Small Sailing Trip Off Antigua
30th December 2020
Now it's time to go out again. But we're taking it slow. Our destination is Green Island, which is only 9 nautical miles away.
We already know the anchorage from last year. So far it has been one of the most beautiful anchorages of our entire trip. So it stands to reason that we will go there again.
Our casting off maneuver in the port works well. The anchor is buried deep, but we can get it up well. There are also no problems with the anchors of the neighboring boats. In the bay in front of English Harbor we anchor again briefly to stow the dinghy neatly in the garage. The whole time in Nelsons's Dockyard it was tied outside.
Unlike when we arrived, Nelsons's Dockyard now looks very different. While it was still empty at the beginning of November, there are now many super yachts in the marina. The dockyard is well occupied.
On the exit I finally see the pillars of Hercules, which the sea has dug into the rock.
The skipper asks me if I want to sail. Of course I want to sail. After my negative experiences during the passage, new, positive sailing experiences are important. We would also like to test the sails that have been repaired or revised. We sail as close to the wind as possible, with a lot of attitude and against the wave. This is not my preferred course 🙄and not what you would think of as “trade sailing in the Caribbean”.
But it works, I stay behind at the helm the whole time and don't get seasick. Even if it's just a short sailing trip, it makes me feel good. In the end we drove 15 nautical miles with the various cross-cuts.
Then we furl the sails and carefully enter the bay of Green Island under the engine. It's just as beautiful as we remember it. We look forward to carefree blue water days.
We have adapted our travel speed to the circumstances. Escape lay in Nelson's Dockyard for over three weeks and we enjoyed the sweet life of Antigua .