On one of our last days at Rabbit Island, we decided to return to Lobster Island to snorkel.  We took the GoPro this time and caught some great video footage.  It was really nice to get into the turquoise waters of Antigua one last time before our departure.  And, I am happy to say that the Barracuda that was under our boat the other day had not found us while snorkeling.

We sailed back to Jolly Harbor and did some provisioning.  Our refrigerator is stocked with several days’ worth of food so we are ready to travel.  We checked out on January 24, 2023.  There was a beautiful sunset on that evening, which was the perfect close to our time in Antigua.

On 1/20/23, we checked out of the marina.  I felt as though I could have stayed in the marina another night or two, but it was time for us to leave.  We headed up to the northern part of Antigua and anchored off of Rabbit Island.  This is one of our favorite anchorages around Antigua because of its raw beauty.  Only a handful of other boats are ever anchored in this area, which is perfect.  We enjoy the tranquility of the location but know that we are not entirely alone in the anchorage.   “Tranquility” may not be the right word to use, as the wind is strong here and there can be some swells.  However, we have found a good location that minimizes both.

Soon after we arrived in our anchorage, we decided to go snorkeling to search for lobsters off of Lobster Island.  We have snorkeled here before and never seen any lobsters.  The last time we were here, however, our friends on Nova Star said that they saw a half a dozen lobsters around the island.  We were determined to find them.  We did!  It was so exciting to see them hiding under rocks with their antennae out.  Steve had worn gloves and tried to catch them.  While their eye sight isn’t that great, their antennae alert them to danger.  As soon as Steve tried to pull their antennae, they backed way down into their holes.  All in all, we saw a half a dozen lobsters.  It was awesome!  Unfortunately, we didn’t catch any so no lobster dinner for us.

We cleared into customs in Antigua on 1/16/23 and returned to the boat.  The water was incredibly calm and clear.  In fact, it was so clear that we saw a ray swim right off of the stern (back) of our boat. 

We entered the marina on 1/17/23 and are now enjoying electricity, water, and amenities just off of the dock.  When in the marina, we get to work.  I clean the boat and Steve works on the engines and other items that need to be fixed.  We had our laundry cleaned (in the marina) and went to the grocery store, which is located directly across from the marina.  It is nice to just relax and enjoy civilization for a while.

We really enjoyed Marie Galante, but it was time to move on to a different island and a new adventure.  We headed to Montserrat, which involved two days of travelling.  From Marie Galante, we sailed to Basse Terre on Guadeloupe so that we could clear customs.  Then, we sailed north two hours to anchor just off of Pigeon Island.  During our sail the Douane (customs patrol) surprised us and motored a couple of feet off of our port (left) side.  We waved to them and they waved back.  Then, they motored a couple of feet off of the back of our boat when we were anchored.  We don’t know if they were on a heightened alert or if this was simply their normal schedule.  I said “Bon Soir” to them and they responded the same way as they kept going. 

Our sail to Montserrat was another long day.  We left around 6:30a, as soon as we could see the fish pots in the water.  The sail was a little rough, but we made good time and arrived in Montserrat around 3:30p.  We were able to clear in through customs with only 7 minutes to spare.  Since it was Friday, this meant that we didn’t need to pay an additional fee to compensate staff to work after hours. 

The sun was shining brightly as we sailed along the lee of the island so I was able to take several beautiful pictures of the volcano.  We could clearly see where the lava flowed when the volcano previously erupted.  Taking pictures was a challenge, as we were bobbing up and down in the sea.  Even though I was strapped to the boat, it was a challenge to keep my balance and steady the camera. 

The anchorage at Montserrat was very challenging.  There was a small area designated where we could anchor, which was close to a large cliff.  The other area where we could anchor was not supposed to be as protected as where we were.  We ended up re-anchoring several times to ensure that we wouldn’t hit the cliff.  Steve set an anchor alarm to let him know if the anchor moved or if we were drifting too close to the cliffs.  Unfortunately, the alarm went off approximately every half an hour throughout the night.  Steve was up on deck several times watching to see where the boat was. 

Our original plan was to tour Montserrat Saturday and then leave on Sunday.  Steady winds were forecasted and the sea state was supposed to be 4 -6 feet. Unfortunately, the weather changed and the wind was supposed to die down considerably and become unsteady (both in speed and direction).  So, first thing in the morning, Steve said that we needed to leave Saturday.  We hoped to spend half the day touring Montserrat and then sail in the afternoon to Antigua.  However, with the boat moving around so close to the cliffs, we didn’t want to leave the boat alone.  So, in the end, we simply left without exploring Montserrat.  We felt very disappointed, as we were looking forward to seeing the active volcano.  Our hope was to get into the outskirts of Plymouth, which is still in the exclusion zone, but is somewhat uncovered.

On our sail to Antigua we encountered 8 to 10 foot seas, which meant we were bobbing up and down quite a bit.  However, after about an hour or so of sailing, the sea state settled back into 5 or 6 foot swells, which is much more comfortable.  And, once we got closer to Antigua, the swells were even lower and moving around on the boat was much easier.  We encountered several rain squalls along the way and seeing Antigua in the distance became a challenge, even 10 miles away.  Eventually we made it and we anchored in Valley Church, an anchorage in which we are very comfortable. 

This was a beautiful end to our lovely day on Marie Galante. You can see the Saintes in the background.

As we headed north, we drove along roads lined with sugarcane.  There were also many cows with small horns grazing as well as an occasional pot-bellied pig.  The island is relatively flat and known as the pancake island.  However, we also found very hilly regions with rain forest-like areas. 

We saw incredible cliffs with turquoise surf pounding against it, making white-crested waves as they crashed violently against the rock outcropping.  We were able to hike right alongside the top of one of these, which was actually quite dangerous.  We took care not to get too close to the edge, as we wouldn’t survive a fall into the water. 

We also visited a sink hole with an archway pushed through some rocks, making a hole.  That, too, was a beautiful site. 

As we continued to drive along the coastline, we saw beautiful beaches and a small island just off of Vieux Fort Beach.  It looked very tranquil and beautiful.

Several yachts were anchored off of Mystique Beach, which made that area look quite romantic.  We had heard that there are many turtles in that area and that the anchorage is relatively calm. 

At the end of our scooter adventure, we marveled at how breathtaking beautiful this rural island is, with its dramatic views, picturesque beaches, and historical sites.  Unfortunately the towns are not very beautiful, in my opinion, but the rest of the island truly makes up for that.  The locals were incredibly friendly towards us and things like garbage disposal, an ATM, the supermarket, and laundry are fairly convenient to the floating dinghy dock.  The slow pace of the island made for a very relaxing and calming stay.  We were sorry to leave this hidden gem of an island.

Next, we headed towards Capesterre, a seaside village.  The town itself was fairly empty of people.  Several of the buildings had street art painted on their sides.  We found two restaurants right on the beach and sat down for lunch.  We were there a half an hour before they started serving food, so we sipped our bottled water in one of the beautiful restaurants.  Some of the tables were directly on the beach with sand as a floor.  Soothing music was playing as we watched the kite and wing boarders gliding across the water in front of us.  The restaurants were located just South of town, in a palm-tree lined cove.  It was incredibly gorgeous here, the food was good, and we thoroughly enjoyed relaxing before continuing on our way to explore the northern part of the island.

We made sure to go to the working distillery, Bellevue, before 1p when they closed.  We have found that many shops and stores close at 1p.  Some of these stores open up again at 3p or 4p, and some do not. 

The Bellevue Distillery had an old windmill on the property with the cloth fans attached so that we could see what it looked like when it was working.  It was very picturesque.  We also climbed a metal walkway to see the big vats that they used to make the rum.  The entire site was quite interesting. 

On our way out, they had someone serving samples of the rum that they made onsite.  They had plain rum as well as mixers already containing rum.  I really liked the mixers and bought two different flavors – planters punch as well as pineapple.  Steve bought a honey rum.