Nics Diary – Part 10
Places Visited:
Antigua: Falmouth Harbour, English Harbour, Jolly Harbour,
Nonsuch Bay
St. Martin: Marigot
To begin with I would like to apologise for my extreme
laziness in keeping the blog updated. After our crossing, life became very slow
& relaxed. The whole preparation for the crossing seemed to take for ever,
and now we have chilled quite a bit. This blog updates us from arriving in
Antigua on 21.12.12 until leaving Antigua on the 23.2.13. (We also visited St
Martin in between).
When we arrived after our crossing, we decided that as it
was xmas and we still had our crew for a wee while then we would go into
Falmouth marina to relax and refresh (and of course party)! When we approached Antigua at night, we
noticed that there were a lot of white and red lights high in the sky. We
assumed this was some sort of suspension bridge, but awoke to realise that we
were surrounded by super yachts, which had well lit masts, so that the planes
could see them. We really were the smallest boat ever in Falmouth harbour. The
bow of the boat across from us in the marina was bigger than the full length of
our wee yacht!! The other super yachts had steps from the pontoon leading up to
them, and we had to crawl down a plank to get onto our boat. One of the big
fancy boats had 2 supply boats (both at least 4 times the size of ours), and
they had helicopters – what world had we just landed in?? It was a great
atmosphere, especially with the build-up to xmas. Every night there were
different crew having parties on the pontoon outside their super yacht. I found
it great to meet them, and to see how the other half lived. I got invited onto
one of them for a look around. Boy was I green with envy. Ensuite (properly
tiled), master bedrooms for the guests, a galley bigger than the inside of our
whole boat, hot tub on deck, jet skis, and glass coffee tables – what you can’t
sail with glass coffee tables – surely they would smash!!
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| Me daintily crawling down the plank in the posh marina! |
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| We got the feeling that this marina didn't really cater for wee yachts |
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| I couldn't resist 'borrowing' a plant for a xmas tree in our fancy marina! |
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| An example of one of the super yachts (this photo is in English Harbour) |
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| Our wee yacht next to a super yacht - only joking it's a remote control toy one!! |
We spent around a week in this marina, and attended several
parties. We went to Shirley Heights; a bar with a BBQ, live music, and a great
view of the whole of the island. We were invited to a BBQ on Pigeon beach,
organised some crew from a super yacht. On xmas day all 4 of us went into
Nelsons Dockyard for dinner, and then there was an outdoor champagne party.
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| Some of the 'big boys' out playing in Antigua - a common sight |
We fully enjoyed Antigua, as everyone was so friendly. The
locals smiled and said ‘hi’ in the street. Stevie and I enjoyed all of the
parties, as there was always a quiet corner at where we could ‘relax’ and hang
out with some local old guys – mon!! There were plenty of nice beaches, and in
a way the place reminded me of Bermuda, with its nicely pastel coloured houses.
Many of which were converted to the shops in the village – all very quaint!!
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| Very proud of our new sun shades for the boat! |
After xmas Stevie and I decided to move on to St Martin, as
we really needed to get some new batteries so that we could live at anchor
again, as our crew members were leaving us soon. Stevie had a bit of a crap
time trying to check out. Iona had found
a new boat, so her new skipper had to be there so Stevie could sign her off and
onto the other boat. James had rented an apartment, but Antigua require someone
who is staying (leaving a boat) to prove their accommodation, prove a flight
home (which he didn’t have as he wasn’t sure when he was leaving), and prove
100 US dollars in the bank per day to live on (who can eat and drink that much
every day??). Unfortunately for James,
they would not sign him off the boat, so he had to come to St Martin with us,
and purchase a return flight from there – what a joke!!
We agreed to give a Swedish guy, Goodstuff (as he pronounced
his name?? real name Gustaf), a lift to St Martin. It was great for me. I made
the dinner for all 4 of us, and then I was told I did not need to do a night
watch, as the 3 men would do it as I cooked. Excellent – a night off – thanks
captain!!
We were in St Martin for New Year, and decided to travel by
dingy to the Dutch side for the celebrations. We found a beach bar that had a
bonfire and some fireworks. It was ok, but not the same as home – I really
missed Scotland and all of my friends – boo hoo xx
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| A 'passer by' in the street in St Martin |
We got our new batteries, and Stevie was very happy to get
his new Tohatsu 9.8 engine that he has been wanting for months. I admit it has
turned our beautiful snow white (the dingy) into a smoothly planing limousine!!
St Martin has an inland lagoon, which stretches from the
French side to the Dutch side. The lagoon contains many trashed boats from a
hurricane some years ago. I called it ‘the graveyard anchorage’. Some of the
boats had no masts, or rigging etc, but people still lived on them. It was as
if they were cruisers who had had their boat trashed in the hurricane, maybe
didn’t have enough money to repair them, and decided to just live there
permanently. Some of these boats had extensions built onto them of floating oil
drums, with wooden huts built on top. Quite a sight!! The rest of St Martin
just felt like the med.
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| One of the many 'trashed' boats in the lagoon |
After walking several hours, the long way around the runway
at St Martin airport, we finally found the famous bar where the planes land
very close overhead. It was quite scary as they were so near; it felt like you
could almost touch them. There were warning signs that the close planes may
cause death, but no-one cared!! Fab view!!
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| Enjoying an ice cream on our long walk to find the runway bar |
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| Stevie being polite as always! |
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Was difficult to get a good photo of how close the planes were due to the delay on my stupid camera
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After around 2 weeks in St Martin waiting for the right
winds, we returned to Antigua. This time we checked in at Jolly Harbour as it
is much cheaper than Falmouth or English harbour (no park fees etc). Jolly
harbour is quite nice to see, as there are lots of villas with their own
private boat docks all along the harbour side. Although it is called Jolly
harbour, there is no atmosphere in the place, and we quickly moved onto English
Harbour (next to Falmouth where we had been before).
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| Jolly Harbour |
The anchorage in English harbour is by far the worst we have
visited with regards to being overcrowded, and the current and wind pushing the
boats in all sorts of unpredictable directions. We had a few sleepless nights,
but really enjoyed our time here otherwise. We ended up spending nearly 5 weeks
there – the longest we have ever been in one anchorage. The thing with the
anchorage being so packed is that very quickly you get to know your neighbours.
We had a lovely English couple, Karen and Nigel, who were next to us on a Sigma
38 yacht- Persephone. They had participated
in the racing division of the ARC and did the crossing faster than many larger
boats. We climbed up to Shirley Heights with them one day, and had a few beers,
as you do! We also went on a few coastal cliff walks in the area. There was a
quiet beach with no houses on it, which became our regular Sunday BBQ and
bonfire. There were around 7 yachts in the far side of the anchorage that
remained there permanently. Many of these yachties became good friends, and we
enjoyed their company at the BBQ. There was also a cruisers dinner at the local
‘hot spot’ café, where we also had a good catch up with the other cruisers. And
not to forget, the friendly turtle in the anchorage (I first thought his brown
head was a poo floating by!!)
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| The view from Shirley Heights - Our wee boat is somewhere in the first anchorage that you can see |
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| Us with Karen |
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| Live music at Shirley Heights |
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| Our Sunday BBQ - with my good friend Lilly in the brown dress |
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| Nigel & Karen (our neighbours) at the BBQ |
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| Our good buddies Dana & Joe |
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| Everyones transport home from the BBQ - We loved Sundays!! |
Stevies almost step sister was coming to Antigua to get
married. We decided to move our boat back round to Falmouth harbour, quickly
visit the supermarket there, and then go on to Nonsuch Bay (close to where the
wedding was). Our ‘quick’ visit to the supermarket ended up being quite a
nightmare, as when we dropped the anchor, and the boat moved backwards, the
dingy rope tangled around the propeller, and cut off our engine. Oops – our
silliest disaster yet!! Also, we forgot that the holding wasn’t so great in
Falmouth Harbour, and to add salt to the wound, we dragged back quite a
distance, and became ‘a little too close for comfort’ with another yacht. Next the
chain started to slip through the windlass – making us even closer. I quickly
tightened the clutch, and luckily the boat stopped moving backwards, as the
anchor finally dug in. We had to apologise to the boat behind us, explained
that we had stupidly got the painter wrapped around the prop, and promised we
would move to a better spot when we fixed our errors!!
We both jumped into the water, and attempted
to free the rope. It was wrapped around the rudder too, and after several
attempts realised that we could not manage. Luckily the really nice and
understanding man (Ian) on the yacht behind us had diving equipment, and quickly
came to our rescue. We thanked him kindly. He and his wife (Mary) and their 2
children had just arrived from crossing the Atlantic, so we cooked them a nice dinner
as a big thanks!! We rarely tow the dinghy and had only towed it as it was such
a short distance, Steven had forgot to tighten up the painter(the rope that
attaches the dinghy to the yacht) before reversing –ooopppsssss.
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| Maltese Falcon in Falmouth Harbour |
The following day we set off to Nonsuch Bay, and sought out
the wedding party at the Grand Pineapple Resort. Talk about tight security – we
were closely followed around the resort by the security guards until we found
Kimberly (the bride) and Ashley (the groom). We made arrangements for the
wedding day, and agreed to see them then.
We had a day pass for the wedding, allowing us entry at 10am until 2am.
Including all we could eat and drink. The day was great, although I must admit
I did slightly abuse the ‘all you can drink’ aspect (as you do)!! We arranged
with the wedding party (of 8) to take them out for a day sail. Unfortunately 3
of our guests turned a little green even though they had taken sea sickness
tablets.
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| Mr & Mrs Kimberly & Ashley |
Shortly after the wedding, we made our way back to Jolly
harbour, where our friends from home (Chris & Steve) were. It was, once
again, great to see their friendly faces, and catch up on their stories.
Unfortunately, this is probably the last time we will see them, as they are
heading north, to return home by August. I will really miss you both – and
thanks for all of your sailing wisdom and tips (including advise on how to live aboard with a man!!)xx
We loved our time in Antigua, with lots of friendly people
whom I shall always remember. If we ever return to the Caribbean, no doubt
Antigua will be first on the list. We have seen a few Islands since Antigua,
but I will talk about them shortly on my next blog entry. At present we are in
St Lucia, and won’t be drifting too far until Stevie finally gets his new
passport!! I appear to still be gaining weight – I wonder why that could be??
Missing you all millions, lots of love Nicola xxx
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| The captain hard at work! |
