Green Island and Falmouth Harbour

Mor Toad / Moy Toad
David and Jocelyn Fawcett
Sat 28 Mar 2015 20:24
Having spent a couple,of nights in English Harbour we decided to head east round to Green Island in Non Such Bay in the SE corner of Antigua. Quite a bumpy sail to get there but only an hour and half motor. This was a large bay separated from The Atlantic by a reef as shown in one of the pictures of the plotter and as such was relatively calm. Having found our way in there we were able to find a buoy to attach to. It all felt pretty remote and the colours of the water were just dazzling. There were a few boats in there including some super yachts and plenty of Kite Surfing going on. In fact Dan bumped into a couple he had met down in Union Island when he had been Kite surfing. In the end he didn't have a go as it was very expensive to hire a board.

We spent a leisurely two days swimming and snorkelling - some coral ( different again) and fish ( we had been spoilt in Pigeon Island Guadeloupe ) but Alex did spot a Ray, eel and a huge hermit crab ( basically he had taken up residence in a conch shell) Both evenings after Merryn and Sam had eaten we took the dinghy to the beach and a few beers and nibbles to watch the sun go down and they had fun playing on the beach before the Mosquitos descended. One lunch time David and I took the dinghy round the edge of the bay - several very empty looking hotels and in one tiny bay with a private residence there was a white Cornish Shrimper on a buoy obviously belonging to this property. Be interesting to know the history - it was a long way from home.

We then had a pleasant downwind sail under the jib back westwards but this time to Falmouth Harbour where we are now together with a few other British Boats - one from Falmouth and another from the West Country with a young couple on board who've just got here with an 18 month and 2 and half year old! They made it across in a very basic boat and only a GPS - there are some brave souls out there. Again another pleasant beach ( though as I write this Saturday afternoon there isa very noisy party going on!) - another Pigeon beach From here it's also easy to dinghy into The Marina where the Antigua Yacht Club is ( we had great Sushi there the other night) and many many super yachts. We have managed to get washing done there ( very necessary as our bed got soaked as I had only latched the hatch not realising that we would be going into a bumpy sea and our bed got doused. I was not a happy bunny.) we have all done a walk over the top back into English Harbour which has great views in all directions, The very noticeable feature is how dry Antigua is compared with many of the other islands we've visited with very different flora.

Yesterday Friday we caught the bus to St Johns - a very busy bustling town with markets and a restored area full of shops for the cruise liners ( there wee two huge ones in) we had a wander around and lunch before getting a taxi to take us to Caribbean Helicopters North of the city where we had booked to take a flight over to Monsarrat and around and over the exclusion zone where the volcano erupted last time in 1997 and destroyed the capital Plymouth. It was amazing to see the vast tracks of ash and huge boulders and houses buried including a large church and the governors residence. We also saw where the airport had been and how now the shore is much further out to sea. Quite a lot of litter and sargasso weed washed up as no one is allowed into this area or onto the beach to clear it up. There are just a few goats and donkeys wandering around, the only people killed when the volcano did erupt were a few farmers who refused to leave their livestock. The pilot gave an interesting commentary throughout and we now have some excellent footage taken with Dan's 'Go Pro' Sadly the cloud was down on the very top but we were taken in close to some steaming vents which you could certainly smell. It was also interesting to see the northern end - where people have resettled and the new airport built . It is referred to as ' The Emerald Isle ' apparently many Irish did settle here and is certainly very green and hilly. Another interesting fact is there was a recording studio AIR Studio here for many years that well known musicians used - George Martin started it in 1979 ( after he and his wife had fallen in love with the island and felt it was a place of peace and amity - all the right ambience for the creation of great music) . Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones and many more recorded there. It operated for 11 years until Hurricane Hugo hit Monsarret in 1989 and caused devastation - the studios were relocated to London. Apparently they then held a concert for the people of Monserrat after another devastating blow hit Monsarret when the volcano which had been dormant for 300 years started to erupt in 1995. This was held in The Albert Hall and I expect some people will remember this?

It was also interesting to see the west and north of Antigua from the air too ( the area equivalent to Beverley Hills where Giorgio Armani has a house). We shall be heading there in the next few days to anchor in one of the bay's for a night or two and to visit Jolly Harbour for supplies (desperately in need of Easter Chocolate products which as yet have not been spotted anywhere ( but as I noticed there is an Easter Egg Hunt advertised at the yacht club I did ask where you got eggs and I have been told a particular supermarket) , fuel and signing out before heading for Nevis and St Kitts.