Guadeloupe & Antigua

Talulah's Web Diary
Paul & Anette Morris
Wed 18 Apr 2007 14:17
position "17:02.115N 061:40.698W"
 
Saturday 14th April 2007
 
Guadeloupe was good, and after, we set sail for English Harbour in Antigua.   The sail over the 42 miles it took was excellent, with the wind at 25 knots was on the beam all the way.   The waves kicked up a bit, and we got a good slamming when we crossed the tidal conversion areas, but the sun shone so we didn't care.
 
Arriving in Antigua was eventful, with the usual tour of 3 different offices to cleared in to the country.   But it was all very civilised, and despite the fact that it took me and others a good hour to clear in through customs, nobody complained.   A wander ashore to see the old dockyard was called for, and it was incredible to see all the same sort of buildings, here in the West Indies, as I had seen in the UK during my own time in the Forces.   I passed the Guardroom, and remembered how I'd also stood outside just such a building doing guard duty all those years ago!  talk about deja vu....!!
 
Antigua was quite expensive compared to the other islands further south, so Anette and I decided we' get the bus into St Johns, the capital, to shop for fruit and veg.  This was a great experience as it is elsewhere in the Caribbean, and we chatted to all manner of people about all manner to things from their families, to what they liked to eat and when the next rain would come!   What an education - everyone must take at least a couple of bus rides on a Caribbean island at some time.   It seemed that everyone knew everyone else, and that it was yesterday that they had spoken to you last.
 
Today we sailed on round to the reef that lies just between Green Island and Antigua.   Can't say that the sail was up to much, just banging into a north easterly for the most part, but it was worth it because the waters here are crystal clear and turquoise, and the beaches great.   After anchoring in 2 metres of water, Anette and I took the dinghy right to the edge of the reef and dived in to photograph and snorkel amongst the coral heads.   There were not many fish to see, but the coral was spectacular.
 
We're planning on a barbeque tonight, and then maybe sail further north to Barbuda tomorrow before turning south again and heading for our haul-out in Grenada.
 
                            
English Harbour, Antigua                                                            Nelson's dockyard (the old sail loft), Antigua
 
 
                           
Vegetable seller, St John's, Antigua                                                Coral reef at Green Island, Antigua
 
 
                               
Anchored behind the reef at Green Island, Antigua                        The reef at Green Island, Antigua