Barbuda = Bliss!

Barbuda was one of the islands that we really really really wanted to visit, so we were pretty disappointed when our attempts to sail to Barbuda from St Barths failed due to the wind conditions.  When we found out that our boat papers (the original registration from Australia) were going to be delayed in getting delivered to Antigua, we jumped at the opportunity to hit this little known paradise - just 28nm north of Antigua.

Barbuda has a population of 1250 and remains one of the least visited places in the Eastern caribbean. There are a handful of very exclusive hotels on the island but no big resorts, instead Barbudans have resisted the tourist dollar in favour of a more traditional and simple life.  It has also helped that the land is all owned by the Crown - meaning no one can sell out to developers!

There are also very few visiting boats as Barbuda is surrounded by coral reefs - there are over 200 shipwrecks to prove the danger. So, to our delight, we had 11 miles of pristine, gobsmackingly beautiful beach to share with 2 others boats!! This is our yachting dream - isolation.

Before we left Antigua, Mike had met up with Gerard, owner of Zenith Ocean Voyages,  who runs kite boarding charters within the island chain.  We bumped into him again in Barbuda, and what a perfect spot for kiteboarding it is - perfectly flat waters in the lee of the low lying island. Definitely an alternative to your traditional holiday!

Aside from the best beaches we've seen so far, Barbuda's other claim to fame is that they have one of the largest frigate bird colonies in the world and we were lucky enough to have Paul show us these incredible birds up close in the Codrington Lagoon. (Tour cost US$25 pp with a US$2 tax to the government - well worth supporting the local economy and protecting this paradise).

During the mating season (December is peak time), the males puff out their pouches in a colourful display as part of the elaborate courtship ritual. The females then take to the sky seeking a suitable mate. After mating, a nest is built from twigs that the male gathers. The female lays a single egg that both birds incubate in turn. At peak times there are over 20,000 of these loud and colourful birds.





A baby frigate bird - about 3 weeks old.

Exploring Codrington - the capital and only village on the island.

Oldest church on the island - dates back to slavery in the 1700s

Local meal of curried conch, rice, cheese and potato, coleslaw.

We had an afternoon of showers, what better way than to pass the time doing a 500 piece puzzle!

Mike excited to put the last piece of the puzzle in place!

Mike looking for the dozens of turtles who keep popping their heads up for air

No luck with the turtles, they were pretty timid when we approached them.

It's possible to walk for miles and miles without seeing a soul.

Enjoying the underwater life at Cocoa Point.

With amazing beaches and no one to share them with except each other, Barbuda has risen to our #1 sailing destination so far!

Barbuda! Er, or Antigua!

Our sail from St Barths to Barbuda was not the calm and easy passage we had been looking forward to; we had a few mishaps along the way. We had left at 2am to try and arrive at Barbuda with the sun above us (for better ability to spot coral heads).  The first problem we encountered was that the wind was much stronger than predicted and, from about 5am, started swinging around to the east (predicted to be north) - the wrong direction so we were literally pounding into 3-4 meter waves and, eventually were on a heading for Antigua rather than Barbuda.  Flexibility is key, so we just decided to stay on the course for Antigua rather than pound to windward for many many more hours!

Heart stop episode 1: I (Megan) went downstairs to check on everything only to find myself in ankle high water in our master bathroom - fearing we had a hole somewhere and were taking on water quickly. I then realized that we had left the side hatch window open so every time we hit a wave water was pouring into the bathroom. A much better situation than previously thought, my breathing returned to normal.

Heart stop episode 2: After closing the window and starting an attempt to siphon the water into the shower drain I heard the man overboard alarm go off. This is a system we installed - both of us wear a bracelet, which acts as an alarm if the button is pressed or if we get 10 meters away from the boat. Now it's 3am and dark. I only have a headlamp on for light so as not to ruin my night vision and we're well offshore and in high seas. My heart literally stops for the second time in 5 minutes. I scream and run upstairs thinking that Mike who has been outside and on watch has been washed overboard....

It turns out that in my clamoring around to soak up the water I had activated my man overboard alarm button, so good news - Mike was safe and sound but my nerves were absolutely shot.

After 12 hours of squalls, big seas and little sleep, we arrived in Antigua, both of us hoping this wasn't going to be a typical passage.

We enjoyed a couple beautiful (and well deserved) days recuperating in an anchorage on the west coast called Mosquito Cove

Carlisle Bay - another great anchorage on the south coast where we met some lovely new friends - Judith and Ty from the USA and Vickie and Mike from Canada!  It was fun hiking and hanging out with them!

The views of Willoughby Bay on the east coast

Famous - English Harbour

 Our hike over 'Middle Ground'

Falmouth Harbour

A refreshing swim at Pigeon Beach

The BEST chicken roti @ Grace Before Meals. Cheap and cheerful, Caribbean style!

Historic Nelson's Dockyard -  this is the island's main port of entry for yachts and dates back to 1745. It was beautifully restored in the 1950s and continues to be a working marina 

The view from the fort at Shirley Heights overlooking Falmouth and English Harbours.

Enjoying a few sunset libations along with the view

Thanks for a great week Antigua - up next is Barbuda!