antigua sailing advice

[tcm]

Anyone sailed around antigua relatively recently? I am looking for advice on where to go and where to stop. Anchorages and bars, usual stuff. Only going for a week, so don't want to waste too much time on the wrong bits.

There are big resorts all around the coast. Can you pop in for lunch, or do they chuck you off if you try and land in the dinghy?

Barbuda is only a moderate 30mile trek. Is that okay or just okish with lovely long beach and er now what - a bit boring. We're townies, see.



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[snowleopard]

antigua has more anchorages than many other islands put together so here's a few ideas:

indian creek - give it a miss - mud & mangroves
english harbour - a 'must see' for the history, wide variety of resaurants
falmouth harbour - ok in a superyacht, otherwise pass it by/walk from english hbr.
jolly harbour - bars & shops ok, free pool, otherwise just a commercial marina
deep bay - good snorkelling, restaurants ashore
5 islands bay - murky water, bit of a nothing
st john's - no room for yachts, visit by minibus
jumby bay - palms on the beach but spoiled by the resort
maiden island - a real 'desert island' lots of shells
parham - unappealing waterfront but nice sleepy town, amazing church
gt. bird island - great snorkelling, nice ashore early & late when trippers not there
barbuda - 11 miles of deserted beach going n from palmetto point, pink sand

you can't breeze into the 'all in resorts (mostly in the NW corner) though you can pay a daily fee in some. ordinary hotels take non-residents for dinner.

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[AndrewB]

Few years since I was last there but my favourite area after English Harbour was Nonsuch Bay at the western end of an Antigua, which you don't list. A bit 'away from it all' though there are several resort hotels tucked away there.

Otherwise your list sounds good. Don't recall 'Jumby Bay' though, where's that?

 

[snowleopard]

Nonsuch bay is at the Eastern end of the island, next to green island. to get there you have to go round the windward side of the island. I hear it's nice round there but I stuck to the leeward side, being a wimp

Jumby bay is a resort on Long Island. Doyle calls it 'one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. It may be so if you are sitting under the palms looking out to sea but a lot less so when looking towards all the buildings on the shore.

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[AndrewB]

East & West

Of course! I'm too used to thinking of the windward side as being the west. Incidentally Nonesuch Bay looks wide open to the prevailing wind but is actually sheltered by reefs, which means a little care is needed entering but makes for good snorkling.

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[Gunfleet]

Re: East & West

God this thread is painful to read. Just how long is the bloody winter going to last?

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[BrendanS]

Re: East & West

It's the new ice age starting. A few millenia or so, and it will be over

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[Gunfleet]

Re: East & West

That's very cheering Brendan

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[tcm]

Re: East & West

i am sorry about this. There will be quite lot of midges, I expect, and the food wil be unrelentingly rubbish, if it helps at all?

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[john_morris_uk]

Don't think that anyone has mentioned the 'Jump up' on Shirley Heights just above English Harbour. Its on every Sunday evening if I remember correctly. Go up in time to look for the green flash as the sun sets, and then commiserate with each other over a few beers/rum punches at failing to see it yet again. (Does it exist?)

Food was basic, but edible and the rumour is that rock stars mingle with the rest of us.

(Trouble is I wouldn't recognise any stars unless introduced, and even then probably wouldn't recognise the name...)

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[snowleopard]

Re: East & West

agreed. all the time we were out there i kept referring to east as west and vice versa. it takes some time to get used to the idea of prevailing easterlies. i have similar problems with weather and direction in australia. a hot north wind goes against nature for heaven's sake!

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[gtmoore]

Sunday nights are great and the music is good but IMO Shirley heights has such fantastic views that it's worth a trip up the hill to see any time of the day.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=blue>Gavin </font color=blue>

 

[ParaHandy]

two spots to the west of hawksbill rock 17 06.899'N 62 01.003'W & 17 05.088'N 62 01.437'W on the edge of Ariadne Reef.

these are two patches in 10m - anchor in the sandy bit - dive down you'll find some sandy lagoons surrounded by loose rock and under the rocks are crayfish, hundreds of them. If you stand in the middle of the sandy bit and wait a few minutes, they all start to come out .. its magic. Water is clear enough to snorkel but not quite the same .. it's a $5,000 fine if you hoik any of them out for breakfast/lunch/dinner ....

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[tcm]

Re: blimey

this is very accurate information indeed! thanks, and thanks also to all others who have posted here already.

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[jonjo]

Re: Got booted out

Sorry cannot help. I had a quick beer on the deck looking over English Harbour then a customs official who did not like South African yachts ordered us out 3 hours after dropping the hook.

This happened back in 1987.

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[snowleopard]

Re: Got booted out

it probably wasn't you. the customs officials in antigua don't like anyone. miserable gits.

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[AndrewB]

Re: Got booted out

Check. There used to be a great fat guy there, Sergeant someone, who was notorious. I've encountered more corrupt officials in other places, but never one who took so much self-evident satisfaction in his ability to lord it.

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[jonjo]

Re: Got booted out

We theorized that under maritime law we should be given 24 hours to leave but the anchor was up after 4 hours.

Boy, we screwed up the end of Empire chapter compared to French?<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by jonjo on 25/11/2004 11:00 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[tico]

Thort u couldnt get away.

Called in on Antigua for a few days after BVI's last month.

English harbour just waking up for the season
Recommend dive tours run by a guy at Falmouth harbour, he's Merican and ex Wall st trader but runs a dive business there. Went diving at 'pillars of Hercules' well worth it.

Otherwise u cd anchor in the bay at Pineapple beach club and walk up the hill to 'Mary's'... mazing place with lots of beer in ice chests and the best BBQ food all day.

Have a great time!

<hr width=100% size=1>Been there, done that, got the oily T shirt

 

[robp]

Re: East & West

You're not bl**dy kidding. God I'm depressed now. I'm going to sell the s**ding boat just so I can take a charter holiday down that way!
Nurse!

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