The Sailing Club, Inc.

A Week Passes in a Green Flash Caribbean April 2008

Antigua 2008 Log By Jeff Hamer and Mia McCroskey Thursday April 10th Seventeen of our eighteen sailors converged on Nelson’s Dockyard in English Harbour, Antigua; everyone ready for the week of sailing and adventures to come. Despite reminders, prodding, and cajoling, KS got to the airport too late and was bumped off of her flight. A hectic afternoon of boat checkouts was punctuated by one crew’s loss of his wallet between the airport and the charter base. Most of the gang shambled up the road to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, sitting on an upper deck overlooking the road. Friday, April 11 After a morning of final provisioning runs (where is that liquor store exactly?) and ice acquisition, our first boat was off. TC, on Mana, motored forward from the seawall, crew hauling the anchor. And MM’s boat, Renoir II, on the other side of JH’s boat Rossi, started to pull forward as well. Mana’s anchor was under Renoir II’s. The sharp Sunsail staff was on the scene in a spare dinghy, hauling Mana’s anchor by hand and releasing Renoir II’s chain back to the bottom. Free at last, Mana motored on out into the harbor while Renoir II’s crew cast off their lines and hauled in their hook, followed by Rossi. Mana and Renoir II revved up the iron jennies and pushed into the easterly trade wind toward Green Island and Nonsuch Bay while Rossi’s crew hauled up the canvas and tacked off shore and back. Rossi was the last into the bay and dropped the anchor and relaxed. The anchorage north of Green Island was spectacular: an expanse of open water protected from the swells by eastern reefs, but with no land between us and the horizon. While cocktails were being consumed, Sunsail called to tell us that our missing crew was waiting for us at the restaurant.  It was fortunate that we’d shared our plans with the charter base! But now we were committed to taking the dinghys to Harmony Hall at the other end of Nonsuch Bay. Around six o’clock Mana and Renoir II’s crews loaded into their dinks and headed west.  Rossi’s crew elected to not take the thirty-five minute dink ride. A while later the restaurant was still not in sight.  In their haste to depart, nobody had really studied the chart, nor thought to bring it, or a GPS. And the restaurant wasn’t answering on the VHF. When it seemed like we’d gone too far for sure, we turned back to a small dock facility in one of the many small inlets along the south shore. As the dink bumped up against the dock, BG jumped ashore. Lights were on and the place looked inhabited, if currently unoccupied. A moment later BG reappeared with another man. They came to the dock and he described how to get to the restaurant in slightly slurred – “this is my fourth drink” — terms.The main takeaway was that it was further west, and to look for a fleet of dragon boats. Dragon boats? Around the next point we went, imagining fanciful Chinese rowing boats. Instead we sighted a half dozen small white sailboats on moorings in front of a dock.  Dragons indeed!It’s a one-design class. The sailors were met by their wayward crew KS, and a fine dinner was enjoyed by all. The upwind trip back in the dark was more of an adventure, forcing the crews to brush off their rusty night-navigation skills. Our boats’ anchor lights were clearly visible in the distance, but to go straight to them would mean passing over Middle Reef: a massive sand, rock, and coral shoal right in the middle of the bay. The dinks hugged the shore, bravely hopping over the small waves that splashed the forward crew mercilessly. Finally they deemed it safe to turn out into the anchorage toward the boats. As Renoir II’s dink approached Mana, intending to stop and drop off KS’s second bag, the outboard stalled.  Fortunately, it restarted easily.  They made a second approach toward Mana’s stern. It stalled again. “Just go home,” MM directed when it started once again. This time it held on to their destination. Saturday, April 12 Next morning we were heading to Carlisle Bay. Renoir II got off first then Mana and then Rossi tried. Oh no: the windlass didn’t work.  Ugh! Tried everything but finally had to motor forward and haul up the chain, first by hand and then using the winch. JH can say for certain he never wants to do that again. They headed back toward English Harbour – fortunately their planned direction anyway — and called Sunsail, who met them in Freedom Bay, the anchorage outside crowded English Harbour, and fixed the windlass controls. off they went. On Mana the heads weren’t flushing, so TC thought they might also need to stop. But once at sea they had another look and discovered the problem was a lack of priming.  Add some water and problem solved!  A few hours later Mana joined Renoir II at anchor in Carlisle Bay on the south coast of the island. Rossi wasn’t far behind despite their stop. Carlisle proved to be the best snorkeling spot of the trip, although as night fell it became a bit rolly. Sunday, April 13 After some crew returned from church services ashore, each boat had to make a choice: motor through Goat Head Channel between the island and reef, or sail outside the reef. TC had put CS in charge for the day, and she opted to sail (no surprise there!). Renoir II’s crew also wanted to sail. Rossi decided to push on through the channel and up to our destination, Jolly Harbour on the west coast. The sailors had to reach well outside the southern reef, where they found a good breeze. Clearing the western end of the reefs and shoals, they gibed and reached north, picking off landmarks ashore in order to find their turning point into Jolly Harbour. This required passing over shoals that were just a few feet beneath the keel adjacent to shoals that were not. Sailing in deep water is easy. Motoring through shallows is nerve wracking. Even worse, the Jolly Harbour entrance channel was barely deep enough and not where the charts said it was. In the harbor the dockmaster directed us to the end of a T and one inside slip. Then he helped hook up shore power and lent the fleet a hose, grumbling about how charter boats are never properly equipped. This was our last chance to take on water before Barbuda, so it paid to be very nice to Charles. This was also our last chance for provisions and the island’s biggest supermarket was a short walk from the dock. It proved to be very well stocked with food, liquor, and that eternal essential: ice.   There was talk of a dock party, but it didn’t materialize when Trip Leader JH’s crew decided to have dinner at a very nice restaurant overlooking the bay. Monday, April 14 By the time everyone was ready to depart Jolly Harbour with its many shops, it was already noon. To make up for yesterday’s motoring, Rossi’s crew went out over the shoals to sail, while Renoir II followed Mana up the “inside track” past St. Johns, Antigua’s capital and big port, around the oil moorings and The Sisters Islands, and into Dickinson Bay. They found good anchoring in the northern end, although Skidoos and small sailboats from the huge Sandals resort buzzed around them like flies. From their cockpits they watched Rossi come sailing in from the west. Dinghy motors were deployed and expeditions ashore made.  Getting in over tiny surf meant a few wet rear ends – and worse. The non-party at Jolly was made up for by a group event at Tony’s Sports Bar – one of the few non-Sandals places on the beach. JH had met his good friend Tony a few days before when he arrived early on the island, so he was able arrange for Tony’s mother Esther to keep the kitchen open. She cooked up ribs, chicken, and fish, served with salad and greens, while Tony poured rum punches, beers, and whatever else our jolly company wanted. The bar also hosted a few locals and a few strays from Sandals, but we outnumbered them. Everyone had a good time. Tuesday, April 15 The plan was to let Mana, the smaller boat, lead the way to Barbuda, and we were to depart at 0800. Around 0830 the other boats saw TC go forward to the anchor. They moved to do the same. But he just removed the snubber and returned aft. An audible groan arose from the other boats. Soon enough though Mana’s crew really did haul anchor and the entire fleet was away. Rossi and Renoir II, the bigger boats, had to reduce sail to stay behind Mana, but at least on Renoir II this also kept things a little flatter. On Rossi the refrigeration had failed. The choices were to call off the Barbuda run to get repairs, or live with it. The sailing was fabulous, so the choice was easy. T he fleet made a three-hour passage, watching Antigua slowly disappear astern while staring ahead for signs of low Barbuda. Finally, after more than two hours, Antigua was well and truly gone and there in the haze ahead were Barbuda’s highlands. Like Antigua, Barbuda’s west coast is protected by shoals and reefs. Unlike Antigua, the shore is an eleven mile stretch of undeveloped pinkish white beach.  Mana brought the fleet to a spot where four wooden umbrellas on shore indicated some sort of inhabitation.  These, and the unfinished hotel far to the north, were the only structures to be seen. MM went about arranging for a tour of the frigate bird sanctuary north of the beach, calling the recommended local, George Jeffrey, with a head count and to arrange a time for the morning. He would also bring ice for Rossi. In the meantime, all three boats broke out the barbeques and had great grilled dinners aboard. For JH, this meant cooking all the perishables. Wednesday, April 16 TC and JH ran the bird tourists (aka “boat people”) by dinghy to the meeting place up the beach. The beach is, in fact, a sand bar that separates the sea from a large saltwater lagoon on the other side. Mr. Jeffrey and a friend met them on the lagoon side with two brightly painted local boats. First stop was Barbuda’s capital and only town, Codrington, across the lagoon, where everyone paid the $2 fee to enter the bird sanctuary.  Then they motored north across the lagoon, boat hulls just skimming over the corals, sponges, and other creatures basking in the shallow water’s warmth. They stopped adjacent to a stranded red bell buoy, where Mr. Jeffrey explained that it had washed into one of the un-navigable channels to the sea.   Locals had dragged it to this spot in the lagoon. Based on it’s markings, the buoy had come loose somewhere in Nova Scotia and drifted with the Gulf Stream, probably all the way to Europe and back, before coming to rest at Barbuda. The two boats moved on into the mangroves, stopping a few feet from stands of trees inhabited by hundreds of frigate birds. Black adults soared on four-foot wingspans overhead while adolescents and babies watched from perches and nests in the trees.Mr. Jeffrey told stories of the birds’ local history and their lifecycles while we watched them. When everyone had gotten their fill, and filled their camera cards, Mr. Jeffrey and his friend drove us back to our departure point. Dinghies were hailed via VHF, and some folks decided to walk back along the beach. Only BG and MM undertook to swim from shore to the anchored boats. Even with the favorable wind it was a long swim. Thursday, April 17 Because of Rossi’s refrigeration problem, our next destination needed to be easily accessible for Sunsail. It wasn’t hard to decide to return to lively Dickinson Bay. We set out in the morning and had another fantastic thirty mile reach back to Antigua, once again navigating around the western end of the northern reefs, then turning east toward the bay.  Shortly after we got settled back in almost the same spot we’d left two days before, Renoir II caught sight of a pirate ship. Not to be intimidated by sea borne scoundrels, and having had practice at the piratical arts last summer in the Chesapeake, BG donned his pirate gear and took up his saber. MM, DO, and BG climbed into the dinghy and, with BG standing in the bows, charged at the attacking vessel. Aboard the ship, locals dressed like BG grinned and waved their own weapons. Startled Sandals guests dancing to reggae on the aft deck looked on in intoxicated amusement, snapping pictures as the dinghy circled menacingly. Having thwarted the attack, the small pirate vessel headed for other targets, buzzing the other boats in our fleet. Plans for the morning were laid: an excursion to St. Johns for some, horseback riding for others. To Rossi’s relief, Sunsail’s mechanic came and recharged the refrigeration. Friday, April 18 The riders and shoppers dinghied ashore in the morning to find mounts and taxis, respectively. The riders were guided along inland roads and trails, and along two beaches, past an antique sugar mill and on to the ruins of Fort James.  A little trotting was the fastest pace they were allowed, which disappointed some, but was more than enough for the novices in the group. The shoppers found cruise ship crowds in town, but enjoyed visiting the boutiques that also attracted them. They returned around noon fully laden with prizes. The afternoon’s sail was short, although Mana decided to extend it by making a lunch stop in Deep Bay. Rossi and Renoir II went directly to Five Islands Harbour and picked out a nice spot in Hermitage Bay. JH and MM enjoyed watching Mana’s crew’s anchoring attempts. During the show, a neighboring boat picked up its anchor and moved further away. Never a good sign! After all were settled, CS and KS got a dinghy lesson from TC and went visiting the rest of the fleet. As the sun began to set it was observed that the horizon was clear – perfect conditions for the elusive green flash. All attention focused, along with cameras, to the west, and eighteen pairs of eyes followed the golden orb’s slow descent. The three boats had never been so quiet as the sun slid down, a quarter gone, a half, almost vanished and then – flash! The tiny upper edge turned green before vanishing for the night. What a treat!   JH decided to make up for the missed party in Jolly Harbour and invited everyone over for drinks and “must go” food. Saturday, April 19 Departing Five Islands we once again had to choose inside or outside the reef. Mana and Renoir II went in while Rossi went out. After picking their way through Goat Head Channel, Renoir II stopped in Carlisle Bay for lunch before making the final pull home. No sooner had they dropped the hook than Rossi came sailing up to do the same.   Several crew had one more snorkeling expedition, enjoying the rocky shoreline with its fan coral, sponges, colorful fish, and, out in the deeper water, loggerhead turtles. Before the afternoon wore too late they upped anchor one last time and headed for English Harbour.   As usual there was traffic at the fuel dock, but both vessels Managed safe landings. From there, the Sunsail staff drove the boats over to back into the seawall in Nelson’s Dockyard. Taxis were summoned to take everyone up to Shirley Heights where the daily attraction is sunset over the south coast of the island, with views of Guadeloupe, Nevis, and Montserrat in the distance. After a jovial dinner the taxis returned and the party continued in Nelson’s Dockyard.   A steel band at the Admiral’s Inn entertained several, while others ventured down the road to find dancing almost everywhere: the Antigua Race Week sailors were in town!   It was a perfect conclusion to a nearly perfect week