddlers Green was fun, this was sometime in the morning over tea, after a wild and crazy fun night out before with the crew onboard. Tyne and I hit it off immediately and spent a lot of time together in Antigua. He is such an awsome spirit and loved his company. I hope to see you in aussie land one day my friend climbing trees hanging in hammocks and building a beautiful house on a great piece of land near byron. \"Ill see you again\". Love you and love that communicating with no talking thing peace brother.

Half Stroke
on one afternoon in the classic regatta week there was dinghy racing and i took part and did terribly, its harder than it looks! But also got to row in the beautiful Gli Gli, a dug out canoe oringinating from the carib tribe it was fantastic and extremely funny when doug all of a sudden had half an oar!

Chalo
The rudder man and canoe master builder of the caribs. He is a gentle loving soul and a full of good vibes. A little hard to understand every now and then but we love him till the end. Still making canoes and keeping Gli Gli in working order.

Johhny and Chalo
Gli Gli out of the water fixing her up to be a strong canoe for the trip up to tortolla. We love Johnny as much as Johnny loves the green stuff

Joanne and I
Taking a rest from the climb up to the top of Boggy Peak, along this path we were plentifully supplied with fresh coconut, papaye, oranges and a kalabash which i now can eat my meals and drink my rum punch from (yet at the moment its tea because im giving my liver and well deserved rest!)

braiding times
Pinneapple House is where this is taken, the place that is set on a big sloping hill, and has windowless rooms to sleep in and stay for much longer than you first intended. This is due to the ambience and beautiful hospitality that Libby gives everyone that enters her personally designed and built piece of paradise. Its where the bar is open and everyone always comes with something whether its more supplies or just great loving company. If anyone knows gidget or also known as kate, ive misplaced her email and want to get in contact with her again to arrange a meeting place for burning man, if not, Ill probably see her there anyway. She is in camp Wyomi. Anyhow, if you are to stay in Antigua this is the place to come and chill or come and party. Libby is a hoot and great company. Wonderful lady with a big heart. Thanks a bunch again libby.

Farewell and Fair Winds Antigua
The last night was a big one in Antigua pretty much awake till the sunrise and met some amazing people again to share the night with. If our paths arent meant to cross again I had a ball and thanks for the great times and good energy, you are all beautiful beings. Gidget im sure well meet at Burning Man, Its got to happen you gem, ill be on the hunt for Camp Wyomi. Your email flew off the boat before I put it in my computer, thats what you get for emailing in the cockpit! Oliver man nice hugs and best wishes, Doug good luck with next adventure fun dancing with you

High on Sailing
During the Classic Yacht Regatta Sailing away on Mi Querida we all had lots of time to kick back and enjoy the ride, so I climbed up for some solitude of the wind and sea and the rythmic motion of the wooden beauty pushing herself through the water. AHH I have found my bliss!

Mob of MI QUIERDA
Heres that lot that I sailed with for the classics. It pretty much equated to Barbie, beer, lots of laughts and a few tacks and jybes. Do you notice that we take our racing seriously?!

Gli Gli in Full Swing
Its an art of balance on a canoe this size with open water and full sail. She needs one to bucket out the stuff coming in, bodies constantly shifting to make her as stable as possible. She has made one overnight crossing and this is how many a island tribe got around in previous less developed years.

Beer Time
Like I said Mi Quierda was well stocked with beer and meat for the barbie, my first since I left australia, and boy did it go down well. Embarrasingly I found it very difficult to open the jamaican beer bottles so there were many a laugh and joke about it, but eventually I got to quench my hard earned thirst!

Kate Winslet come and fly with me instead of Jack!
Theres not much to say for this other than "HAPPY DAYS"!

Tropic Bird
On Great Bird Island we took the rocky route to the top and had a breathtaking view of more wild and powerful ocean below and with it being a nesting ground for tropic birds, we got lucky. They make the nests in the volcanic rocks without needing to collect grass etc as usual, and they seem to fly from the cliff and come back frequently, hanging mid air on the cliff edge for a while, all as if they are coming in to show off the pretty bodies to you before flying out again. It was a beautiful sight and made for some great shots. I was kicking myself that i didnt have my pro camera, but the digital seemed to work just fine.

AKA Platapus
I have a little funny story to share about Grt. Bird Island. On that very walk I forgot my shoes, and we couldnt be arsed taking the dinghy all the way back so I resigned to the fact that I would wear my fins to walk up that cliff with some difficulty. Not only did I get double looks all the time, Chris nearly disowned my company out of pure embarassment. Luckily I dont care about looking like a dickhead and so we made some amusing footage later and were both in fits of laughter for some time with me trying to walk not only on flat ground but up steep rocky cliff edges. Id like to report that no one was harmed during any footage. Even now when we bring out our snorkel gear there is the odd giggle here and there.