St. John's, Antigua

---

We arrived in St. John’s about 1:00 this afternoon. Another short stay as we sail this evening at 7:00. We were signed up to for the Kayak and Snorkel Adventure. Annette decided to hang out on the ship. Doug was able to hook up with Andy as a kayak mate. We went to a place called Great Bird Island, had a lot of fun kayaking and saw some great birds too.

Annette and I have been to Antigua in the past while on a Windjammer cruise. We were there shortly after a huge hurricane that was devastating to the island.

Some say that Antigua has so many beaches that you could visit a different one every day for a year. Most have snow-white sand, many with lavish resorts that offer great water sports. The largest of the British Leeward islands, Antigua was the headquarters from which Lord Horatio Nelson made his forays against the French and pirates in the late 18th century.

Antigua has a population of about 90,000, of which half of them live in the capital, St. John’s, which is located at sea level at the inland end of a sheltered northwestern bay. The English Harbor area is the highlight of the island with its carefully restored Nelson’s Dockyard, as well as old forts, historic churches, and tiny villages. Annette and I stayed at The Copper and Lumber Store in this area when we were here last. Nelson’s Dockyard is the world’s only Georgian dockyard still in use.

---

Photos

Welcome to Antigua
Good to be back.

View from Above
A view from a higher elevation as we go to our kayak site.

Andy Ready to Kayak
Getting ready to hit the water.

The Kayaks
Board your boats. One thing I noticed about these kayaks that is different from those in Haloong Bay is these have no backrest.

Pastor Ned and his Wife
They are anxious to get going.

Great Bird Island
Place where we kayaked to.

View
View from Great Bird Island of the surrounding area.

Hi There
After returning from the kayak ride, the park area had cages of reptiles and birds. This lizard was curious to see what was going on.

Peek a Boo
I see you. Cute little bird has an eye on us.

You Can Come Out
This cute guy is another one that will check us out from a safe place.

Two of Them
At first look they appear to be a mirror image.

Pretty Bird
He was chatty.