Guadeloupe to Antigua
Petronella
Sun 31 Mar 2013 21:57
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17:00.313 061:45.663
Our next stop was Deshaies, a bay on the north
west coast of Guadeloupe. So after another good 30 mile sail we dropped
anchor at five o'clock off the small town in a very attractive bay. The next day
was Sunday and we decided to go ashore for dinner expecting it to be very
quiet - how wrong can you be! There were five or six restaurants in
the town all of which were very busy, several turned us away although
eventually someone took pity on us and after a considerable wait we did get a
very good meal.
Deshaies
waterfront
Sunset from the cockpit at Deshaies
After another day at anchor the weather forecast
looked good with easterly winds anticipated so we decided to head on north
to Antigua. Antigua has been a British colony since the 16th
century and is now a member of the Commonwealth hence it is very British
influenced.
 On
passage to
Antigua
At anchor in Freeman's Bay, English Harbour
One of it's main tourist attractions is English
Harbour which we had been looking forward to sailing into on our own
boat ever since we were there 16 years ago. It is a wonderful
place to visit as not only is it a very protected hurricane 'hole' but
historically it was a important naval dockyard and Nelson based his
Caribbean fleet there which gave the Brits naval supremacy throughout the West
Indies. It was abandoned in 1889 and left undisturbed until the 1950's when
a gradual restoration started. It is now almost a working museum as it has
become an important yachting centre as well as being a Heritage Area. The old
buildings have been sympathetically restored and many are in use. The whole area
has great atmosphere and sense of history.
Nelson's
Dockyard
Sail Loft ruins
 One
of the restored buildings, now a
museum On
our way to Customs & Immigration, on the left
We spent several days at anchor In Freeman's Bay,
and discovered another British characteristic in that over Bank Holiday weekends
(in this case Easter) it rains!! The locals were delighted as it was the
first rain they had had since before Christmas but we were not so impressed as
it rained torrentially over night (Good Friday) and for much of the next day,
with grey skies but fortunately not too much wind. Even walking round
Nelson's Dockyard is not much fun in the rain and we eventually took refuge back
on Petronella! One good thing was that Petronella got a thorough washing
which removed most of the salt from her decks.
Copper & Lumber Store
Hotel Quayside
at Nelson's Dockyard
What a difference a day makes!!
On Easter Sunday we decided to leave the anchorage
and move round to Jolly Harbour on the west coast looking in at Falmouth
Harbour en route.
 Montserrat
from Freeman's
Bay A
modest unpretentious yacht in Falmouth Harbour!
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