It's all change in Antigua
Oriole
Sun 1 Jan 2012 14:53
Falmouth Harbour,
Antigua.
17:01.07N 61:46.28W
Chistmas is over for another year which we
celebrated starting at midday with the traditional Nelson's Dockyard champagne
party where bottles of champagne are dispensed out of a dinghy filled with
ice, a very noisy band and you wander about drinking your own bottle and
offering it around, all in aid of charity. We followed this with a private
party to which Andrew (with parents in tow) had been invited, put on by the
the owners of the Calabash a beachfront restaurant of high repute. We
consumed the best Christmas dinner we have had since we last had one in the UK
10 years ago!
Oriole with her Christmas
decoration.
Getting tanked up at the Dockyard champagne party.
Moonbeam, Moonsong, Shian and Oriole.
Nothing stays the same, and English Harbour and
Nelson's Dockyard are no exception:
The main channel up to the Dockyard has been
cleared of moorings and anchored boats. The main front dock has been
inhabited by large motor yachts with a new dock built specially for
Leander (Sir Donald Gosling's of NCP fame) where the dinghy dock
used to be. There have been many complaints from the small yachtie brigade
but money talks. We had heard that the Queen was coming out to charter
Leander and that the Duke of Edinburgh's recent heart hiccup had
prevented it. However we cannot believe that they would forgo their usual
Christmas at Sandringham!
Leander's dock with Leander
away.
Clear channel up to Nelson's Dockyard
When we were approaching Antigua from the south we
could see an enormous scar on the coast between English Harbour and Falmouth
Harbour entrances. A new road is being built along the cliff top to
service we know not what and rumours abound of development on this particularly
beautiful area known as Middle Ground which is a National Park. It is one
of our favourite walks. Nothing appears to be sacred and we fear it is
money talking again. There is a large Italian presence on the
Island.
Massive road
network for 30 luxury residences in the National Park. One wonders
where the unpaid Italian taxes have gone to!
Meanwhile over in Falmouth the dinghy dock at the
Yacht Club is now declared private and for registered dinghies only.
However in traditional Antiguan way nobody is enforcing it!
Andrew is off on charter in Gitana
and we have got Stab, one of the famous Antigua varnishers, smartening up our
brightwork.
We wish evryone a very happy New Year
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