Final Caribbean Days

Well it is time to say good-bye to this adventure.  Pam and Glen have been great hosts and it was good to set foot on the Blue Pearl again.  There is something very special about the blue sky, warm sunshine, warm waters, starry nights and the cool breezes of the Caribbean.  When you add the great company, some sailing and exposure to different places, people and things, it makes for some very special memories.  

I cannot forget to mention how special it was to be reunited with Jinder and Glen alone on the boat.  Our histories are forever intertwined and to spend time on our own was unique.

Our last day was spent sailing from North Sound back to Hermitage in Five Islands Bay.  We rode a silent gentle wind most of the way.  We stopped at Deep Bay for lunch and a hike to the historic lookout before the last hour to what has become my new Antigua home, Hermitage Bay.  Our final night was my sixth of this trip.

Ever Present Goats By The Sea

Island Tropical Freight Leaving St. John's

We had our last swim in the sea and our last meal and night on the Pearl.  Our evening was made more special by Glen and Pam's long time friends/sailors/cruisers Sid and Kate.  We had met Sid before and Kate for the first time.  The evening was filled with cruising stories and smiles all around.

Our last morning was a motor into Jolly Harbour right around the corner and a walk of the plank (actually a short Murphy the Dinghy ferry ride) to catch a taxi into town for our afternoon flight home.

All is good!

Until next time.

North to Bird Island and Jumby

We haven’t gone far or done much but it has been well worth it. 

We spent two nights at Carlisle Bay.  Our days were filled with sitting, visiting, eating and drinking, punctuated with dinghy rides to shore for brief walks and swims in the sea.  All of which were most relaxing and enjoyable.

 Our evenings began at sunset with cocktails and followed by sumptuous meals cooked and served by either Glen or Pam.  Post meal times were equally divided between more discussions, or a movie in the salon.  Bedtime reading commenced around 10 or 11 pm. 

After two nights at Carlisle we set sail for Jolly Harbour.  Just before we pulled up the anchor Deborah, Glen and I went for a snorkel along the nearby shore.  There were lots of weeds on the bottom and maybe the fish were hiding because we only saw a few green speckle-backed and some single bright blue ones. 

We enjoyed a nice sail up the leeward coast.  There is something very special when the only sound is the wind in the rigging and the splash of water as the boat cut through the waves.  The wind was with us most of the way but we did motor in to Jolly to get groceries.  After a quick trip to shore we motored around the headland to set anchor at Hermitage Bay (and the source of the strong free Internet).

The Hermitage anchorage provided much the same as Carlisle.  More great meals and some more bobs in the blue.  On the first night we enjoyed a steel drum band in concert at the resort on the shore.

In For A Swim at Heritage Bay

We took a side trip into St. John's from Jolly Harbour.  It was by local bus and took around 25 minutes.  The bus delivered us downtown to the Markets.  Fish on one side of the street, vegetables and fruit on the other.  It was a Monday so the markets were quiet but still worth a gawk.

Fortunately for us, there were no cruise ships in the harbour.  Walking was difficult as it was with the narrow sidewalks full of locals.  We strolled to the Cruise Terminal and saw all the high end shops with their $200 US sunglasses.

We visited the Museum.  It was worth it for the great displays and the fabulous air conditioning.   The building was built in the 1700's and served as the Island's original Court House.  The displays told the story of the original Indian inhabitants, the plantations of sugarcane, and the triangular trade of manufactured goods to Africa's west coast, slaves to the West Indies, and rum and molasses back to Europe.  It included a full statue of International West Indies Cricket icon, Dr. Vivian Richards.

After washing down a Shwarma with a local beer and picking up a few fresh supplies at the market, we headed back to the boat on the bus.

We left Hermitage for the trip over the northern tip.  This was new ground for both Deb and I.  Glen and Pam have tried to take other guests around the north in the past but have been turned back by heavy seas.  Going clockwise around the island means venturing straight into the wind from the east.  There is no chance of sailing directly into the wind but even motoring can be problematic with facing large swells that act as speed bumps to the Pearl.  Luckily for us the conditions were good and after seeing St. John’s from the sea we safely anchored off Bird Island for the night.

The next morning we had a quick hike to the top of the island for a great view of our surroundings.  We were not alone for long. At least five different boats arrived full of day tourists from the various resorts and cruise ships.  They were all there to snorkel.  We simply joined them and enjoyed the best snorkeling of the trip.  There were large numbers of varied coloured fish amongst the coral.

Bird Island

We Weren't Alone

We Weren't Alone

After a great lunch we motored over to Davis Bay on Long Island.  The island is one huge resort for the rich and famous called Jumby Bay.  We might have been able to go ashore but didn’t want to chance it with the island’s security forces.

Jumby Bay Resort

One more night here and it is a sail (hopefully) with the wind at our back, back to Jolly Harbour and from there a quick taxi to the airport for our return home.

The Girls Arrived

Freeman Bay - From the Top of Fort Shirley

Arrived in Great Shape Considering the Red Eye Flight

The Girls have arrived.  We met Pam and Deborah at the Breeze Way dinghy dock at 3 pm after their taxi ride from the airport.  I’m sure boat life will look a little different in the days to come.  Glen has been on his own, without Pam for most of a month overseeing Blue Pearl’s repairs/replacements of her chain plates.  Jinder and I were only here a week but had helped maintain the manliness of the routine.  I’m not sure we are going to get to eat a jar of pickles at each meal in the future.

We Did Enjoy a Side Trip to Devil's Bridge

Our short interlude between Jinder leaving and the girl’s arrival was supposed to be down time and possibly a trip by bus into St. John’s.  It might have happened that way if Glen had not noticed we were seriously low on water.  While I couldn’t hear the cogs turning in his brain, I was sure that he was casting a suspicious eye toward his landlubbers guests, calculating whether they had used too much water on their daily ablutions.  Just before we were both ready to throw the only absent guy under the bus with blame, Glen checked a water pipe connection accessible through the stern cabin and “voila” there it was, a water leak. 

After a few turns of the connection all was good and the lack of water should have been an easy fix except for the fact all the facilities ashore at Falmouth (and English) Harbours were without water due to a government system failure.  A phone call to Jolly Harbour (14 nautical miles north) determined it was an oasis.  We had three hours to get there.  Out came the anchor and away we went.  Averaging 7 naught we arrived at the gas/water station with an hour to spare except that a boat was already at the dock.  We waited with an eye on the clock.  Just as the previous boat prepared to leave a third boat hailed us, claiming our spot saying that they had been waiting for an hour.  Polite Canadians that we are, we pulled away and gave them the prime spot at the dock.  Eventually we got in with only minutes to spare.  It actually turned out to be a good thing as we were able to leave the boat there and take an easy walk to the grocery store to soak up the air conditioning and buy some more pickles.

First Night Cocktails

Glen prepared a superb meal of shrimp and pasta for the girls’ first night.  We were up early at the crack of 10 and Deb, Glen and I were off for the Middle Ground hike.  Pam stayed back to see if she could find the things Glen had mischievously restored in different places.

Morning Coffee Before the Big Hike

Mineral Inspection For Volcanic Rock

English Cannon Leftover

For Those With Bad Eyes It States "1805"

After the sights and hike we stopped for an authentic Antiguan lunch of Roti’s.  Deb and Glen had Conch and I had chicken served by self named Sexy Tasha with a capital T.  We also took a chicken roti to go for Pam.

After afternoon napping we had another fine evening meal.  We finished the evening with a rousing game of “Catch Phrase” where the team of Pam & George were declared victors by Pam and George.  The others were dubious.

Our second day saw the four of us return to the historical Nelson Dockyard for further exploration, picture taking, and lunch overlooking the Marina.

Admiral Deborah Nelson

A Single Row Across the Atlantic - 2005

Daily Routine 

Our afternoon was spent on the Blue Pearl surfing 6 to 8 foot waves with only the Staysail supporting Yan Diesel for a run to Carlisle Bay for more beach, swimming, snorkeling, reading, Internet time.