Richard
20/Mar/2010, English Harbour, Antigua

Following a few weeks of very unseasonal light weather, which, amongst other things, dashed the hopes of many of the RORC 600 entrants this year, the trade winds have finally returned. A steady 15-20 knots slightly south of east, rather than the usual east-north-east, so we're not quite back to normal yet. Antigua also desperately needs some rain. Water is being rationed and some villas have not had a supply for a month. A good thing we have our trusty watermaker.
The Atlantic rowing race is now in full swing. This years race was won by one Charlie Pitcher, who rowed solo and finished in 52 days. Almost a month later the competitors are still coming in, ten boats so far and three in the last 24 hours, after what has now been 75 days at sea, yet there are still 20 more crews out there and some still have more than a thousand miles to row.

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Richard
12/Mar/2010, English Harbour, Antigua

The main interest in English Harbour yesterday was the arrival of the superyacht 'A'. One wag commented it must be the floating headquarters of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, another thought it's flared bow reminiscent of the WW2 battleship Rodney, but no, it was created for one Andrey Melnishenko, a Russian banker, and named after his wife Aleksandra, complete with a Phillipe Starck interior, and similarly stark looking carbon-fibre tenders. Melnishenko is apparently just 37 years old. I wonder where I went wrong!

About this time last year there was an invasion of Russian bare boat charterers, 120 of them in all, on 16 yachts, racing, drinking copious amounts of vodka, and generally crashing into anything they could. They are due back soon, 160 of them this time. Maybe it's time to escape to Green Island again.

While I am on the subject of Russsians, our old friend Slava is here in the Caribbean now, after getting somewhat delusioned with life in Palma de Mallorca, and has just bought a basket case of a yacht that needs 'a little work' before he can sail off into the distance with his family. Best of luck Slava.

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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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