Fernando de Noronha to Antigua - Day 18 and full circle!
Vega
Hugh and Annie
Wed 26 Apr 2023 12:36
A very quiet last night between Guadeloupe and Antigua. What little breeze there was came from the north west which was right on the nose. There might just have been enough to sail and the purists would have tried but slow tacking the 50nm was not an appealing prospect.
You could see the glow of Antigua ahead, that of Guadeloupe behind and it reminded me that cruising the caribbean involves no more than day or overnight sails. At first light Montserrat was clearly visible and again much closer than I remembered. Yachts at anchor at Jolly Harbour have been watching the smoke and steam rising from the still smouldering volcano.
Check in was both amusing and laborious. The locals are intriguing - formal and bossy initially (which they absolutely have to be with groups of feral yachties) but when you make the effort to be informal and friendly they reward you with humour and bonhomie. The very officious customs lady helped me fill in my online application with smiles and giggles. There are customs, immigration and port health to deal with, strictly in order with detailed instructions about where to go next and what information will be required. The fact that it is three doors in a row in a small building is hilarious. Most of the information required by the three separate departments is the same so there is a lot of repetitive form filling.
In the evening we had supper on board Endorphin with Colin, Mel, Glen and Dick (from Maia). They had printed a menu with photograph to celebrate Vega's circumnavigation, drank champagne with canapés and ate marinated pork loin followed by apple crumble and ice cream. A really heartwarming and truly memorable evening.
There are far more yachts here at anchor than we remember seven years ago and yet there seem to be fewer people around the marina. Apparently there will be more people after Antigua racing week during which the focus is on Falmouth Bay. Nevertheless it is the time of year when boats are preparing to head south out of the hurricane zone or north to the US East coast or east, across the Atlantic to Europe. New yachts appear in the marina each day and boats are left here for the summer while their owners fly home, notwithstanding the northern Caribbean location.
We now have just over two weeks to prepare Vega for the Atlantic crossing before Oliver flies out on 13/14th May and Annie flies home.
