Category: Antigua

Green Island

Before and after having guests in Antigua, we spent a good few weeks at Ricketts Harbour on Green Island. Green Island is located on the south eastern side of Antigua. It’s a regular stop for tour boats which bring their passengers for swim/snorkels/beach time and feed them lunch before completing their circumnavigation back to St John’s.

Here’s a shot of Alberio (fellow Salty Dawg boat) on the other mooring at Ricketts Harbour.

Alberio on the other mooring ball
Alberio on the other mooring ball

One day the guide that was taking people out for a snorkel came near by our boat and grabbed hold of one of the turtles. Let me tell you that turtle was not happy and I don’t blame him. I felt for him as all the snorkelers attempted to pet him.

This turtle was not happy
Turtle released back to freedom
Start of RANT: Turtles are not pets. If you ever have the opportunity to be close enough to touch one, let him be. We don’t want to give them any diseases as they are on the endangered species list. Please enjoy them from a distance and respect their environment. End of RANT.

While we enjoy having fun on the island we also take the time to work on some boat projects. This season my boat project consists of recovering the cockpit cushions. We bought the fabric through Sailrite last fall and the time on Green Island seemed like the time to get it going.

The first cushion took me two full days to do. It would have been quicker if I knew what I was doing. I had to do some rework here and there. I proudly got the first 4 finished and have 3 to go. After having the sewing machine on the table in the salon for nearly 2 weeks straight I wanted to see a tidy space and put it away. So the job will be finished when I feel ready to tackle the last 3 cushions at some point in the future.

Paul always has several boat projects on the go. He is constantly keeping our finances in order and updating our computers. His major project while here was the tightening down of the dinghy davits which had all come loose on the recent passages. On these davits are two solar panels. If those bolts had come any more loose, we might have lost those panels into the ocean. I’m always appreciative of his diligence in checking for loose nuts and bolts (ocean motion really takes its toll). He also polished some of the stainless steel in places that I can’t reach and worked on a broken shower pump and the dinghy gas motor which continued to give us problems.

Between the projects we relaxed, snorkeled, took Charlie for walks on the beach. We also entertained ourselves with guests on board and by watching the action around us.

Charlie ready for guests to arrive (or maybe he just wants some hummus)
Alberio crew kayaking at Green Island
Here’s a sample of the entertainment we get to watch while cruising
Boys will be boys

We also watched the start of the Caribbean 600 race from the boat. They were off in the distance, but we could see well enough. This is a race that takes boats around many islands in the Caribbean totalling 600 nautical miles from beginning to end. They start and end just outside of English Harbour with the first leg going past the south eastern end of Antigua and heading north toward Barbuda. We’ve seen bits of this race each year we’ve been down here and enjoy following the boats online as well.

Phaedo 3 and Concise neck and neck from beginning to end
Phaedo 3 and Concise neck and neck from beginning to end

This is the first boat we noticed, there were many more to follow
The race is on
There are a variety of boats in the race

Before leaving Green Island I wanted to give a little something back to the environment and to follow my mum’s words of wisdom, “leave things better than you found them”. So I took a garbage bag to the beach and filled it to the brim and brought it to Falmouth Harbor for disposal on Feb 25th. Our time on Green Island was over for the season.

Collecting garbage
Green Island Beach

Here are a few pictures of the local Green Island Turtles
One of several turtles at Green Island
One of several turtles at Green Island

A turtle coming up for air
A turtle coming up for air

Guests visit February 2016

While waiting for our guests to arrive, we were joined at Green Island by Alberio (Steve & Lynne) and Rum Runner (Phil & Judie). Of course with friends around we spent many evenings aboard Blue Sky playing a favorite dice game among cruisers called Farkel. Lots of fun and laughter.

Before Rum Runner arrived to Green Island Judie messaged me on Facebook and asked if I needed anything from the grocery store. She kindly brought me a few items of fresh produce which allowed us to stay at Green Island until our guests arrived.

February 4th, all of us took our dinghies up to Harmony Hall to meet Maureen and George, neighbors of ours from White Rock. They were pleasantly surprised to see not only us to greet them, but a whole group of us to greet them.

Salty Dawgs
Harmony Hall
Sugar Mill
View from the Sugar Mill
Sugar Mill at Harmony Hall

We knew Maureen and George would be exhausted from travel so didn’t plan too much for the night of their arrival and stayed put for their first full day on the water so they could get their sea legs established. Here we also had everyone over to Blue Sky for a cruisers happy hour which includes appetizers of all sorts that everyone brings followed by introducing our guests to the game of Farkel.

We left Green Island on the 6th of Feb and began our tour of Antigua and Barbuda with Maureen and George (read to the end of the post for Maureen’s accounts of the week). The highlight of the week had to be the Frigate Bird tour. These birds are so plentiful in the lagoon on Barbuda. They have a huge rookery. The tour boat picked us up at the pier near the house/restaurant on the west side of the island. He took us right up to within feet of these birds. Mating season lasts until late March so we were there in the middle of it. Lucky for us, we saw birds in all stages of mating from the males puffing out their red gular pouches, to birds sitting on their eggs, to birds feeding their young, some young ones with only stubs for wings at this stage.

Hungry Baby
Hungry Baby

We were worried about taking Charlie along, but these birds were so calm that he didn’t seem bothered by them at all. It was fascinating.

The end of the tour took us to Coderington just in time for school to get out. With Charlie being a rather special dog around the islands, he was immediately surrounded by children of all sizes wanting to give him a pet. He is such a good sport with children. We eventually broke away and finished our brief walking tour of the town.

Children interested in Charlie
Children interested in Charlie

That evening a northern swell came in. There was no way to go ashore again to stroll the beach for shells which I normally like to do.
We made our way back to Deep Bay in the hope of snorkeling the wreck, but the swell caused the sand to be stirred up so much that Maureen said she couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face.
The following is an email received from Maureen for the blog that sums up the entire visit nicely.
Once in awhile, if a person is lucky, a golden opportunity presents itself to do something that he or she never ever thinks might happen. Well, that kind of opportunity happened this February to George and me.
Thanks Paul and Gwyn and Charlie, for a week of your incredible hospitality and most capable sailing on sv Blue Sky around the island of Antigua and to Barbuda. We began at Harmony Hall, drinks in hand, meeting some of your Salty Dawg friends in a warm, tropical garden atmosphere. (This, after an overnight airport sleep and flights from cold, rainy Vancouver.)

Needlenose
Stingray
Queen Angelfish
Spotted Eagle Ray

We then spent a delightful day and two nights at Green Island, swimming with the giant turtles and colourful fish, exploring the island, and celebrating the good life with more friends. What was the name of that crazy dice game again? Sailed on to Falmouth Harbour to explore beautifully restored Nelson’s Dockyard with Captain Charlie leading the way.

Waiting at Nelson’s Dockyard
English Harbour
Antigan’s dressed in their finest

Jolly Harbour and Deep Bay were next, each adding some insight into Antiguan life before setting off for the most magnificent sail to Barbuda.

Hiking at Deep Bay
Serenity
Ruins at Deep Bay
Maureen & George at Deep Bay

To heck with windburn and hot sun, standing on the deck watching the scene unfold before us, I had the incredible luck to see a manta ray breach ahead of us. It looked like it was trying to fly, its magnificent fins flapping down a runway of whitecaps and waves.

Easy Downwind Sailing
Easy Downwind Sailing

Barbuda, with its up close and personal small boat tour of a frigate bird colony consisting of thousands of birds in all life’s stages and a walkabout in the small village of Codrington were absolute highlights. So were the size of the waves crashing on the beach that night and being woken by the bang of the waves breaking on Blue Sky’s hull. Timing was everything getting on and off the beach in the zodiac but we were a team!

Sand – Barbuda
Waiting for the tour guide – Barbuda
Tour Boat
Frigate Bird Rookery
Rookery
Frigate Bird with puffed out Red Gular Pouch
Cyclist in Codrington
Archaelogy in Barbuda
Northern swell- Barbuda

Deserted beaches, fine, soft sand and sunny days. This was the stuff of one’s imagination. The last night was spent in Jolly Harbour before saying our goodbyes.

Thanks again to our great hosts for making a dream come true. The 360 degree view and the comfort of Blue Sky added to it all. May you have many happy and safe seasons of sailing in your paradise.

Hanging out with friends

As we were preparing to leave Green Island and Antigua, we received an email from friends Judy and Ed on sv Judith Arlene. They had just arrived back to Jolly Harbour from Guadeloupe and wondered if we were still around as they were hoping to return to Nonsuch Bay. We contacted them and arranged to meet up in Jolly Harbour for a few days. This would give us another chance to get some fresh vegies on board and see our friends. Paul could play some guitar with Ed, and Charlie could get together with Nigel, their schnauzer.

As we sailed around we decided we’d see if we could extend our stay in Antigua in order to hang out with Judy and Ed. This was easily done with a quick visit to the Port Authority and $25 US. So now we have another month to enjoy this beautiful place.

Judy and Ed had never been to Deep Bay so we encouraged them to join us over there for a few days. We did the usual hike up to Fort Barrington and snorkelled the wreck that is sunken in the bay. There were a few rains while here, but it never lasts long and we simply enjoyed ourselves. We had a music night on board Blue Sky with Rob and Barb (Riff Raff), and Judy and Ed (Judith Arlene). Barb knew the words to every song by heart. Amazing singer too. Such and enjoyable evening.

Nigel is Judy and Ed’s dog. Charlie is a bit of a snarly guy when he’s around other dogs, but Nigel is one of the calmest dogs I’ve ever met. During our time together Charlie slowly came around and the two became doggie friends. This is good for Charlie. More time with Nigel, we hoped, would help Charlie get over his dog aggression. So the plan was to head back to Nonsuch Bay along with Judy and Ed.

So on April 4th (where does the time go), we headed back to Nonsuch Bay. The bay was very busy with boats it being Easter weekend. The locals had tents on Green Island and nearly every mooring ball was taken. We managed to get two moorings nearest the reef where there is nothing but Atlantic ocean beyond until Africa. Judy absolutely loves this side of Green Island in Nonsuch Bay, but we kept our eyes on the other side, dinghying or paddling over every day after Easter to see if a mooring was free.

Two days after Easter Monday we lucked out and got a mooring on the south west side of Green Island. Judy and Ed followed later in the day when the second mooring became free. There was a little excitement when they came over. Their engine quit while in the narrow cut that comes around Green Island. We were hanging on the mooring for them with the paddleboard and kayak when we saw their jib go out. We figured something was wrong. They disappeared back to where they came from, then showed up again. Meanwhile, I went to Blue Sky and radioed them. They needed our dinghy in the water to help guide them to the mooring as they had no engine. Paul went immediately while I held onto the ball with the paddleboard. I figured I could help with the lines when they got close. The adrenaline was running high when they arrived and rightly so.

Somewhere in here P got an email from his sister encouraging him to come visit his mom. She had a virus during the winter and was not recovering as well as usual. Decision was made that he would go visit now and I would stay on the boat in this safe harbour with Judy and Ed hanging in with me in case I needed anything while he was away. That’s what friends are for, and we are ever so grateful for them.

Meanwhile, I gave Judy, Ed, and Nigel some lessons on the SUP. Judy and I got into doing yoga together on the deck of Blue Sky. We’d walk the dogs together a few times each day and we spent many evenings together with Paul and Ed strumming their guitars while we all sang. We also did the usual snorkelling and swimming together a few times. I even tried out Judy and Ed’s Solaris chairs.
The day P departed for his visit to Burlington, we all rented a car together so the rest of us could get a few groceries and Judy and Ed could extend their stay at customs. It was a long day for the dogs to stay on their boats while we were away until dusk. They managed, but we heard from Q Queenie (a motor Lagoon anchored behind Blue Sky) that Charlie was very noisy and they were worried about him. He just doesn’t like to be left on the boat alone.

So here I am while Paul is away for a few more days. I’m keeping myself busy doing boat cleaning chores. Not a bad place to hang out awhile longer.

SUP with Charlie and Nigel
SUP with Charlie and Nigel
Relaxing on the beach
Relaxing on the beach
Swimming Charlie
Swimming Charlie
Blue Sky & Judith Arlene
Blue Sky & Judith Arlene

Green Island

So after hanging out in Barbuda for 10 days it was time to head back to Antigua and get some provisions. I wasn’t ready to leave Antigua yet, so I suggested we sail back over to Nonsuch Bay after an overnight in Jolly Harbour. It didn’t take long for Paul to agree to that one. We had a lovely 5 hour sail.

While heading into Nonsuch Bay we noticed that both mooring balls on the south west side of Green Island were available. We always look longingly at these as they are always occupied, but as luck would have it, we could have one. We immediately took the one nearest the beach and were greeted by 2 sea turtles. What luck.

This particular bay has two beaches. One which Charlie loves to walk on and the other he likes to swim at. The water is crystal clear and there are reefs all around. As our time here progressed we had daily sightings of the turtles, as many as 5 of them at once. Paul got good at spotting them while snorkeling.

We got ourselves into a bit of a routine while here taking Charlie ashore twice a day. Most days a tour boat or two show up for some snorkeling of one of the reefs. They stick around from 11-1 and depart after everyone is fed lunch. It’s entertainment for us to see them on a daily basis. One of them had guests on board who started cheering “Go Canucks Go” for us as they departed. What fun. The rest of the time we share the bay with one or two other boats.

We also managed a few projects while enjoying this serene place. I pulled out the sewing machine and made a suncover for the dodger and repaired the cushion cover on our salon settee. Some hand sewing was also in order with repairs to the strapping on the sail cover. I also cleaned up the stainless and removed rust from the fiberglass. Paul repaired the stanchion on the bow and tightened up the lifelines and did his usual scraping barnacles off the hull.

Often in the evenings we’d head to the bow to watch the stars. On one of these nights we noticed what looked like fireflies in the ocean. They were lighting up for about an hour and then stopped. We looked it up and discovered it is a type of bioluminescence. We saw it again a few nights later, deciding that it seemed to occur with the incoming tide.

It was easy to spend 10 days here. The days went by like a flash in this little piece of paradise. It fast became my absolute favorite place to be in Antigua and I’ve already put it on my wish list as a place to return to as often as possible.

Back To Antigua – follow the meteor

Turtle wishing us bon voyage as we leave Deshaies
Turtle wishing us bon voyage as we leave Deshaies

We learned a lot about sailing our boat in 30-40 knot winds on our passages from Antigua to Deshaies to the Saints and return then on to Barbuda. These high winds were quite unusual and the result was that we saw almost no boats on the water except in Guadeloupe. After 5 trips of 30+ sustained winds on a close reach or a beam reach, we definitely developed a comfort level with managing the boat in that wind strength. I can’t honestly say that the close reach was physically comfortable but it wasn’t bad, just a little rough at times when the waves arrived in the wrong sequence or broke over the boat.

Deshaies to Antigua was a touch rough double reefed the whole way
Deshaies to Antigua was a touch rough double reefed the whole way

At those wind speeds we were definitely double reefed on main and genoa, sometimes triple reefed on the gennie if we were seeing frequent gusts over 40 or prolonged gusts. We still happily tore along at over 8 knots, despite some wave bashing, which made the passages reasonably quick.

Montserrat to port on way to Antigua in a 32g40 breeze but loving the boat speed
Montserrat to port on way to Antigua in a 32g40 breeze but loving the boat speed

We were a couple of hours from Antigua when I was startled by a meteor blazing extremely bright as it tore across the sky right by us also heading north. I have never seen a meteor in the daylight before, let alone as close as this one was. The brightness was like looking at a welding torch. Just before winking out, a part of the meteor separated and descended in a jagged trail of smoke. Sorry no pics. My jaw just hung open a while.