BACK FROM BARBUDA.....

On Tuesday,  Persephone "turned the corner".  You may recall many posts ago that I vowed not to sail  one inch further north than Barbuda. (Barbuda is on the same latitude as St. Croix, USVI)   So, for the first time in nearly three months Persephone was on a port tack (wind coming over the left side of the boat)  heading south.  We will continue south for the next several months returning to Grenada for the hurricane season.

Again, the sail was terrific.  Constant winds of 14 knots, just south of east, and moderate seas.  Persephone literally flew the 25 miles from Barbuda to Jolly Harbor, Antigua.  The plan is to remain in Anitgua for the "Classic Yacht Race" which is held in mid-April.  This is one of  the world's premier yacht races; attracting vintage wooden yachts from all over the world.  I may even try to get a crewing position on one of them !!  And now, a couple of pictures from Barbuda :

Pink Beach

This is the anchorage at Pink Beach

Notice that the sand really is pink !!

Sunday, Sunday......

Today is day 10 anchored off Pink Beach, Coco Point, Barbuda. Perhaps a poet or philosopher could describe the natural beauty of this anchorage, but a sun drenched and rum soaked sailor could never find the right adjectives..although a gerund may work well in this case: "f-ing beautiful" !!
This is the beach where Princess Di took her sons William and Harry. I wonder if the Prince and Kate Middleton will be honeymooning here ??
This is the beach where you lose your shoes. After being anchored off Pink Beach for a week, the crews of 'Silver Heels III', 'Elin Alida' (our Swedish friends) and 'Persephone' decided to take a cab to the "Big City", Codrington. (3 or 4 streets, and a couple of stores) We dinghyed ashore to meet the cab, and hauled the dinghy up on the beach where I suddenly realized that I forgot my Tevas. We relaunched the dinghy and motored back out to 'Persephone' where I had to search the boat to find my Tevas. I realized that after a week of not wearing any shoes (actually there are no 'shoes' on Persephone, only Teva sandals); I had no idea where I had left them. Finally, after a search of several minutes, I found them buried in a seat locker. Man was never meant to wear shoes; so when you misplace them for a week, you know you really have become a beach bum.
This is the beach where you gaze up at the night sky and  see is a gazillion stars. There are very few lights on Barbuda (the population is only 1,500) so there is no "light pollution"; and the sky is crystal clear without any man made contaminants. You are so overwhelmed by the number of stars that the easily recognizable constellations get lost in the multitude. When astronomers say that there are more stars in the heavens than grains of sand on a beach; they couldn't possibly be referring to this beach; otherwise, the stars would be pink.
Capt. Dave

Liming in Barbuda.....

Yup, we ('Persephone' and 'Silver Heels III') haven't moved an inch; still firmly anchored off Coco Point, Barbuda. We are about to rename this place "Velcro Harbor"...once you hook up, you can't peel away. In fact, there is really no reason to leave; as it is nearly perfect.

One day melts into the next...mornings are still filled with minor boat projects. Yesterday, I started disassembling and cleaning the six winches aboard (actually, I only got one done; more today). Afternoons, there is the obligatory long walk on the beach to keep the knees in shape; followed by sundowners on one of the boats. So far, we have seen two green flashes at sunset.

Other than sand, sea and sky, there is not much happening here. On average, there are about 8-12 boats which anchor here each night (mostly charters);staying only a night or two before moving on. Our major source of entertainment is watching the charters trying to get their anchors to hold. One poor charterer attempted to anchor at least five times and I am not sure he has got it yet. The bottom is plain sand, so if you can't hook up here, you should just give up !!

By standing on the cabin top, with my hand held over my head I am able to get one bar on my cell phone for texting. We have no internet whatsoever. We have heard that one of the resorts on Eleven Mile Beach has an open wifi system. Depending on the sea swell, we may move up to Eleven Mile Beach tomorrow to see if we can avail ourselves of their wifi.

Plan on staying in Barbuda through the weekend, at least. Loving the freezer and watermaker; well worth the cost and effort of installation !!

Capt Dave

Beautiful Barbuda

Yesterday we ('Persephone', 'Silver Heels III' and Josie Bird'), sailed the 25 miles from Antigua to the island of Barbuda (Antigua and Barbuda comprise on country). At first blush, it appears that a chunk of the Bahamas drifted into the Caribbean. Unlike the other Carib islands, Barbuda is pancake flat...essentially a giant sand bar. This is not to say Barbuda is small, it's not at 12 miles long by 8 miles wide; at the longest and widest parts. The island is rustic and beautiful.

There is no real harbor...you just pull up to a crescent shaped beach and drop the anchor ! And let me describe THE BEACH...it is the most beautiful, perfect beach I have ever seen. I know I have Blogged about how great the beaches are at Conception Island, Bahamas; Chatham Bay, Union Island; Paradise Beach, Carriacou; Grand Anse, Grenada.... forget it !! Cocoa Point, Barbuda is where God himself goes to the beach...(In fact, after a couple of rum drinks, I think I saw Him on the beach last night...anyway....)

Did I say the beach is perfect ? Picture a crescent shaped beach of pale pink sand that goes forever in either direction. The sand is awesome, the consistency of granulated sugar. There are no rocks, seaweed, trash, tourists; nothing to detract from the beauty of Cocoa Point. The water is crystal clear, (you can clearly see the anchor and chain on the bottom at 18 feet) turquoise green and just laps the beach with 6 inch waves; so landing the dinghy is effortless.

We plan on staying here for several days, and then may move around the corner to Eleven Mile Beach....I can hardly wait to see to see it. We are limited only by the amount of food aboard. There is no place to reprovision at Cocoa Point; or comm facilities (no internet, wifi, or cell service....although my cell occasionally beeps indicating I am getting one bar of service for a few seconds and then nothing). I fired up the watermaker yesterday, and have offered to share some water with SH3; so no one is in any rush to move.

Will post pictures when I get internet, but for now, ham radio is the only option for all onboard communication; including this posting.

THE BEACH is calling....gotta go !

Ole Dave

Beaches.......

As I look out from the cockpit of Persephone at Jolly Harbor, I am surrounded by beaches of every description.....there are at least 10 within a short dinghy ride:

The green water reminds me of the Bahamas.......

Photos from Falmouth

     I will again let the pictures tell the story.....These are photos of Nelson's Dock Yard National Park at the north end of English Harbor, Antigua.   In 1723, the Brits recognized that English and Falmouth Harbors were easily defensible, had quick access to the trade winds, yet shelterd enough to withstand a hurricane.  By 1784, English/Falmouth Harbors were Britain's main naval station in the Caribbean.  England's national naval hero, Admiral Nelson was assigned here in 1784; and, thus, the restored dock yard now shares his name. 


The main street in Nelson's Dock Yard

 The pillars that supported the sail loft in the harbor.

 Waterfront offices, and stores builing

 Not a bad neighborhood for "Persephone".......The anchorage is adjacent to the Dock Yard.

 

Thought of the day:  Some people put boats in little bottles; I like to put little bottles in my boat !!

 



Liming in Antigua.....

After our sprint north, the crews of  'Liahona', 'SH 3' and 'Persephone' have spent this week just "liming" (hanging out, relaxing).  On Tuesday, we all spent the day cleaning up the boats after the passage, and doing some basic shopping.  Tuesday evening, I hosted a "dinner party" for 5 aboard 'Persephone'; featuring chicken, a side of spaghetti and home (boat ??) baked brownies.  No one got sick, so I guess it came out alright....during dinner we decided to take the bus into THE CITY (St. John) on Wednesday morning.....

While walking down the street, a local lady convinced Mark that he just had to have his hair braided....

 Several colorful beads, and pieces of aluminum foil were added to the ends of Mark's braids.  Ken took one look and said: "you look like a giant fishing lure....all we have to do is drag you behind the boat and we would catch a huge wahoo...!!"  We all howled !!

We were hungry, so we asked a cabby where to get some lunch...he started suggesting the local pizza joint, and high price eateries along the boardwalk in front of the cruise ships....(all filled with pink skinned, obese, American tourists, in their resort ware)  No thanks, "we want to know where you  would eat", Lynn asked.  Oh....!!  He made a suggestion, but while walking there we found just what we wanted "Daddy's Boy" !!


Upon entering down a long hallway, the smell of delicious local cooking made our mouths water.  The food was a fusion of West Indian, Trinidadian, and Guyanaina  (much of it I didn't recognize or could pronounce). So, we each ordered (I just pointed)  a separate dish to share.  We ate 'family style' each trying the others culinary delight....chic peas in a spicy sauce,  liver in a different sauce and a stewed chicken dish over rice, dried fish.... With beers the price came to $16 EC per person or  $6 US.  We were stuffed !!  I can't wait to go back again !!  You just gotta eat where the locals eat........(In historic Nelson's Boat Yard, a touristy pub had a signboard in front offering rotis for $14 US....the local snackette down the street had the same for $14 EC or $5 US)

   It was time to return to Falmouth Harbor, but we had to do our obligatory fruit and vegetable shopping at the local farmers' market....Here Lynn is buying a fruit called "stinky toes".  It looks exactly like a large, brown toe and smells like dead socks....it is supposed to be good and sweet inside the shell.....I took a pass on the "stinky toes"....maybe next time.....

Arrived Antigua.....

Silver Heels III and Persephone sailing to Antigua

Early Saturday morning 'Silver Heels III' and 'Persephone' sailed the final 40 miles from Guadeloupe to Antigua.  The passage was one of those sails written about in the sailing magazines with perfect winds, perfect direction and perfect seas; a sailors' dream.


Our original destination was English Harbor, but as I approached, I could see a forest of aluminum masts.  So, I radioed SH3 and suggested we divert to Falmouth Harbor, next door, which was much less crowded. 

Upon entering the harbor, a sailor is struck by the mega-yachts in the harbor; including  the 'Maltese Falcon' which is a super high tech sailing vessel over 289 feet long. Maltese Falcon is one of the largest privately owned sailing yachts in the world with a value of only $150,000,000.00 (yes, 150 MILLION !!)...not too bad a neighborhood for 'Persephone' !!

Antigua is terrific....it is a delightful mixture of  best of  the best...the upscale charm of St. John, the commerce of St. Thomas,  the 'yachtiness' of the British Virgins, the topography of St. Lucia, and the Caribbean roots of Grenada.  And, there are 365 beaches; one for every day of  the year. 

This is English and Falmouth Harbor at dusk taken from Shirley Heights:



English Harbor is in the foreground, Falmouth Harbor in the background

 After clearing customs, SH3 and I needed a burger and brew, so we stopped into an eatery near the marinas.  As we were there, in walked old friends from 'Liahona'  We first met Willie and Mark nearly a year ago at Rum Cay, Bahamas.  We loosely buddy boated with them to  Luperon, DR and met up again in Puerto Rico where they spent the summer. (Willie has family in PR and Mark had boat projects). 

On Sundays, there is a large party atop Shirley Heights to toast the sunset, featuring two band; one a pan bands the other traditional rock and roll....both groups were excellent. Here are the crews of  'SH3', 'Liohona' and 'Persephone' enjoying the evening at "The Heights".....

L to R:  Ken and Lynn (SH 3), Mark and Willie (Liahona) and Ole Dave

Sprint North.....

Let's see....what day is it ??  Oh yeah, it's Friday, isn't it ??  Yah,  right !

Why the confusion ?  (Other than my normal state), it has been a mad dash north over the past three days.  On Wednesday morning the Rocna anchor was hauled, and this time it actually made it aboard and stayed there !!  Persephone motored down Cul de Sac du Marin into the bay and immediately I hoisted the sails.  The winds and seas were perfect for going north to St. Pierre; the original capitol of Martinique. (Until the nearby volcano, Mt Pele, blew up and killed everyone in the town except a lucky soul that was in jail...the thick walls protected him from the hot gases and ash.)  The sail was "door to door"...at $5.00 + dollars a gallon for diesel fuel, its a good thing !! The town is cute, but the anchorage is very tight.  Lynn and Ken from Silver Heels III were already in St. Pierre and greeted me with a loud whistle when I arrived.  Lynn was good enough to give me a dinghy ride to town to check out of the country with customs/immigration.

Next morning, we were up at 5:30 and departed the anchorage bound for Portsmith, Dominica; fifty mile to the north.  Again, we had a great sail nearly all of the way.  The last hour of the trip the winds got squally as we motored into port....




Notice the second rainbow in the right third of the picture



Dominica is known as the 'Country of Rainbows'....here is a rainbow leading a squall across the harbor as 'Persephone' entered.   SH3 and Persephone "yellow flagged it" in Dominica. (i.e. flew our yellow Quarantine or "Q"  flag indicating that the yacht had not cleared customs or immigration...perfectly legal as long as you don't go ashore). 

We were all up again this morning a bit after 5am for another early start.  Our destination was again nearly 50 miles north; to the town of Deshaies (pronounced Day-ay) Guadeloupe.  The wind gods again cooperated and we had a delightful sail from Portsmouth (in the north part of Dominica) across the Dominica Channel ; past Isle des Saintes,  and up the entire west coast of Guadeloupe to the town of Deshaies.  We got here around 3 pm, cleaned up the boats, and went for a well deserved swim.  Again, we will be "Q flagging" it in Dehais tonight.  (I will paddle the dinghy over to SH3 for sundowners, and Lynn is baking a fresh loaf of her famous cinnamon bread).  Paddling the dinghy as I am too tired/lazy to put the motor on the dinghy....

 We will again get an early start in the morning for Antigua; only 40 miles north !! Antigua is our ultimate northerly destination.  Antigua was east of our track coming down, and this will be our first opportunity to check out the island.  We are looking forward to spending some time in Antigua and will keep you all up to date on our exploring....Next posting will be from Antigua !!  Beat....going to bed early tonite !!

Capt Dave