Location: English Harbour, Antigua
For some, the day began at 3 am. Making our way onto the deck to stand watch, the bright lights of Antigua were there on the not-too-distant horizon, and the bodies of those on the previous watch team incapacitated through seasickness littered the deck, groaning like pregnant seals. The seas were choppy, a product of the consistent 15-20 knot winds we’ve been getting over the past week or so, but the sailing was great, making an average of 5 knots over from Guadeloupe. On the turn of the next watch, starting at 6 AM, we utilized the extra numbers to start taking down sails and readying the anchor to drop in Falmouth Harbour. The dock wouldn’t be ready for us until 9 am, so the call was made to return to bed once the anchor was set to catch up on a few needed zzzzz’s before the busy day began. After breakfast, the crew hastily weighed anchor and maneuvered the boat around to English Harbour, ready to tie up to Nelson’s Dockyard Mediterranean style. Over the course of the next few hours, Ocean Star was restored to her usual beautiful self through a solid Boat Appreciation session. A couple of sails were taken ashore for some minor repairs, and the food stores were replenished through an extensive provisioning trip. Shore showers were a welcome sight for some, as well as the local convenience store, where cold drinks were purchased in abundance. At around 16:30, the crew started making their way over to Pigeon Beach, where a couple of us had ventured earlier to set up a BBQ pit and prepare some delicious cheeseburgers and BBQ chicken breasts. The real delight, though, was the grilled bananas stuffed with Mars Bar minis. What a great way to end an action-packed day. Sitting on a Caribbean beach watching the sun go down, having a couple of cold drinks, and enjoying some delicious food makes all the hard work seem like a breeze.