17:04.005N 061:53.006W

Whisper
Noel Dilly
Mon 18 Mar 2013 13:46
"Jolly Harbour - 16th March"

We had an idyllic day for Amanda's first sail, a gentle force 3 and calm seas, the north easterly swell has finally dispersed.  The shallow turquoise blue sea was not crystal clear but opaque caused by all the sand particles stirred up by the swell, but it was still very beautiful.  We did not go too far, as we wanted to ensure that our new sailor had a pleasant trip.  Dean was very happy to be given the helm and Whisper purred along with her freshly scrubbed hull.  We went into Five Islands Bay where we dropped anchor and had a good lunch below, it really was too hot to sit outside without the awning.  We could see Monserrat clearly, there was no cloud to hide her cap today and although the island is some 22 miles away, the steam and smoke rising from her volcanic cone was visible.

After lunch we pottered back to Jolly Harbour and once tied up and the awning quickly erected, we enjoyed a cuppa before heading off for the swimming pool.  It was a lovely day and we enjoyed being at sea again, if only briefly.  The plan is to leave here on Tuesday morning and carry on our adventure. 

"Jolly Harbour - 17th March"

A "housework day", spent cleaning below, washing lines, scrubbing the dried on mud off the anchor after yesterday's anchorage, whipping line ends, stitching the ensign and generally having a gentle day, followed by a cooling swim late afternoon.  Tomorrow we will prepare for leaving Antigua on Tuesday.  We have stayed longer than we had initially intended, but as the rate for our berth changed to a weekly rate following our trip to the BVI, the savings made actually covered the cost of having Whisper hauled out and scrubbed - a pretty good deal we feel, but now it is time to move on.  We haven't explored Antigua in the way we have the other islands, I think our drive from the airport through St Johns was not very encouraging.  Jolly Harbour Village, has security guards at several checkpoints on its roads and although attractive in appearance and layout, it is not thriving.  Several shops are empty, the bank is bankrupt and being taken over, a restaurant on the waterside is closed; a massive building housing a Casino, with two restaurants and bars, is completely closed.   The opulence of Heritage Quay, the cruise liner shopping mall in St John's is a complete contrast to the life style of the adjacent neighbourhood.  Despite Antigua's reputation, it has failed to inspire us, but perhaps in fairness it is partly due to our BVI excursion!

Photograph:  "The Happy Pair"


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