Author: Neill

It is now over three weeks since we arrived in the country of Antigua & Barbuda and we didn’t leave until yesterday. Some countries only get three days so Antigua must have something going for it. We sailed once round the island of Antigua with a short diversion to Barbuda.

The anchorages are definitely beautiful. In English Harbour you anchor off a restored georgian boat yard where you expect to see Nelson coming round the next corner. It is very scenic but at the same time a working yard with sail makers and chandlers. We were there for the start of Antigua week so also experienced it as an outdoor disco with unbelievably loud music. Even in bed on board we could “feel that bass” until four thirty in the morning.

We sailed anticlockwise visiting the bays reefs and islands on the way. There are an awful lot of reefs so we were very proud on the days when we sailed from or on to anchor navigating round them We visited Great Bird Island which is home to the rarest snake in the world. We didn’t see the snakes but snorkelled on the absolutely stunning coral reefs and swam in clear warm water with the turtles.

After returning from Barbuda we stopped off to visit Jolly Harbour and then completed the circumnavigation just in time for the new motor’s fifty hour service in Falmouth Harbour.

We saw a lot of places but it was the people who made Antigua fun. We met cruisers we already knew from elsewhere and met new fun people. We learned not to drink rum with Australians and barbequed with British and Dutch.

Cycling uphill past a market stall, we sang along with the reggae music and the stall keeper joined in – “… cos every little t’ings gonna be alright.” Customs and immigration were friendly and efficient and the customs ladies enjoyed Neill “strutting” to the same song.

Raglan and Roxann designed and printed us T-shirts, explained the islands culture and gave us beer. Pierre serviced the motor and Alison chased Yanmar for us. All the local SIM card sellers were super friendly and all fell for the “I’m old. Can you set it up?” trick.

Neill told the kids on the dock he wasn’t afraid of sharks because they don’t like the taste of white people. Pistol quick came the reply “you better be careful. You’re brown not white!”.

Today we explored the Barbuda beyond the stunning beaches and found an unhappy island with smiling people.

We paddled across to the sand bar and walked the fifty meters from the ocean to the lagoon where George Jeffrey collected us in his boat and ferried us the two miles against the wind in to town. George was born on the island and seems to have done every job here.

We landed in Codrington, the only settlement on the island and named after the English family who used to own this island. We knew that Barbuda had been hit by Hurricane Irma in autumn 2017 but were still shocked by the damage. Every building had been damaged and maybe only a quarter have been rebuilt or repaired. We were overcome by a feeling of helplessness as we walked through the devastation. Even today on Easter Sunday people were rebuilding various buildings but it still reminded us of an ex war zone we cycled through in Croatia.

We walked the twelve kilometers to the highest point on the island (38 meters above sea level) and the ruins of Highland House where the Codringtons lived during the slave times. The whole way we saw no signs of agriculture, just the bush. We learned that root crops used to grow well but no one plants them now. On the way back two Italian holiday makers offered us a lift and were surprised that we preferred to walk. Once we explained that we live on a small boat they were understanding.

Back in town we found the bank which is still closed except for an ATM, the closed post office and a supermarket. The restaurants are mostly closed and the bike shop no longer exists. It is a very depressing place and it is not hard to believe the local theory that the inertia is designed to get the people off the island so that the land can be used for luxury hotels. But the people still smile and wave as they do where ever we go.

George took us out to visit the Frigate Bird colony. He has a small light boat and a 60hp outboard motor. We flew across the lagoon, looked at a container in the mangroves that “flew” five kilometers in the storm and at thousands and thousands of Frigate Birds. From George we learned not just about the wildlife but about the history of Barbuda and his life on this abandoned island.

A graveyard for boats of all sizes! Surrounded by coral reefs and coral heads! Be sure to go round the shoals. Only approach during daylight! All charts are out of date since Hurricane Irma last year. The pilot books want to keep you away from Barbuda but we went there. And why?

We were floating off Great Bird Island in Antigua, enjoying the sun and exploring the coral reefs when Heidi mentioned that she would enjoy trying a lobster. The Internet said that Uncle Roddy on Barbuda did the best lobster so we knew where to sail to. The pilot books really list a lot of great reaons not to go near the island but also say that it is great when (if) you get there.

We sailed the twenty five miles carefully avoiding Horseshoe Reef, Diamond Shoals, Codrington Shoals and Palaster Reef. A few tacks saw us anchored off Cocoa Beach which is “Wow!” The sand is white, the sky is blue and the sea is unbelievable. No color can describe the transluscent water we were foating on. And the beach is empty. Off to the right a few guests enjoy their luxury tents and get flown in and out by seaplane but the rest of the beach was just for us. At sundown some wild horses galloped past just to add movement.

We asked a local about Uncle Roddy’s but it didn’t survive Hurricane Irma. There are other restaurants in town but that is 12km away and no way can we land our bikes on this steep beach. So we tried Plan B.

Next day we sailed round the island avoiding all the reefs and shoals and anchored off the huge sand bar that blocks access to the town. Irma ripped a huge hole in it so the plan was to take the dinghy through that. Once we were in the dinghy and saw the swell and waves thrashing at the break we returned to the boat and worked out Plan C.

Sails up again and round to “Boat Harbour” where the ferry docks. The pilot book did mention that there is a lot of coral but the reality was frightening. Coral heads ahead and to the left with a reef to the right on the first attempt and a reef behind us when we finally found a place to anchor. We checked the anchor and the surrounding coral and then we took the dinghy to the beach and towards the music. Today is Easter Saturday so there was a party on the beach with extremely loud music, ice cold beer and …

… lobster. Absolutely amazing, tasty, mouth watering lobster. Great food at local prices served by smiling ladies.

Mission acomplished.

Today it is a year since we first cast off the lines and sailed away from the pontoon in West Scotland. Back then Neill had two weeks experience of skippering his own boat and Heidi had spent one day sailing on a lake. Stuart MacDonald – just back from sailing around the world – told us that if we avoided Black Rock on the way out, the rest would be easy.

We have now avoided many Black Rocks – every port or channel seems to have one. We have sailed to 58° North to visit the standing stones of Callanish and to Prickly Bay in Grenada at 12°N. We have visited about twelve countries and about forty islands, crossed five time zones and sailed about eight thousand miles. The numbers don’t really matter. The experiences are what are important.

Everywhere we go there are friendly, helpful, interesting and sometimes mildly eccentric people to meet and enjoy life with. It really doesn’t matter if we meet “bushmen” in the rain forest or doctors at the yacht club – we enjoy everyone. Luckily English is the Lingua Franca of the sailing world so we get by. Heidi is now fluent in English conversation so we are learning Spanish ready for Panama.

It is amazing how busy we are. You would think that gently sailing round the world with a few bike trips shouldn’t be too much work. However only last week Neill commented that he doesn’t have time to blog because he is too busy living. Heidi, quite rightly, pointed out that the other way round would be much worse. When you collect all your supplies and water with a dinghy, cook everything yourself, generate your own electricity and use the wind to move, boredom is not an option. And there are the non stop repairs and improvements that also keep us occupied.

Our living space is about twenty square meters and from England to the Canary Islands there were three of us on board. Amazingly it is space enough and we even have empty lockers. The view through the windows changes permanently and since the Caribbean (and our new swimming masks) we have had a huge warm salt water world to play in – complete with coral reefs and interesting fish.

So after one year “at sea” we finally feel like sailors and both know far more about sailing than we did then. We even sound like sailors with our lines, tacks, genoa, pushpit and who knows what else. And we now know the most important rules:

• make a plan but don’t expect it to happen as you plan. It will probably turn out better.
  
• Whatever happens, enjoy it

We are anchored in English Harbour, Antigua. This used to be the base for the British Navy in these parts. There are dockyards named the Nelson Dockyards as Horatio Nelson was at one time the boss here. The area is surrounded by hillocks and hills and each was fortified by the British.

From the beach we cycled right round the bay and past the dockyard before turning up hill to the ruins of the Middle Ground Fort and enjoying the view down to Fort Berkeley. A nice downhill trail followed and then we headed north. On the way we passed a T-Shirt shop and stopped off to get an offer. The owner was from Guyana and a little surprised that Neill had visited parts of his country that he had only read about. We enjoyed a philosophical discussion on economic and political empowerment, fixed a puncture and continued on our way.

A quick sprint eighty meters uphill took us to an unnamed viewpoint and a view across Falmouth Harbour. Back downhill and then another one hundred and fifty uphill took us through the middle of nowhere on tracks that were just bedrock or loose stones. Great that we have mountain bikes. At the top we reached the ruins of Great Fort George and enjoyed a panoramic view in all directions. Falmouth and English Harbours were laid out below us like a map.

Back down in to town, bought an orange from a fruit seller and then up to Shirley Heights where the Artillery had a lookout. This is now a national park so there were buses full of air conditioned tourists. We bought two ice cold beers and sat looking down on to Artemis and talking to three American sailors.

Then it was all downhill, a long swim in the bay and a shower. It’s a tough life.

Route is at gpsies. Pictures at Google.

Just the names are the stuff of sailing dreams. How many sailors sit hunched in a rainy, cold cockpit and dream themselves to “the Islands”. After almost a year of sailing, we have finally reached this bewitched sailing area where the sun always shines, the wind always blows in the correct direction and rum punch is on tap – we thought!

We were anchored off a beach in south Guadeloupe and had a good plan. Leave about midday, cruise to the last bay on the island, wait until about midnight and then leave to reach Antigua at sunrise.

Leave about midday worked and for the first hour the wind took us north as hoped. Then it turned round, turned again and stopped. We sailed in circles for over an hour until a breeze came up and we could head north again. But we sailed. We didn’t use the motor – unlike all those around us.

The breeze became a wind and then a strong wind. We reached the end of the island under second reef and jib and were on our second tack upwind when the lazy jack broke. The deck was a mess of lines and the stack-pack was flogging horribly. We put in to the next bay and almost as soon as we had anchored the “mast monkey” was climbing her mast and repairing things. We decided to sleep at anchor and enjoy the sail to Antigua in daylight.

Up in the dark and off at first light. Immediately outside the bay we found wind but it was varying in direction and strength. More sail, less sail, different sails. And “Chiara” the windvane was not happy and wouldn’t hold the course so we were helping her. Then we came out from behind the island and took the Atlantic swell on the beam.

We were jumping the waves and heading hard on the wind with twenty to thirty degrees of heel. Occasionally Artemis would go through a wave instead of over it just to be sure everything stayed nicely wet. And what does Heidi do? Goes in to the galley, jams herself in and makes bread.

At least the crossing was fast and in the afternoon we saw Antigua ahead and the sun was still shining when we sailed in to English Harbour and anchored in the promised land.

Murphy apparently stated that “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” He was obviously sailing and wanted to go for a bike ride.

We are anchored just off a beach in Guadeloupe and there is an active volcano just above us so obviously the plan was to bike to a crater at the highest point you can reach by bike.

We were nearly ready to go when it started raining which delayed things a little. About the same time we found two thorns in Neill’s tires so passed the time fixing two punctures and repacking the wheels for their dinghy trip.

Next we loaded about half our stuff, put the motor on the dinghy and set off for the beach. A wave hit us as we beached. We saved the bikes from getting wet but the outboard drowned. On the way back it gave up on us and of course we had no paddles with us so used our hands to “row” back to the boat. Motor off, next load on-board and we paddled back to the beach. Another wave but no engine to drown, just us two soaked to the chest.

We put the bikes together and realized we had forgotten our sunglasses and then that we had Neill’s walking shoes and not his cycling shoes with us. Take off clothes, unlock dinghy, drag it across beach, paddle out, paddle back, get hit by obligatory wave, drag dinghy up beach, lock it up, clean sand off, get dressed and realize we had forgotten to switch the fridge on. Stuff it!

We set off and it went straight uphill – as it always does to volcanoes. This is volcano number three so we are experts. Heidi’s gears were jumping and we had already done four hundred meters of climbing before we got them set up properly so we could start to enjoy the ride.

After just over a thousand meters of climbing we were deep in the rain forest. The vegetation was amazing and the humidity was off the scale. The people in almost every car that we met rolled their windows down to congratulate us on our stupidity cycling up there. We rounded a corner and there was a huge fence and a nearly as big sign saying “road closed” and mentioning big fines if you carried on. It turns out the road we wanted to follow fell apart after the last eruption so this was the “end of the road”.

Just across from the sign was a volcano heated spring that was beautifully warm and stunk of old eggs. It started raining so we took shelter until it turned to drizzle when Neill went for a sit in the hot water. Only up to the neck, there is some amoeba that lives in there which, if inhaled, is one hundred percent deadly.

The rain stopped and we enjoyed the thousand meter descent through the forest and through the town back to the beach and two Moyitos at the Point Bleu Soleil (who had kindly looked after our bike bags). Of course we got wet trying to get everything back out through the waves and of course it rained during the second dinghy trip but we didn’t expect anything else.

Our route is at Gpsies.

At 05:30 the alarm went off and we jumped out of bed fully motivated for a Martinique mountain bike tour. Half an hour later and we were ready to load the dinghy BUT it was raining. Really raining. Downpour raining.

We drank coffee and kept ourselves amused until about ten when the rain stopped. We quickly loaded the dinghy with bikes, took them across to the shore and put them together. We cycled up hill for about ninety seconds and it started raining so we hid under a roof. Once it stopped we managed nearly a mile before we had to shelter under another roof. The final deluge caught us on the outskirts of Le Miran so we hid at a petrol station.

After all this start stop progress we finally had dry skies even if the ground was a little wet. We cycled through the village of Sainte Anne and on towards the southernmost point of Martinique. This was real mountain-biking. The ground changed from rock to wet roots to sand to mud every few meters and at one point it was just easier to cycle along the beach. We passed cacti, palms, desert like landscapes and cycled through thick wood. At one point we were avoiding the crabs and the next chasing greeny, furry rat things. All the time the ocean and beautiful beaches were on our right and, this being Sunday, the beaches and woods were full of partying locals and sun burnt tourists.

During the last part of the tour we headed off north along the Atlantic coast and met only two other people the whole time – and they were asleep. More woods, more marshes and more stunning views.

Back in Le Marin we went to a petrol station to wash the bikes down and promptly it began to rain. We hid in McDonalds until it stopped and the sun dried the bikes and then packed them back in their bags. The final rain started just as we stowed the bikes dry in their bags on board.

Out track is at gpsies and all the photos at Google.

Since we have been in the Caribbean we have been planning on biking but either the islands were too small, the drivers too crazy or the water and rum-punch too inviting.

Finally today – anchored off St. Vincent – we set the alarm for sunrise, jumped out of bed, breakfasted, packed everything in to the dinghy, rowed to the beach, put the bikes together, got dressed in cycling gear and set off up hill.

We followed the Windward Highway for the first few kilometers and then turned up a small steep side road. At nine o’clock we stopped next to the village school for a drink and then continued up in to the hills. We were far off the tourist trails and everyone looked at the crazy mountain-bikers. Thinking about it, we didn’t meet another bike of any type all day. Most people exchanged a happy “Morning! Morning!” with us and were pleased when we told them they had a “beautiful but steep country”. It was nice that they were happy as even some of the women carry machetes.

Eventually the road became a track and the track became a trail and we were riding along a ridge between two valleys surrounded by foliage and humming birds – real jungle feeling. The trail took a steep turn downhill which we slid down before realizing we should have taken a hidden turn at the top. We climbed back up a never ending bamboo staircase back to the top and sweat literally ran off us. Who needs a fitness studio?

Back at the top there was more great scenery before we took the correct turn down hill. On the way we passed a sign pointing to a spring so we stopped off there. Living on a boat, you really appreciate limitless, flowing cool water. We washed ourselves and let the sun dry us.

As the bikes were on land we used them to find a bank and a supermarket before returning to the beach for a beer and then rowing back “home”.

We climbed 650 meters during the 24 kilometer ride so we obviously still know how to ride a bike. We were also reminded how amazing it is to have bikes along and be able to get inland to places where people just live their lives without having to put on a tourist display. Our track is saved to gpsies.com