English Harbor, Antigua Mega-Yacht Boat Show

We are sitting in Jolly Harbor Antigua after a nice sail from English Harbor this morning. The trip Tuesday 12/6 from Guadalupe was a 7 hour motor in flat water, not a ripple, but with 5 foot swells. The ocean looked like blue jello going up and down with the motion very easy on the boat. Arriving in English Harbor we found it packed with Mega-Yachts. Nelson's dockyard is known for attracting big boats but this was ridiculous. As we motored further through the anchorage we realized we had stumbled into the Mega-Yacht Boat show for the charter business. Yachts from 80 foot to 243 foot were lined up on the docks. We spent a colorful 4 days rubbing elbows with these people and enjoying the restored fort and boatyard from the 18th -a national park.

Since the day after Thanksgiving in St. Lucia we have been moving steadily. We have seen most of these Island on the way south and I am trying to get further north before the Christmas winds settle in. Last year they blew 20 - 25 knots out of the East for almost 2 months. If it is blowing 25 you are stuck where you are.

From St. Lucia we sailed to Martinique and spent about a week there. Our friends George and Joanne speak French so it made the week fun particularly lunch at a very nice French restaurant.

Martinique to Dominica was a 10 hour day with pretty good winds and 4-5 foot seas. We were able to sail some but the engine was on quite a bit. People ask us all the time" which Island is our favorite". They are all so different we don't have a favorite but I really like Dominica. Dominica is not touristy at all. There is a reason they filmed Jurassic Park here with huge mountains and dramatic cliffs all covered with huge palm trees and ferns. We got up in the morning and our guide brought us on a hike to a waterfalls. I know Eileen did a blog on this but I really enjoyed our little hike. We crossed a couple of streams in knee deep water, climbed some hills, stopped to look at parrots, ate some grapefruit off the trees, then arrived at the waterfalls. It was like something I did as a kid and we were just sweaty and muddy enough to feel like we had done something. Very fun. From Dominica we spent a couple of nights in Les Saintes and then Deishaise, Guadeloupe. These are picturesque little towns straight out of a European landscape. In Les Saintes, we celebrated Eileen's birthday dinner with our fellow cruisers from the boats Allegro, Hoofbeats, Neauvo Jour, and Walk About. It was a lively time but the group dispersed quickly the next day and we are again traveling solo.

Tomorrow is Sunday and customs should be open for us to clear out and head to Nevis and St. Kitts Monday-about 45 miles. The following day it's 50 miles to St. Barts. We did not find St. Kitts very exciting the first time and they are calling for some big winds at the end of next week. If I am going to be stuck somewhere because of weather I plan to enjoy it.