St Patrick’s Day, Montserrat, 17 March 2016.

The day after the MFB tour decided to take the fast ferry from St John’s, Antigua to Little  Bay in Monserrat for the Irish festivities. Monserrat is the only place outside Ireland that has St Patrick’s day as a public holiday. Many an O’Reilly, O’Brian and ‘twinkle in the eyes’ of the locals. It took 4 hours to get on the ferry and it was chaos!! Eventually pushed and shoved my way on but good crossing with lashings of Carib and ‘Shipwreck’. Taxi up to the hotel and then down to Salem for the Parade and party. Monserrat was devastated by a volcanic eruption in 1997 and again 2010 that destroyed the capital, Plymouth and rumbles on so half the island is an exclusion zone. Great parade and party then back to the hotel for a last, last in the bar with an Irish American from Boston. Booked an island tour for the morning but was told at 8am that the ferry was leaving at 10am not 3pm. So mad scramble to get on and no tour or breakfast!

Highlights:

Chaos customs

Little Bay, Montserrat. Ferry dock in the first pic.

Parade

This troop represented slaves who mocked their masters in dance but kept their anonymity with headdresses and face masks.

Party people

St Patrick’s Day queens.

Police Band

Steel Band

Far out!

Out of sight!

Magnificent Frigate Birds

I took a day trip on a 82 feet catarman the 35 miles or so up to Barbuda from St John’s, Antigua. Rum punch all the way at 20 knots with spray flying. Beached the cat and had a swim off the pink sandy beach. Lunch aboard, then into the boats for a fast passage to the MFB sanctuary a few miles into the lagoon on the other side of the beach. The magnificent frigate birds are magnificent. The adult male is all black, the female has a white patch on her breast and the babies have white heads. The males puff out their red throat to impress the girls. Wonderful, then 90 minutes back in the cat and a taxi from the dock back to Jolly Harbour. Great day.

Highlights:

82 feet of motor catamaran (emergency exits everywhere but do not pee over the stern).

Barbuda is a flat island mostly native (as yet undeveloped) but no facilities for yachts.

Cat on a beach

John on his boat in the lagoon (just the other side of the dune).

Girls in hats as serious party back home this evening.

Speeding to the MFBs.

Approaching the MFB sanctuary

Roosting

Great day.

Jolly Harbour Marina, Jolly Harbour, Antigua, WI. Sunday 6 March 2016.

A few days lazing in Bas du Port with nice resturants but bad showers. Rowed over to get fuel and did the laundary at 06.00 as great competition for the machines (marina life!). Checked out on 25 February only to be told that the marina was closing in 10 minutes for the day because of harbour repairs. So I left in a panic without breakfast or provisions although I had fuelled and watered the day before. No sign of any works but a tough beat out of the harbour in 18 knots. Five hours later I came into the lovely St Louis anachorage in Marie-Galante, named after one of Columbus’  boats as he had run out of saints! A flat (and therefore old) island, part of Guadeloupe, with wonderful beaches. Clear, clear water so swam and snorkled and washed the weed and some barnacles of the hull.  Departed downwind the next day for the run to Basse Terre in south west Guadeloupe. two nights in the Marina Rivere de Sens watching the pelicans diving to catch fish. Quite a shock when it happens right by your boat. Great patisserie and black sandy beach for late afternoon swim and sundowner. Up along the coast to Jacques Cousteau’s nature reserve off yet another Pigeon Island then on to Deshaies (Daisy). Got the last buoy and easy dingy ride to town. Touristy but sweet and good food. Departed after 2 nights at dawn as a long sail up to Antigua on a beat. Good tiime though and arrived to anchor off St Anne’s point and Pigeon Beach in Falmouth harbour next to Alex and Anna on their lovely Rustler 42, Pantamaiion II. I walked over to English Harbour the next day with Alex for the formalities, and to ogle the superyachts. Then out for a rather good supper at the Trapas Bar (if a bit raucous) that evening. Good swim on the beach and off around the coast to Jolly Harbour where I had prebooked a berth. Arrived 4 March and passed Eupraxia on a mooring, so another dinner, this time italian in  the upmarket Al Porto on the dockside. Saturday saw me unwind, pick up my shoes from Eupraxia, have a sundowner and caught the green flash at Castaways on the beach. Llive music in the Crow’s Nest till late just behind my berth (Luca Samuels band). So here for a few more days......

Highlights:

Loick Peyron won the Route de Rhum from St Malo to Guadeloupe in 7 days, 15 hours, 8 minutes and 32 seconds. I watched the start in November 2014.

Land crabs, tthey are all over the place. You can tell how big they are by the size of the hole in the ground!

Bas du Port marina

Slave museum in Pointe a Pitre

Basse Terre

Liberte, egalite, fraternité, Hotel de Ville.

Marina Riviere de Sens

The other half anchored off the black beach

The Black beach

Papaya and pelicans for breakfast

Pigeon Island anchorage looking towards Jacques Cousteau’s nature reserve. Great snorkling.

Fish, moray eel and turtle.

Deshaies (Daisy)

Botanical Gardens (up a very steep hill).

Schooner on way to Falmouth Harbour, Antigua

Nelson,s Dockyard in English Harbour, Antigua

Jolly Harbour

Castaways nd trying for the green flash.