Richard
15/Jan/2010, Barbuda

Believe me, they tasted every bit as good as they looked.

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Richard
14/Jan/2010, Low Bay, Barbuda

A lovely reaching sail from Green Island up to Barbuda, always a little heart stopping negotiating the reefs off Spanish Point, even with the sun dead overhead. Two hundred shipwrecks are testament to the hazards of the coral reefs of Barbuda.
Cocoa Point still makes a fabulous anchorage even though the Lodge is looking somewhat tired, and the once famous K Club has now been abandoned for some time.
Eleven Mile Beach on the west coast is still awesome. The smart new Lighthouse Bay Hotel has now opened, but otherwise it is as unspoilt as ever, turquoise sea fringed by a strip of soft pink sand disappearing over the horizon and barely a soul on it.
Codrington is as sleepy an outpost as ever, even though the dirt roads have now been surfaced, and some shiny new vehicles have appeared, it has lost little of its charm.
We negotiate a bag full of live lobsters from one of the local fishermen, and its into the pot with them. The photo is of sunset over Lighthouse bay.

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Richard
07/Jan/2010, Bourg des Saintes

Woke up this morning. The Star Clipper had glided in during the early hours and anchored right behind us. Quite a sight, must be quite an adventure too, cruising the Caribbean on a version of one of the last tea clippers.
We are back in Les Isles des Saintes once again, still a very special place, full of Gallic charm.
Tomorrow, its an early morning hike up to Fort Napoleon to visit the museum. They have an excellent display, and explanation, of The Battle of the Saintes, which took place in April 1782, when the British fleet under Admiral Rodney engaged the French invasion fleet in the charge of the Compte de Grasse, bent on joining up with a Spanish Armada to capture Jamaica, and oust the Brits from the New World.
During the battle there was a mix-up in communications with De Grasse's commanders which Rodney took advantage of, together with a wind shift, and he broke the French line, known subsequently as 'crossing the tee' bringing all his guns to bear with little chance of any return fire.
De Grasse could not counter this and eventually had to surrender, but not before most of his ships were sunk and 6,000 men were lost.
The Royal Navy subsequently became the dominant sea power for the next 150 years. A fascinating insight into naval history, on an otherwise enchanting island.
We owe so much to our forebears. I often wonder what we would uncover if we were to cruise the Pacific Islands with their altogether more recent naval history, who knows for better or worse.
On a lighter note, from here we're off to Marie Galante, before we take Nick back to Antigua, and the paradise beaches of Barbuda.

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Richard
01/Jan/2010, English Harbour, Antigua

Another New Year in Antigua, and another Nelsons pursuit race. Nick is back again, and I am taking a break from the helm and have handed it to Clare Cupples, skipper of the Jubilee Sailing Trust Tall ship 'Lord Nelson' offering life-changing adventures to the less able-bodied. We are also accompanied by her husband John, and clever-Trevor Marston has brought along the jokes.
It has been still for days but just hours before the start the wind-gods kindly do their thing and we have a steady 15 knots across the deck. The swells have subsided too. Perfect conditions. We start well, and charge along on the reaching legs, but somehow just can't seem to get into the groove for the beat back, so have to settle for third place, in cruising class, an improvement on last year at least, and a thoroughly enjoyable day. Just after we go over the finishing line another fly-by signals the return of the helicopter crew, back in time for the big party in Nelsons Dockyard, and fireworks to see in the New Year. The photo is of Galatea, a 67 foot classic yawl, built in 1899, and well sailed, until some mishap put paid to their race.

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Richard
27/Dec/2009, Nelsons Dockyard, Antigua

Another Christmas in Antigua, and another Champagne Party in Nelsons Dockyard. Our third in succession, how time flies. A good turn out this year, and plenty of guests dropping by on our yacht, some old and new, including a couple of wafu's who have been babysitting, and occasionally flying, a chopper off the back of Al Mirqab, a 133 metre superyacht that came visiting Antigua.

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