Falmouth Harbour - Antigua

Stargazer of Southampton
Susie and Adam (both think they are skipper)
Sun 6 Mar 2011 20:39
04:03.11, 17:00.64N 61:46.67W
 
After a bad nights sleep at Deishaies we got up at 6 to head across the 40 miles to Antigua - and had a beautiful days sail - wind only 13 knots and seas pretty calm and flat, we got all our sails out - the first time we have had full sails up since travelling down to the Verde islands back in December so we bounded along at a fast pace and arrived in Antigua for lunch time.  We saw a pod of about 50 dolphins as we approached Antigua - we've seen loads of turtles but no dolphins at all since the last day of our Atlantic crossing.
 
Adam doing some nice sailing as we leave Guadeloupe behind. . . (with new streamlined short hair and beard look)
 
We're anchored in Falmouth Harbour - took a few goes to get the anchor set and us happy since we didn't want to be dragging again.  Falmouth Harbour is pretty huge but has quite a few reefs and shallows you have to be careful of.  Clearly ourselves and Stargazer fit right in here since it is the home to some of the biggest superyachts we have ever seen.  We used to see a 100ft race yacht called Icap Leopard in the Solent where it looked huge - it's here now and it looks like a dinghy.  We need to go into a marina at some point - but somehow I don't think we'll look right moored up next to these in Falmouth Harbour marina, even though I did do some polishing the other day.  Never mind - we're anchored off a beach just in the entrance to Falmouth Harbour and it's very nice there!
 
 
We checked in at customs which is in English Harbour (next door to Falmouth harbour and where Nelson used to hide the English fleet) - Nelsons dockyard has all been restored there and there are some beautiful old stone buildings - most of the buildings are again occupied by Sailmakers, boat builders and nautical services and a couple of pubs which is good - it's nice to see it isn't all t-shirt and souvenir shops.  I forgot to take my camera across but will do over the next few days - but I did take a quick pic from across the harbour
 
 
After a couple of days sailing we've had a walk around the area today and lunch out at a little cafe on the English Harbour waterfront which we deserved after walking around the harbour to get there.  Dos Tintos are here but we haven't had a chance to look for anyone else yet - but there are probably a couple of hundred boats anchored in the two harbours.  On the shoreside it looks pretty much as I expected - the first place which has or maybe I am getting used to it out here! - it's one of the main yachting centres so there are lots of little shops and businesses doing boat stuff.  The island is first one we have been to that is out of the volcanic chain so looks much lower than the other islands so far and seems drier too rather than the rainforest of the islands between St Lucia and Guadeloupe.
 
 
Waterfront Cafe and view out to the Entrance of English Harbour below,  You can just see the old fort on the right hand side of the entrance