Antigua
29 March 2012
The Island with 365 Beaches
Antigua 3-26
We woke up before the 2AM alarm went off and prepared to set sail. Wind was scheduled to be out of the east but you know how accurate forecasts are! We had a south east wind and, you got it, our heading was directly into the wind. Several tacks and just under 30 hours later we had made the 80 mile trek to Antigua from St Barths. That is 80 miles if we could have sail straight there but we are a sailboat after all. With the current against us we made miserable time no matter how I try to rationalize it but it was a pleasant crossing. We had 'Under the Dome' by Stephen King on audio book and that kept us entertained. After arriving in Falmouth Harbor we took a quick shower then cleared in at Nelson's Dockyard, the historic headquarters for Admiral Nelson from days of old. After lunch we slept for hours. We followed that by going to bed early and sleeping for 10 more hours. Yes, we did take naps while sailing but it is still exhausting.
3-28
Last night we met some friends for 'Tot', a British tradition that basically involved drinking rum while toasting the Queen. Antigua while still very British, was given their independence years ago, but an excuse to drink rum is still an excuse to drink rum!
As we sat in the cockpit listening to the end of our audio book this evening, we saw whales breaching and splashing fins on the surface of the water outside the harbor. Seeing a whale, huge and heavy, shoot completely out of the water and causing a splash several stories high is a sight to behold. We have been so very lucky to see such amazing sights.
P.S. The pic is me, 'Up The Mast', changing the spreader lights.