Antigua

Our ship made port in St. John's, Antigua (102 nautical miles from St. Maarten) this morning. Antigua is the larger of two islands grouped together forming what is referred to as the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. Barbuda is the sister island in this group. These islands continue to reside under the flag of Great Britain. English is the dominant language spoken on this island which makes it a very popular yachting destination.

German cyclists ready for a ride around the island.

We were met as we left the boat by a very small gentleman dressed in a very bright colorful vest. His sign read "Laurence of Antigua Tours" and displayed a small camel in the lower corner. We introduced ourselves as we loaded in the van. Our group consisted of Jacquie, Grant, Linda, myself and two guests from our ship, Alan and Shirley.

Our van was a very nice vehicle with the distinguishing camel decals and "Laurence of Antigua Tours" written in large typeface across the front window. We loaded in and our driver began his narration. "I am Laurence, your guide for the day!" he said. Wow, the company owner would be our guide. Laurence definitely was proud of Antigua. He explained that his vest was made of the colors of the flag of his nation and that he wears it every day to represent the love for his island. The only day that he does not wear the colors was the day that the island celebrates its independence. On this day everyone wears the colors, so he prefers to not dress like everyone else as his tribute to the day. A very odd tribute in my view. As Laurence drove on, his narration was chocked full of island trivia and humorous notations.

We drove south for approximately thirteen miles to Blockhouse Hill, an 18th century British Fort. From this point of land, you could look east (left) and view the Atlantic Ocean and then look west and gaze out over the Caribbean Sea. Walking left you are hit with very strong winds from off the Atlantic, but step fifteen yards right and the winds were almost gone! Walk to the right into the winds and you could gaze out and spot a very large home belonging to Eric Clapton, the famed guitar player. The block remains of the fort spread out along the road to the northwest. There are only shambled remains to this fort but stepping back you can use your imagination and piece together the layout. From that, you can see why the British chose this point for protecting the region.

Back in the van we backtracked a few miles and took a left turn leading to Shirly Heights, a historical overlook offering a sweeping panorama of English Harbor. Restored blockhouse buildings from Fort Shirly form a cluster where we walked to the edge and viewed the harbor full of sailboats and yachts. Laurence pointed out a rooftop below where British royalty had stayed during their visits to the island. We would get more info on this at our next stop.

Nelson's Dockyard, our next destination, was once known as the Antigua Naval Yard but was renamed to honor Admiral Horatio Nelson after they restored the yards in 1941. A cute young guide named, Valentina, met us at the entrance to the dockyard and gave us a 20-minute tour of the area. She did a very good job of explaining the area around us and went a bit more in-depth into the visitations of the Royal Family. She also pointed out a working sail loft and a bakery. Of course, when the tour was over, we swiftly went to the bakery and bought several treats. Yummmy!

Laurence rounded us up and we drove back to the port entrance. Linda and I did some shopping. Jacquie and Grant had a bit of excitement brought about by a dropped wallet, but all turned out well. When they went to the dock security access point they found that a good samaritan had turned the wallet in. There was a bit of panic, lots of relief, but in the end, no harm was done.