17: 04:31N 61:53:25W Jolly Harbour, Antigua.

John and Helen are helping with Swiftwing’s Blog duties for a couple of weeks. Apologies for the delay as we’re having such a good time, and are chilled already.

We arrived on Friday 29^th Feb, after a near record breaking 7 ½ hour flight from Gatwick.

Getting to English Harbour by taxi was easy, and Dougie and Bev met us at The Admiral’s Hotel. The sun was shining , and after a quick shower, we explored the dockyard and got into the laid back frame of mind. Dinner onboard set the standard for our holiday. Home made quiche followed by cherry pie. (Home made of course, Bev is a wizard in the galley) We fell into our bunks in the forepeak and slept like logs.

Saturday 1^st March dawned sunny and warm, surprise surprise. After breakfast onboard we headed to shore in Doody to explore. A short walk to Falmouth harbour opened our eyes to how the other half live. Some of the super yachts were for charter for about ½ a million pounds a week. WOW they were gorgeous! Some were also huge, and dwarfed the square rigger Tenacious which was lying amongst them. (The boys in the Police launch will remember her from the River Fest on the Clyde) In the afternoon we took Doody to the idyllic, palm lined beach in English Harbour.

On Sunday 2^nd March we woke up and it was sunny again. We hear it was snowing at home, sorry!!! Walked out to Fort Berkley, the ancient fort which protected the entrance to English Harbour. (John reckoned it’s just like Tarbert, but with sunshine) We hit the beach in the afternoon for our now customary afternoon swim. Sun was shining and all was well with the world. After a quick freshen up we headed to Shirley Heights for a barbie with live reggae music. It is THE place to be on a Sunday night. The music thrummed right through us, and the view was spectacular to say the least. When we got back to Swiftwing we could still hear the music booming across the bay.

Monday 3^rd March dawned with cockerel’s crowing and a warmth we would die for in Scotland. We’re planning to leave here tomorrow so took the local bus, (which turned out to be a Toyota Hiace), into St John’s to stock up on supplies We had a walk round the harbour at St John’s first to have a look at the cruise ships that were lying there. The supermarket was very ‘American’ , probably to cater for the tourist ships. We still managed to get back to English Harbour and squeeze in a visit to the beach before dinner. The sun was setting as we left the beach, and we had a lovely evening catching up on mutual friends.

On Tuesday 4^th March we left English Harbour at 10 am and sailed to Jolly Harbour. The first proper sail of our holiday. Dougie says we sailed out of English Harbour into an ENE wind gusting 34 knots. I don’t know anything about sailing, but they tell me this is quite normal in the Caribbean. I just know how big the waves looked, and how exciting it was to have to hold on when the boat rolled about. The swell was about 3m high and quite scary at times, but so exhilarating. Although it seemed like a big ocean passage it only took about three hours. We went outside Cades reef so we were in the ’real sea’. The beaches ashore looked like the place to be, but I wouldn’t have missed the sail for the world. Jolly Harbour was picturesque to say the least, so beautiful. We picked up a mooring and went ashore for a swim in the marina pool. Bev made barbecued steak for dinner and we relaxed for the rest of the evening. Early nights have been the norm as we are up early making the most of the day.

Wednesday 5^th March was quite unusual as we moored alongside a pontoon. This is only the second time in 3 months that Swiftwing’s been alongside. It was quite a treat for Dougie and Bev to be able to step off the boat onto solid ground. With a picnic lunch in our bags we headed for the beach. What a sight, turquoise seas and white sand, and loads of tourists for a change. A wedding was taking place while we ate our picnic, and I think we were in the photo’s. The actual wedding ceremony took about ten minutes, but the photographer had the poor couple swanning around the beach for about an hour. We got a wave from them while we were in the sea, but really I think they were just waving for the photo’s. We got talking to a nice Irish couple in the marina who have invited us onboard their yacht for coffee in the morning. We chilled in the evening watching Still Game and having a laugh.

It was lovely to wake on Thursday 6^th March knowing we could go ashore at our leisure. Stepping ashore was so easy on the pontoon, but I still love going out in Doody. We managed to catch up with washing and practical chores in the sunshine. Bev and Dougie met with the Irish couple onboard ’Orchestra’, while John and I explored and did a bit of shopping. We joined them onboard ‘Orchestra’,(a Jongert 20m (72 feet on deck) for those who are interested) and had a relaxing morning exploring the beautiful yacht and swapping sailing tales. A short trip in Doody then took us to a secluded beach where we spent the afternoon, with absolutely no other tourists in sight. Following a swim in the marina’s freshwater pool we braved the rain to catch up with our Irish friends again. By the time we brought Doody back to Swiftwing the rain had cleared and we were ready for a delicious meal. We finally made time to update the Blog, so apologise again for taking so long.

John and Helen