Second week in Antigua

We really got into the book swap concept here. As we have a kindle we are rather the anti social readers that have great books but noone else can have the opportunity to read them too. With internet access getting less frequent its becoming harder to download new books so we collected all the books onboard from the previous owner that we didn't want and took them ashore to Jane's Yacht Services. This place has a great book swap where the owners just leave you alone in the room for as long as you wish to find the right book. We came away with 9 new books to read and swap with other yachties.

I spent another day attacking the rust on the stainless steel with phospheric acid. For days afterwards my hands looked like they had a bad dose of eczema but our guardrails and dorade vents were sparkling! Speaking of Dorade Vents. There was a boat in the Antigua Classic Regaate called Dorade for which (legend has it) Dorade vents are so named as they were first used / designed for this vessel. We rewarded ourselves with a few drinks in happy hour (the rum punch is only EC$5 / £1.25 a glass). In typical Saffa style Dylan managed to speak to a guy who happened to have a bag of biltong in his bag (Dylan's correction – it was Jerky as the guy was a Yank) like a truffle hound he can always seem to sniff this out! Wanting to return the favour we ordered the guy a scotch egg but he left before it was served – result! We gobbled down the Britishy food reminiscent of the times Dylan would bring one back for me when he walked past a Tescos on the way home.

For the first 2 races of Classic Regatta Dylan didn't participate as he was scared off by the torrential rain that seemed to come down in the morning only to clear just in time for the racing later but he did eventually get on a boat and he blogs about it so I shan't go on. I had a great time in his absence doing girly things. I persuaded my friend off Kadoona to cut my hair and even layer it around my face. Glass of wine in hand she accepted the challenge and did an excellent job. Keen to get some good photos of the racing and no desire to be on one of the boats, we set off in the dinghy to the finish line. A nerve racking start as I had never driven the dinghy without Dylan in it before and had visions of us getting in the way of these beasts as they attempted to cross the line, to add to the anxiety the swells were big and waves were crashing into us. I had studied the course before we left but on arriving it was clear they were doing a different one altogether (turned out some classes were given an alternate one). This made for an interesting afternoon where we were tossed around, second guessing which way the boats would come from and taking loads of photos most of which came out blurry as we couldn't hold the camera still. We managed to see both of the boats Ian and Dylan were racing on and it was quite something being dwarfed by these majestic beasts as they came speeding by.

Of all the freebies we consumed in regatta week, Sail Maine party was by far the best. We were given free t shirts which immediately boosted Dylan's wardrobe by 33.33%. Free rum punch was doing the rounds and more food that you could eat which was an anomaly as normally the freebies dry up after 30 mins. Not only was there copious amount of food, it was also GREAT food. We slurped on lobster bisque and munched our way through the biggest kingfish I have ever seen served on a bread roll with a large leaf acting as a plate. Yum. I had a tired grizzly bear next to me though that had had too much day trimming the foresail so we headed up early and I listened to the rest of the great music whilst Dylan snored away happily.

After the racing festivities were over we wanted to head to Green Island on the eastern side of the island prior to heading to Barbuda. I was keen to get some fresh fruit and veg to keep us going so I left Dylan in Mad Mongoose using the free internet whilst I headed to a guy called Aubrey who I had been told sold fruit until 1pm in English Harbour. I wasn't disappointed, he has reasonable prices and good quality produce which is more than can be said for the rest of the shops in the area. I even found baby pineapples that we had never tried before so I eagerly snapped up a bag keen to add to our list of new food. They were great, sweeter than the normal pineapple we ate them like corn on the cob, their juice dripping down our chins and onto the cockpit floor. Thats the great thing about eating outside, a bucket of sea water washes away all of the dirt. Free and easy!

After a windward bumpy slog we arrived in Nonsuch Bay and took a free mooring ball between Green Island and Bird Island. What a pleasure not to bed the anchor, however Dylan did still dive on it to check it was in good shape. It was not in the Doyle Guide but was mentioned on the charts which means they are a recent addition to the area (within the last 12 /18 months). From where we were located looking out to sea, there was nothing between us and Africa, waves rolling unbroken until they hit a different continent. Quite impressive when you think about it, our view out to the Atlantic Ocean totally unspoilt.

Snorkelling time, we swam to Bird Island but it wasn't great viewing apart from the huge conch beds. We took a couple of them and made a small conch farm at the bottom of our mooring chain, tying them together with twine so they wouldn't get away (unless they were particularly adept at the three legged race). The intention was to bring them with us to Barbuda where we would set about making conch curry but we decided against it as travelling conch would have to be kept in a bucket of salt water which would slosh around everywhere under sail. Reluctantly Dylan untied our catch and set them free on nice patches of sand.

Another snorkelling spot mentioned in the cruising guide was the reef in front of our little mooring ball, quite a swim away. Feeling energetic we battled against the current and reached the spot where we came across great corals. Huge brain coral, fantastic visibility but little in the way of fish. Shame we don't have an underwater camera as these corals were huge, dwarfing us as we dived to the bottom to check for any lobbies that could end up in our pot that evening. We came away empty handed.

Kadoona arrived with guests the evening before we were leaving. As they are off to Bermuda and then crossing the Atlantic to Ireland and we are off North – we said our final farewells. Our friends since Carriacou, Grenada and the only couple we have met so far at a similar age, they will be deeply missed!

5:20am Dylan prods me awake and drags me out of bed to start our passage to Barbuda. An island that few yachties go to (favouring instead to head straight to St Martin) we are looking forward to what it has to offer.

First week in Antigua

We arrived in Antigua days before the Classic Regatta was about to start so this may provide the reasoning behind what I'm about to say...Antigua for me is like Marbella. A pretty place full of pasty well to do Brits intent in getting absolutely wasted all day every day. However if you get away from the popular places, there are some real treats to see and experience. Ill tell you about some of the highlights.

Our port of entry was Jolly Harbour, the clearance charges are a lot less here as you don't need to pay environmental fees. We had heard you are meant to motor into the marina and dock alongside the customs office but with the wind strong and more boats coming in behind us we opted to drop the anchor and dinghy in. The usual bureaucratic hurdles ensued. Customs, immigration and port authority are next to each other and we proceeded to fill in countless pieces of paper all with the same information for multiple people. Well I say we....Dylan found something particularly interesting to look at by the berths so left it to me to do all the admin. Took us about 30 mins which OK isn't that long but we just wanted to jump behind the desk and set about improving their processes to make them more efficient. We had filled out eseaclear online which is the new 'quick' way of checking in to multiple countries in the Eastern Caribbean, unfortunately, the ladies were not up to speed with this so we needn't have bothered. We have heard since that the process is in its early stages and should be rolled out properly in the next couple months – that will provide a vast improvement to the customs experience!

Jolly Harbour is surrounded by gorgeous blue water but looks can be deceiving. We were anchored in 12ft water yet couldn't see the anchor chain, the fine bottom sand was churned up meaning visibility was almost 0. With that said though, the waters around Antigua are a beautiful turquoise colour. When dinghying into the bay we marvelled at the amount of houses lining the water, each with their own berth. Despite the facilities here the marina and surrounding property were almost empty. We were told that this is most unusual at this time of year, especially with it being so close to the regattas. Suits us fine though, the less people around the better!

Checking out the facilities ashore I was delighted to find FREE FRESH water showers (although they were probably for those on the Marina not very yachty and his dog). One of my first tasks was to take a bag full of all my toiletries that I haven't used in months and spend a looong time in the showers using each one. Heaven. Squeaky clean I headed off to the supermarket with great expectations as this was flagged as a good place to provision, I wasn't disappointed. Compared to all of the other food shops we had been to so far, this was outstanding. A huge supermarket stocked with everything you can think of. Sure in the UK thats what you expect when walking into a Tesco's but in the Caribbean we always walk away with only half (if we are lucky) of our shopping list. Gourmet sections aside, the produce was reasonably priced and we came away content – although that could be to do with the fried chicken we treated ourselves to at the deli counter...

After a day in Jolly Harbour we wanted to head over to Five Islands Harbour for some seclusion prior to getting to Falmouth Harbour in time for the Classic Regatta. Five Island Harbour is only around the corner from Jolly and is a huge bay that had only one other yacht in it. Wanting to use the free wifi from a posh hotel ashore, we anchored near the beach. That evening, we sat on the foredeck on a beautiful moonlit night with a gentle breeze swaying the boat to and fro to the sounds of a live steel drum band playing at the hotel. Drinks in hand we admired our almost secluded surroundings. Life is pretty darn good!

Forecasting 25 knots on the Monday before the regatta we chose to sail anyway so we could get a good spot to anchor in prior to the event as we expected Falmouth to be busy. A gusty 15 mile sail to Falmouth dodging the odd reef and shallows along the way kept us on our toes. We did make excellent time though and the sun was high in the sky when we entered the bay, wide eyed at the tons of mega yachts we were going to call our neighbours. We were the last of our group of friends to get to Falmouth Harbour so we spent the rest of the day catching up on their adventures since Dominica where we had left them.

Exploring ashore we mingled with the crews of the mega yachts and Dylan had his ear to the ground, hoping he would get the opportunity to race on one. Walking around the marina we were able to get up close and personal with these 140ft+ beasts. I'm not envious of the crew members that have to polish the stainless steel! Dylan spent forever looking at each of the boats and I entertained myself by eaves dropping people's conversation. Always fascinated with how the 'other half' live, it was great fun hearing the trials and tribulations of middle aged rich men and their toys. Time for domestic duties and we went on a mission to find a laundrette as I wasn't feeling like hand washing and then airing our clothes in such a busy anchorage. The laundrette in the bay charged US$40 for a large load...as if!! We quickly exited that establishment (which was little more than a lean to shack with a couple of washing machines) and headed for English Harbour.

English Harbour was completed in 1745 and looks much the same today. Fully restored, this is the yachting hub of Antigua and managed by Nelson's Dockyard National Park. Old sail houses and sail loft pillars still stand giving it a look very similar to Greenwich, London. It has the atmosphere of a small village complete with Dockyard Bakery and a few little restaurants overlooking the marina and the mega yachts. The day I wore a maxi dress and flip flops was the day I was presented with a trail leading up to Fort Berkely. Never one to turn down an opportunity, we walked it anyway and I just hitched my dress up to my knees, navigating in my gripless flip flops rather unladylike up the hill. Only a short walk away we reached the Fort and were rewarded with a spectacular view of English Harbour and out to sea. Noting this would be a great place to watch the Regatta we started our descent on the look out for another laundry. We eventually found one around the back of the dockyard in a small shed. This place is run by Baby and Elizabeth and we were greeted with 2 mangoes complete with napkin for our custom. At US$12 /load it was totally worth the walk.

The day the regatta started, Dylan hadn't succeeded in finding a boat. I keep a diary every day and an exert from this sums it up nicely:

• Ate refried chickpea curry leftovers for breakfast
• Read our new books – Dylan now seems to take after me and refuse to put a book down until it is read all the way through. Makes for a most delayed getaway when we want to leave the boat!
• Had my weekly shower which is always something to look forward to. Went for a snorkel first to check just how shallow the reef is behind us. Put it this way, I can stand up and the water comes to about my chin...don't want to be dragging onto that! Then I went to see Laani on Kadoona and swam past La Luna who hailed me over for a chin wag.
• After a lazy day and 1 ½ hours of our life wasted watching 'Dinner with Schmucks' – just don't watch it...ever, we got our arses into gear and went ashore
• Aim was to get bread and respond to emails (yawn). Necessities done we took advantage of happy hour again and got some supplies so we could go back to the boat and make pierogies. They now seem to be Dylan's top request.
• On getting back to the boat we bumped into Kadoona and Libertine who were going ashore to check out the events at the yacht club. Not wanting to miss out we had a quick dinner of eggs, beans and bread (Dylan was denied his pierogies) and we went back ashore.
• The dinghy dock was rammed, 3 dinghies deep in the yacht club area so we opted for our usual spot, a short walk away
• We arrived just as the concourse d'elegance prize giving was starting. Bumped into Miss Molly and sampled the free breaded chicken satays that were doing the rounds.
• Nothing much happening apart from toffs comparing crew t shirts so we made a hasty departure and went to find Ian etc in case they had any luck finding a boat that needed crew so Dylan could race too
• Found them in Mad Mongoose and they hadn't had any luck. Had a quick chat, didn't stop for a drink and made our way back to boat for some more reading. Yep we are that rock n roll.

And thats how we are more than capable to while away a day!