Last year when we did this trip, there was no wind and we were computer bound till 6pm on Friday, so we motored in completely flat waters over night, this year a different story.  We were up and off the hook by 630am looking forward to some fishing (or trolling) and hoping for as much north wind we could find.   We were into the wind at about 30 degrees at a beat being “beat” up by the waves, up, down, side, to side.  It was a bit of a rough ride and when we pulled into Jolly Harbor at 830pm we were exhausted.  But, the next day, we cleared in, dropped off some laundry, did a few boat chores and rested.  We ended up heading over to Carlisle Bay as it is much more serene and peaceful.

But, we did not come here to hide away, so the next day we were off to the races.  We picked up Anna and her friend Rhom and headed for the start line.  In order to participate in the Antigua Classics, you have to have a full keel, be of moderate to heavy displacement, built of wood or steel, and be of traditional rig and appearance.  You can be an original, which there were plenty gorgeous ones, or a replica of an original with proven documentation.  In other words, it was a race of the wooden boats and all their glory.

After a delicious day on the water admiring all of the spectacular boats at their start, we headed to Carlisle Bay for some lunch.  It was lovely getting to know Anna and Rhom, we ate and swam and had a wonderful afternoon.  After we returned them to shore, Matt and I parked Sweet and Low (our dinghy) in Falmouth harbor and walked over to English harbor where we got to witness the boats up close.  Unfortunately, we learned that three boats were demasted.  Two from the day before during practice, and one from earlier today.  The one from earlier in the day, Tilly was one of my favorites and I had captured her beauty in several shots – they hope to repair their mast and be back on the water before the end of the races.  We caught up with our friends on El Gato and Steve from Hotel California while checking email and having an evening drink.  Not a late night, we headed back to the boat before 9p for dinner and relaxation.
Saturday morning, Matt and I  took Sugar Shack back to the start line to admire the yachts and hoot and holler like any good side lined cheerleader.  After they were all heading down course, we headed back to the anchorage.

Before we cleared out of the country, we decided to stretch our legs and go for a hike to find the horses.  We had heard that there was a place where you could rent horses to walk on the beach and we wanted to see them so off we went on a new adventure.  We walked up from the marina to the main road and turned left toward the general direction of the barn.  Luckily after less than a mile into our walk Matt saw a sign with a horse head on it – clear indication we are headed in the right direction so we turned left on to the dirt road.  This turned out to be super interesting as there were all sorts of trees bearing different fruit on them.  We found papaya trees, mango trees, and cucumber looking vines growing all over the place.  It was a quiet dirt road with little activity except the wonderful smells of nature.  After walking another mile or so we did not see anything and we were just about to turn around when we decided to at least crest the top of the hill.  Luckily we did as we saw an old abandoned building, could have been a bunker turned into a funky house – who knows.  Matt went to explore the building but a nice shady tree on the beach was calling to me.

 

We went back to English harbor so we could clear out of Antigua and check out the festivities.  Next to St. Kitts to meet Monica.

More fun pictures