Location: Antigua
After a sweet five-hour sleep on a gently rocking Ocean Star, we awoke to sunny skies and the lovely surroundings of Falmouth Harbour. We washed up the dishes, tidied from the previous day’s adventure, and reflected on the passage. With the engine fired up, we made the short trip around the headland and docked at historic Nelson’s Dockyard. This National Park was once the home of Admiral Horatio Nelson, and many of the dockyard buildings were constructed in the 1700s. Our traditionally-rigged Ocean Star looks at home here, though she needed some loving care after her 32-hour passage. We washed and waxed her, and now she’s the highlight of the dockyard. After boat appreciation, shipmates enjoyed shore time, taking the opportunity to do laundry and take a shower. When I walked past in the early afternoon, many of them were happily eating sit-down lunches at a cafe overlooking the water. In the evening, we packed up burgers and buns and walked to Pigeon Beach. A fire pit was dug underneath a palm tree, and Tor grilled up dinner. As the sun went down, we enjoyed good food, each other’s company, and the fact that we were on solid ground.