On April 5 we motored to North Sound Marine and were hauled out.  Steve navigated the slip perfectly and we didn’t scrape the sides at all.  This slip is challenging because of the cross-winds blowing the boat to one side.  Anyways, we hauled out smoothly and started the final preparations for leaving the boat on the hard until next winter. 

This marina is nice in that it has a cement bottom.  This year it was easier to obtain water and electricity, as they have been upgrading the facility. 

This marina is located in the northern part of Antigua, which is not very built up.  We stay in an Air B & B that is in the area.  It has a washing machine, which is so nice.  I am was able to get all of our linens and clothes washed and put away.  (Unfortunately, we have to hang dry the laundry at the house, but it works out OK.)  This location also requires us to rent a car to get back and forth to the boat.  Since we have hauled out in this marina before, we know where the amenities are located and it all works well. 

We try to get to the boat around 6:30a so that we can work before it gets too hot.  Then, we run errands and return to the house to eat lunch and do laundry.  We return to the boat in the late afternoon and work until dinner time, again, once it has cooled down.  This year we had a week to prepare the boat in the marina as well as four days on the hard so we left Spring Tradition in the best shape ever for the off season.

On 4/4/24 we motored up to North Sound and anchored in the same place as before, to the right of Rabbit Island.  This is a good place to anchor because snorkeling is accessible off of the back of the boat. 

I really like this area because we are able to observe a pelican nest.  We’ve been watching a baby pelican grow over the past weeks, which has been quite interesting.  At first, we only saw a small white, round, tennis ball-like object above the nest’s edges.  As the baby pelican grew, it started popping its head up over the side.  By the time we left, the baby pelican was venturing into the water below the nest.  During the morning and late afternoon, momma and poppa pelican were either in the nest or perched on a branch below.  If the baby started squawking and momma and poppa were not there, they would quickly return.  Other birds would circle in the area in the morning and afternoon.  Sometimes several pelicans stood watch over the nest during these times.  I’m assuming that they were protecting the baby from the circling birds above.  Apparently, “It takes a village” also applies to pelicans. 

We ended up staying in the same anchorage for four nights.  Even though the swells shifted, the wind was very slow so we essentially floated around our anchor.  This was a good place to anchor because we could swim to snorkeling right off of the back of our boat.  The water was really clear the day that it rained (3/26/24).  However, it clouded up on the 27^th.  By the 27^th, there were probably a dozen boats in the area, which is a little odd.  We didn’t think much of it though.  Spending three and a half days in this area was incredibly peaceful.  This is one of our favorite anchorages in Antigua. 

On 3/27/24, we both went snorkeling around Lobster island.  I now know what “coral-bleached” coral looks like.  Last year the coral in this area was incredibly healthy and there were many fish swimming around.  This time, the coral looked faded out, like it was covered with white bleach.

On 3/28/24, we sailed back to Jolly Harbour and entered the marina. As we arrived at Jolly Harbour, we realized why so many boats were in North Sound. The swells were heading right into Jolly Beach, making the anchorage choppy and cloudy.  

Sadly, our season is coming to an end.  We will spend the next week breaking down the boat and preparing it to sit on the hard until next January. 

Unfortunately, the wind and swells shifted to the south east, which was making the anchorage feel a little uncomfortable.  We decided to head back to our original anchorage to see if it was better there.  It was not, so we tried to drop our anchor next to a destroyed hotel, which appeared to receive some protection from the swells.  Unfortunately, that area was not very calm either so around 11:30a Steve decided that we should head back to Antigua.  I took some seasickness medicine immediately and my stomach was fine.  Unfortunately, even though the Bonine says it is non-drowsy, and I only took half a tablet, it knocked me out and I slept through most of the ride. 

We had to watch out for reefs as we neared the North Sound, but once through them, we were in familiar waters and knew exactly where to go to anchor.  Steve looked at the anchorage near Bird Island and then veered off to between Rabbit and Lobster islands.  We are the only boat here, which is a little unusual.  However, the water is calm and the wind is light and steady.  We are enjoying it while it lasts.  The winds are predicted to shift and we may need to move the boat to find a more protected area. 

Even though I had my polarizing sunglasses on and was standing at the front of the boat, it was hard to see the tall coral reefs off of Coco Point until we were on top of them.  We were incredibly lucky that we didn’t hit any of them.  We found a nice place to anchor and enjoyed the sunny afternoon.  The water was fairly clear and a large turtle would pop up for air relatively close to our boat.  The bottom was sandy, which made the water appear turquoise.  After snorkeling, Steve decided that he wanted to move the boat closer to shore.  The anchor chain was in a good place.  However, there was a rock close by and he didn’t want the boat to swing and have the chain get caught under the rock.

The last time we were at Coco Point, there was a hotel on the point and the K club was abandoned.  Quite a bit of construction has taken place and most of the point was built up.  It was unclear to us if the construction in the picture was part of the hotel or another development.  Princess Di beach in this area is still beautiful and most of it remained natural and undeveloped. 

Our sail to Barbuda was enjoyable and we were able to sail most of the way.  I struggled a little with seasickness because I didn’t take any medication and I’m out of ginger chews.  Several boats were sailing in the same direction on the same day and we could see them spread out all around us.  We were actually thankful for that. 

Approximately half way to Barbuda we noticed three small fishing boats closing in on us.  They seemed to be chatting over the radio emergency channel 16, but they were difficult to understand.  Steve asked me to stay inside and he started staring the closest boat down.  As soon as he did that, the boat pulled away from us and moved on.  We are not sure what they were up to and it would have been incredibly odd for them to communicate via the emergency channel if they were planning something nefarious.  Anyways, the crisis was averted and we enjoyed the rest of the sail. 

We arrived in Barbuda and anchored off of the beach close to Codrington Lagoon.  There were a half a dozen boats there along the long, uninhabited beach.  The water sparkled turquoise and the sand glistened in the sunshine.  It was breathtakingly beautiful.  Steve wasn’t excited about taking the dinghy into town, so we enjoyed the view and sailed to Coco Point the next day.

We sailed up to the Jolly Harbour area on 3/18/24 and anchored off of Jolly beach.  It is really pretty there with the gorgeous turquoise-colored water.  We enjoyed the evening and slept well.

This morning, 3/19/24, we woke to quite a bit of chop.  We dinghied into Jolly Harbour to get some provisions.  Then, after lunch, we took the boat to the fuel dock and filled up the gas tanks before heading to Dickinson Bay, which is a little further north than Jolly.  This is the bay where the Sandals is located, so it is ideal to people watch.  They have a floating bar in the water, which was packed with vacationers having a lot of fun.  Tomorrow we are getting up early and heading to Barbuda.

On Sunday, 3/17/24, we decided to head to Green Island.  We hadn’t been there in a while and so we thought we would visit it.  The water in Falmouth Harbour was crystal clear and we could clearly see the bottom.  On our way out, I saw two turtles and Steve saw a ray.  I hated to leave that beautiful water, but it was time for our next adventure.  We arrived in Ricketts Bay mid-morning and found a good place to anchor.  The water was relatively calm, but cloudy.

It turns out that our new friend, Rick, was anchored in Ricketts Bay as well.  It was great to see him and his boat guest, Bruce.  They decided to go into Nonsuch Bay to wing board on the day that we arrived.  We dinghied into the bay and tied up to their boat.  Both Steve and our friend, Rick, winged while I chatted with Rick’s friend, Bruce, and took pictures.  The wind was steady, but not too strong, and the waves were flat.  So, it was a picture-perfect day for the sport. 

Falmouth Harbour is always pleasant on Saturday afternoons.  A band was playing in the restaurant at Pigeon Beach and we could hear it clearly from our boat.  Locals and tourists frolicked in the water.  And people were snorkeling all through the anchorage. 

From our boat we were also able to clearly watch the boats leave Falmouth Harbour.  It is fun to watch them exit the channel and head out to sea.

We have spent a wonderful week in the marina getting the boat cleaned, provisioning, and relaxing.  We bumped into a friend we met a couple of weeks ago and went out to dinner with him and his guest last night.  It was an enjoyable evening sitting at a table, overlooking the water, enjoying fun conversation, and eating pizza. 

Today we worked hard to complete the boat chores that we had planned while in the marina.  Tomorrow we are heading back to Falmouth Harbour.  Hopefully the water will be calm there and we can get a good spot in front of Pigeon Beach.  It will be nice to get into the water again.