Monthly Archives: June 2015
English Harbour, Antigua
After spending about a week in the less developed northern parts of Antigua where the kiteboarding was excellent and restaurants non-existent, we sailed to the southern part of Antigua and entered English Harbour. One cannot visit English Harbour without becoming cognizant of it’s importance in the history of Antigua and the surrounding area. The first thing you observe when arriving at the port is Fort Berkeley, which still stands on the western entrance to English Harbour.
Looking out toward the entrance to English Harbour.
The construction of Fort Berkeley began in 1704 and after several additions was completed in 1745. It was a pivotal sentry against attack since the British Navy housed it’s fleet at Nelson’s Dockyard which was landlocked within the harbor. All told, Ft. Berkeley had 29 large cannons. Antigua was considered such an important location that a total of 40 forts were built on it.
A commanding view and position to protect the harbor.
We took time to walk to Ft. Berkeley and follow the trail to some additional, smaller outposts that led all the way to Falmouth Harbour. This sounds like a long walk, and it was hilly, arid and rocky, but the distance is actually not great. You can see in the picture below that there is only a small section of land that separates English and Falmouth Harbours.
English Harbour to the right and Falmouth to the left.
While we enjoyed the views and exercise, Captain kept a close watch for her new nemesis, the goat!
Goats are the only remaining sentries at the forts.
Captain has decided that it is very important to chase any and all goats far from us, so we have to keep her on leash if we know they are around. Unfortunately on this walk, she spotted a goat while off lead….the chase ensued and within seconds Captain and said goat were careening down the side of the hills. We saw Captain still running full out about 200 yards below us and we were not sure what to do. Fortunately her sense of direction is excellent and within a few minutes she came trotting right back to where she had left the trail. Her tail was high and she wore a huge grin, absolutely confident that she had just saved us from a fearsome goat!
You will note Captain is back on leash, but she is vigilantly watching those goats!
I wish it was possible to share the aura and history of Nelson’s Dockyard. The buildings have been beautifully restored and are now used to house restaurants, shops, hotels, art galleries and more. As we walked the cobblestone streets the sense of past spirits was present. Of course, I imagined dashing navel officers and ladies in heavy dresses while Frank’s imagination leaned more toward drunken brawls and pirates!
We would both like to return to English Harbour and learn more about the history as we only touched the surface!
Frank lighting the fuse….. Ummm, this looks like a cartoon about to go wrong!
Knots are important in the life of a sailor.
The calm water and pleasant breeze over the hills made English Harbour the perfect place for us to reline the trampoline on Let It Be. Glad we did as the old line looked worse than expected when we replaced it.
Around the North and West Coast of Antigua
The week following our stay in Jolly Harbour was remote and beautiful. Our sails took us past and to some interesting places that aren’t captured in pictures, but I tried. This entry is simply a photo essay of views or activities… Hopefully my photography skills will improve.
This rock looks like a giant alligator on shore.
Relaxing off Jumby Bay, Antigua.
Rocky spits near Long Island and Rabbit Island, Antigua.
These small flat islands were fun to walk.
We found many fossilized shells…. are these fossils? What is the correct term?
Kiteboarding was high on our activity list!
Kiteboarding friends, Mike and Olga from Toocanoo.
The front deck is the perfect place for drying a kite.
GIANT plants on Green Island.
LIB at rest behind Green Island – a perfect kiteboard spot even for beginners like Mary Grace.
A nice place for Captain to explore.
Captain went with us when we snorkeled!
Sunset while on Toocanoo.
Not many neighbors here.
There is a powerful beauty to the crash of these waves.
Sunset near Bird Island shows the dust some say comes all the way from Africa.
Next stop is English Harbour on the southern side of Antigua.
St Martin
St. Martin
Fair or not, St. Martin will not be remembered as my favorite place, at least from this trip. While the island is beautiful, I was sick the whole time we were on St. Martin, thus my impressions are negatively colored.
This trip we really only experienced the French side of St. Martin. Still even when sick, this is a beautiful place and we did manage to see some rather lovely spots. I am certainly interested in stopping here again later this year as I am certain St. Martin will be even more fun when I am feeling better.
For now, here are some photos to show you some of the beauty of the areas we visited this time.
Leaving Virgin Gorda, BVI
Arriving in St. Martin at dawn….. Captain is ready for land!
Exploring pretty little ocean side towns by foot.
Stopping for lunch and watching the Ski School teach with LIB in the background.
How about the Pink Iguana – with the Texas flag to represent?!
A narrow and beautiful entry to Anse Marcel marina
There is so much more to share, but my internet is very limited and I had a hard time loading this much. With luck, we will have better internet and I can post more often.
Hope you enjoy the views!