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