27 Mar: Red-Light District and Endless Beaches
Antigua by night taken from Shirley Heights. English Harbour in the foreground and Falmouth Harbour in the adjacent bay in the background It's a five minutes walkt inbetween the two.
It is hard to believe that the two islands Antigua and Barbuda together form the country with the same name. Their diversity is even greater than the variety of the visiting yachts.

Antigua, the “sailing Mecca” of the Caribbean, hosts as different sailing events as the Antigua Sailing Week, the Antigua Classic Week, the Blue Water Rally and the final goal for the Atlantic rowers. Remember the 26 rowing boats gathering in La Gomera in the Canaries for their start just after our own cast-off into the huge Atlantic? For us, it became a very emotional moment to first having seen them all on the European side in November and then to witness the last rower arriving in Antigua 103 days later. Can you imagine to row for onehundredandthree days and nights on the deserted Atlantic, all alone, as this single handed woman had done? Not only her oars broke repeatedly, but so did her stove just before Christmas, so she had not eaten any warm food since. The warmer, however, was the welcome in Antigua: the entire yachting community gave her an overwhelming applause on the 13 March, when she finally had made it, coming rowing into English Harbour, reaching land and being embraced by her waiting mother, and many, many friends.
The final single handed rower entering English Harbour after 103 days and 6 hours at sea all by herself. Photo by Dan on Koshlong.
Her rowing boat was berthed in English Harbour next to enormous super-yachts. No dinghy to these super-yachts would be so small and the rowing boat appeared ever so tiny. Instead, the super-yachts carried large 30-foot powerboats onboard, which were stored in “garages” inside their super-hulls, launched either by enormous cranes or via ramps on their stern.
There is an alternative these days to stowing heavy powerboats on elegant sailing yachts, however: to avoid filling up their fine yachts with all more or less necessary toys, the new trend within super-yachting is to also buy “shadow boats”. Often, these are older super-yachts re-built as storage vessels, supporting their parent super-yacht by carrying all the gear and all the toys the owner would like to enjoy when he or she arrives at a new destination with their super-yacht.
Mirabella V from astern looking into the huge open "aft deck locker" where a large waterjet-powered motoryacht is stored and lanched by tilting the entire stern into the sea forming into a slipway.
When Karolina stood in line to pay her anchor fee, counting her money so she had the necessary 50 USD for the week, the person in front of her paid his harbor bill of USD 1.595. Apparently cost is a function of size!
Superyachts berthed in Falmouth Harbour Marina.
Nelson Dockyard in English Harbour
Many of the large yachts come to Antigua not only for its pleasant atmosphere, but also for the high-end craftsmanship that is found on this island. It is unique in its kinds in that respect that ever since Lord Nelson’s days, this has been a base for ship refurbishment and overhaul, with the naval vessels of the 18th century now having been replaced by leisure crafts.

Still today, the old buildings in the dockyard host chandleries, sail lofts, riggers and, of course, bars. It is like strolling through a living museum; sailors are brought back to the old days of sailing ships. The atmosphere from past centuries can still be felt while working or waiting. Waiting is what you do a lot here. Waiting for spare parts to arrive, waiting for work to be done, waiting for crew to arrive. The time never seems slow, however. First of all, we have got used to taking it easy and secondly there are so many other nice people around to share the time with. Hence, many yachties stay far longer than really needed. Some even stay for years or return annually for the season.
Pillars once holding the roof of the sail loft of Nelson Dockyard. The longboats came rowing into a roofed berth (left) with the sails onboard, which were tilted ashore (to the right). Both the berth and the "loft" were under the same roof.
Yachts are being polished and varnished all day long, since wood-work is one of Antigua’s pride. I have seldom seen so many shiny boats at once, not to mention their size!
Rebecca, one of the most beautiful superyachts in Nelsons Dockyard.
Some of the very biggest super-yachts showed a red light in their mast top while at anchor. I had seen it once or twice before, wondering what that could mean, but never in this quantity! One night, I counted to 17 red lights in Falmouth Harbour, with its reflections shining all over the glassy mirror of the water, turning this place into a red light district.
Whether you were looking to your right (above) or to your left (below), you saw masts with red lights everywhere!
Superyachts’ masts are apparently so tall that they could become a hazard for airplanes. According to aviation rules, obstructions of any kind, such as radio masts and very tall buildings, have to have a red light on top of it. Apparently, also some sailing masts fall into this category here on Antigua. No wonder, when, for instance, yacht Mirabella V has a mast reaching no less than 90 m (300’) into the sky! Compare this to Regina’s mast, which is 19m tall (nineteen rather than ninety!) and you understand what kind of private yachts we are talking about here!
"Nalle NIVA" enjoying his cruise to Barbuda (seen in the background). Please observe the important harness, which Jonathan has made for his teddy. Photo by Jessica.
The contrast to Antigua’s sister island Barbuda could not be greater. Barbuda does not get many visiting yachts since it has not much more to offer than frigate birds and endless beaches. We didn’t see any birds, since the guide never showed up, a fact even our guide book Lonely Planet warns about, but the beaches we saw plenty of. One beach was no less than 11 miles long with a yacht anchored every half mile or so along it.

Imagine coming on a beam reach on a northerly course with Antigua in the wake and Barbuda still invisible ahead. Not that we would not have been close enough, but rather due to the fact that it was as low as a south pacific atoll - or at least that is how I imagined an atoll. Coming closer, we still could not see much more than a flat sandy stroke with dangerous reefs surrounding it.
Anchored off Barbuda. the next boat visiting Barbuda is seen in the background (except for Koshlong, into which mast I had climed to take this picture...)
I stood on aft deck holding to the backstay with my face pointing into the warm wind and just enjoyed life intensely. The water changed color from dark blue to turquoise as we sailed over sand-banks. With my polarized sunglasses, the contrast between deep and shallow waters became even more distinct and I could start to “read” depth by its color. The ground became visible through the clear water when depth reached 10 m. It was a joy to see!

The sky was equally pretty with just some cumulus clouds being pushed by the trade winds. Regina was doing some 8 knots and was flying over the flat seas. Even between Antigua and Barbuda the waves had been friendly that day. It was hard to believe that the entire Atlantic lay open to the east, since the waves were merely bigger than along the Swedish coast on a sunny summer’s day. If it could continue like this, I thought, well, I would be prepared for a another Atlantic crossing in due course, since this was nothing but deeply enjoyable!
The warm winds, the steady weather, the stable trade winds and distances easily made during a day-sail in between the islands definitely lived up to the Caribbean’s high reputation as a first class sailing ground. I understood how cruisers could stay here for years, returning each season for yet another laid-back cruising life in the Lesser Antilles. Should we do the same? Or should we follow our plans to return to Europe this summer, get our children into ordinary schools again and finding interesting jobs for ourselves? Right here and now, it was hard to imagine us sitting in an office again. Maybe reason enough to hurry back as long as we still could imagine us to go back in first place! Otherwise we might get stuck into cruising for ever! Hmmm, why not, actually?

Still, I do like the high latitude sailing as well, especially when I, these days, only can remember the sunny and beautiful days of Scandinavia. So, maybe time for a change, nevertheless? Alteration is key for enjoyment in life, I learnt from our good friend in Holland, Jurriaan, now soon sailing the oceans himself on his own brand new HR37 to be commissioned in a couple of weeks.
A happy man enjoying Caribbean sailing. Photo by Karolina
For the time being, however, I quickly threw these altering thoughts out of my head and, instead, concentrated on enjoying this very moment. Sailing in the Caribbean is so dreamlike when it comes to sailing conditions that we sometimes needed a reminder of how cold, wet and grey sailing can be experienced elsewhere.
We really liked Barbuda for its tranquility and remoteness, its beautiful turquoise sea and great snorkeling. A taste of the south Pacific maybe? Or Bahamas? Who knows.
Leon and Karolina, Photo by Jessica
After a couple of days on Barbuda, we returned to Antigua again, since yet more parties waited. With so many boats around us, there always seemed to be someone who had his or her birthday to celebrate, hosting a birthday party we didn’t want to miss. Obviously, we were one of them to organise a party, with Jessica and Jonathan both becoming one year older on 5 March.
The first congratulators, Pip and Alice from Keoma, ariving in the morning to say Happy Birthday to Jessica and Jonathan.
How laborious had the previous birthday parties for Jessica and Jonathan been back in cold Sweden! Detailed planning of indoor activities for 15 wild kids was now replaced by an easy-going beach party! Why can’t all birthday parties be so easy to fix? One dinghy pulled up on the beach became a buffet table for the birthday cakes, a quiz had been organized and was hang up in trees nearby while the rest of the entertainment came spontaneously from games in the warm sea or on the beach. For Jessica and Jonathan, this was a most memorable birthday party with new friends from numerous boats and countries. Life can be so easy, if it is not made complicated!
The Birthday party on the beach with friends, parents and visiting grand-parents plus some local people (and dog!) who found interest in my quiz. Photo by Juliet, Keoma
Question: How many sun-beams are missing on this flag? Photo by Juliet, Keoma
Jonathan, Rachael, Jessica and a local boy listening to my birthday quiz. Photo by Juliet, Keoma
Charlie and Pip from Keoma pulling Jessica, Chloe, Rachael, Alice, Jonathan and Emma. That's all you need for a great brithday party! Photo by Juliet, Keoma.
Many good old boat-friends turned up in Antigua while we were there, allowing for wonderful reunions with friends made back in Spain, Madeira or the Canaries. It is thanks to the SSB that we all could stay in contact arranging to meet up at certain place. I felt a little sorry for the boats without an SSB, since they missed much of the information and sailed their own way.

One boat we met again in Antigua was Amaranth, with Paul from Australia and Liz, the artist. We had merely met again, when Liz invited all the children to a new art class, similar to our Graciosa-time, this time to work with pastel colors.
The boat kids were all back into “Graciosa sensation” where numerous classes by Liz had taken place 5 months earlier. The boat kids were again eagerly sitting in the grass around Liz, listening to her explanations about colors, shades and shapes of the buildings in Nelson Dockyard. The challenge to catch their impression of the same into pastels was done with deep concentration.
Jonathan, Liz and Rachael concentrating on pastel colours
Nelson Dockyard in pastel by Jonathan
Nelson Dockyard in pastel by Jessica
Another enjoyable re-union was made with Wild Alliance. Remember the chef, who showed us how to fillet a fish and make sushi back in Rubicon on Lanzarote? Or when the same captain John on Wild Alliance, alias John Dept, hosted the water-fight on “Trafalgar Day” in Graciosa, which looked more like a pirate attack than a battle by Lord Nelson?

Since they had no birthday to offer during our Antigua stay, they all invited us instead on a full-day all-inclusive “day-charter cruise” onboard Wild Alliance, which seemed to be tailor built for entertaining and really lived up to its name. Families from 3 boats, Koshlong, Tamarisk and Regina, joined in a wild alliance to sail in between two reefs on the southwest corner of Antigua to anchor in water barely deeper than their keel with reefs on either side. Lunch, snorkeling and halyard swinging with 12 cheering children and their 8 happy parents started some serious discussion in getting into the day-charter business: Sailing tourists to the reef, offering snorkeling, lunch and drinks and then driving them back ashore again in the evening. Why not?!
Karolina with a Carib-beer in her hand talking to John, alias John Dept, with a bunch of kids on deck Wild Alliance on our way to an adventurous snorkling in between reefs off Antigua. All a very cool atmosphere.
A group photo for the camera: Jonathan, Emma from Koshlong, Anna from Tamarisk plus an unidentifiable diver to the right. All, nevertheless, originating from Wild Alliance.
Jessica, enjoying a relaxing dive blowingbubbles watching fish (or the cameraman?)
Antigua acted as a magnetic “meeting point” for many yachties and it was wonderful to both meet again with friends we had not seen since Europe and to meet new friends we had only been corresponding with by e-mail previously. Antigua also hosted a “parent’s week”, with several boats’ parents visiting their cruising children and their grand-children, and, at the same time, meeting other parents to cruising families. I wonder what the “cruising parents” were talking about internally when they met?

As much as we liked Antigua, we still missed the local touch of the friendly people of Grenada and that island’s impressive interior back-land. Grenada was still our favorite island so far, if you look at the island as such.

When would we ever be seeing Grenada again?
Sunset as seen from the anchorage in Antigua. Photo by Jessica