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.

Falmouth and English Harbours

It was a short but bumpy ride from Carlisle to Falmouth Harbour.  Bumpy is a bit of an understatement.  It was into the wind with gusts of 30+ km/hr.  Both Jinder and I were both thrown to the deck on two separate occasions.  Jinder took a slight leg injury while my roll of insulation protected me from harm.  Lunch making was out of the question.

We anchored in Falmouth Harbour out of the rolling seas but still in the howling wind.  The wind is with us a few more days and scheduled to abate just after Jinder returns home and the girls arrive.

Falmouth Harbour is filled with cruising yachts.  According to “The Cruising Guide To The Leeward Islands”, Antigua is the winter home of many of the gold-plated character yachts of sail and power and is the main base for yachts in the entire Caribbean.

Almost immediately next-door is English Harbour.  It is almost literally one harbour except for about 200 meters of land separating the two.  Both were recognized as potential strategic harbours in the early 1700’s with English Harbour’s Nelson (after the Admiral) Dockyard completed as it stands today in 1745.

After lunch on the boat it was a dingy ride to shore to have a quick tour of the Nelson Dockyards and a cold beer at the Breezeway shops.  The small village is really just a series of food stands, car rentals, and marine related businesses.  We had forgotten it was Good Friday and most were closed. 

The Pillars Supported the Sail Loft Floor Where Sails were Stored

Back to the boat we went, toasted each other at sunset and enjoyed yet one more of Jinder’s gourmet meals.  Our team has bonded very well.  Captain Glen is the Chief at sea (and Bartender at anchor), Jinder is the Chef, and I am the Cleanliness Engineer post meal.

It was a bit of a wild night with rain squalls and gusts that kept the rigging singing throughout the night.

Next day it was early and onshore for a hike by 10 am.  We dinghied in and walked to the Middle Ground Trail at Pigeon Beach, Falmouth Harbour.  The hike isn’t long and the rocky trail takes you to breathtaking views of both harbours.  It ends at English Harbour and the Dockyards.  We bought a few cold beers and sat on a bench under the trees and enjoyed the marina’s mega yacht scene.

Falmouth Harbour

Must Watch For Cactus Catching Your Ankles

English Harbour

It was past lunchtime and we wandered to Betty’s lunch stand on the main (and only) road.  Betty served the lunch of rice, Dumplings, BBQ ribs, goat soup, and Decana for dessert.  We were thoroughly entertained by five-year old Spencer as we ate our lunch.  We learned that Decana is eaten on Good Friday because local tradition demands that only bloodless foods be eaten.

Our New Best Friend 5-Year Old Spencer

After lunch it was back to the boat for an afternoon nap and then up again at 3 to dinghy over to Pigeon Beach for a swim before dinner.

We enjoyed our last Jinder gourmet.  Unfortunately Jinder has to return to the real world and go back to work.  It will be difficult for us but we will find away to manage.

The next morning we were up early and on shore to rent a car to do some touring and deposit Jinder at the airport by noon.  It was up to Shirley Heights for yet more spectacular views and then a slow drive to the airport taking in the sights.

English In Front - Falmouth Behind - From Shirley Heights

Sailing to Carlisle Bay

Carlisle Bay

We pulled up anchor and left Deep Bay for a cruise down to Carlisle Bay, located just a few nautical miles west from Falmouth.  Sailing south on the leeward side of the island country was serene.  With the sun shining and the wind coming from the east it was smooth sailing with the main and staysail.  That is until we had to “turn left” at the southern end of the leeward side and into the wind we went.  The sails were dropped and Yan Diesel was put into action.  Captain Glen told us, “it’s going to be a rough hobby horse ride for the next while”.  Into the wind we went bucking (and a little twisting).  The onshore scenery included the many resorts that dot the coastline of this tourist paradise. 

Despite the boat’s actions, Jinder volunteered to go below, (ignoring possible seasickness) to once again prepare a gourmet meal for lunch.  The fragrance of frying onions sound started to make it way from below.  The onions were a perfect compliment to our smokies engulfed in a bed of horseradish mayonnaise rucked up in a Jolly Harbour bakery bun.  Served with dill pickles and beer the roughest part of the trip was most bearable.

Just a few miles short of Falmouth we deked into Carlisle Bay and anchored right in front of the Carlisle Bay Resort.  Much to our pleasant surprise the resort sent us strong free Wi-Fi signal. 

After setting the ship right and soaking up our tech time, we set out to explore.  We left Murphy on the beach and walked up the only road in the place.  First stop was a “sortof” restaurant.  They were preparing an island dish called Ducana (coconut, flour, & potatoes), to be served the next day.  Further down the road we found a fruit stand/gambling den.  We observed but didn’t participate in the cash dominoes game but did buy some pineapple and mangoes to supplement the ships stores.

Fruits & Vegetables (and Gambling Den Behind the Tarp

She Was Happy to See Us

End of Beach and Back Walk - the Extent of our Exercise

 We took a walk down the beach and contemplated stepping into the bar but had second thoughts when we saw the resort prices.  We decided against a the beer in favour of a swim in the sea and then back to the boat for a nap in preparation for cocktails, grilled pork chops and bean salad.

We ended the night by taking turns choosing songs from our respected devices.  Each song had to be prefaced with a short description of why it meant something to you.

Because Carlisle Bay has a small tidal surge, our night’s sleep was akin to being gently rocked in a cradle.

Off to Falmouth today.