Blogs from Antigua, Antigua & Barbuda, Central America Caribbean

Flexibility is the name of the game. That word had been drilled into us back in Peace Corps days and it has served us well since then. It came in handy just yesterday too! As mentioned in our last blog entry we planned on leaving this weekend, Sunday, April 13th. We have provisioned to the hilt (there is not enough room on this boat for even a small can of tuna), re-organized the boat for the crossing and were pretty much ready to go except for those last minute chores such as putting the dinghy up on the deck, putting the wind monitor on the stern, and setting sail. On Friday we had gone to shore for some errands and when we got back to the boat in the afternoon we talked to our weather router, ... read more

Our early morning flight landed us on the tiny island of Antigua, the smallest and last island on our trip. It was always a British island, never changing hands until it became independent in 1981. We built so many forts and garrisons that the French could never take it from us. Antigua is now home to some interesting and rich expats including Eric Clapton who has an estate on Indian Creek Point. We took a local minibus to our hotel in English Harbour, a large village set between two deep natural harbours. The small 6 room hotel was built by an English couple who sailed across the Atlantic with their children 23 years ago. They sailed the length of the Caribbean, from Venezuela to Florida, before deciding to settle down here. It is a tradition on ... read more

Antigua, what can I say. If any place lived up to a post card then this is it.. Lesia better now and sun burn is more of an issue. Sunday tour of the Island culimating with a visit to English harbour and then Shirly Heights to sample the fine scenery and steel pan music was a high light. The management at the REX resort where we stayed put on a meet and greet cocktail party the last night of our stay; an invitation too good to refuse. The food, drink and music went down a treat and we managed to meet the locals and other visitors that we would otherwise probably not interacted with; a very good evening. ... read more

Antigua wonders - Dickenson Bay. Visited Dickenson Bay, Antigua, early may 2011. What a wonderful place !!!... read more

Having arrived in Antigua over three weeks ago, you might wonder what the place has to keep anyone here this long. Well actually the time has been spent working on rainmaker. We felt the need to give her lots of love before attempting to sail back across the Atlantic, especially as the way back will potentially be far more challenging. We've spent the time getting her hauled out to look as good as new, taking the opportunity to do some antifouling and other general maintenance. With her interior also been revamped she does look pretty good and has increased her homeliness a huge amount. As she's been out of the water we camped ourselves for a while in Harmony Hall, which was just delightful. We've also spent a bit of time in Nelson's dockyard, which is ... read more