Antigua and Barbuda

Hi all Sue here, well this will bring us up to date to where we are now, the beautiful Barbuda.

Sunset Over Freemans Bay, English Harbour	An Amazing Lady, 75 Days Solo Rowing The Atlantic

If you visit Antigua a must to do is the Sunday BBQ at Shirley Heights. the steel drums playing and a reggae band echo out over the bay below where you can hike up from but don’t forget your torch for the return trip down!! The sunset was well worth the hike and we even got to see the green flash.
There has been the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Rowing Race taking place that started before we left the Canaries and we were so lucky to see a female solo rower arrive in English Harbour after 75 days at sea!! What a woman, she goes by the name of Miss Universe and is Swiss. She looked very happy to have finally arrived!!

Clemmies Fruit and Veg	Evil Looking Barracuda

On my list of things to do was a visit to Clemmies, a local lady who grows the Black Pineapples, a fruit only available in Antigua. they are smaller and sweeter than regular pineapples. I also wanted to try the sugar apples but they weren’t in season yet so that’s on the list for next year.

Nice Sized Wahoo	Deserted Barbuda Beach

As usual we did some fishing along the way, first up was a small but evil looking Barracuda, they are apparantly not good to eat in this region so he went back. Then next up was a Wahoo, which we have yet to try, thank goodness we have a big freezer.

Miles of Beach	All to Ourselves

Arriving in Barbuda to this beach all to ourselves was Paradise. It was Princess Diana’s favourite beach and they have now named it after her on the anniversary of her 50th Birthday in 2011.

Show Off Male Frigates	So Many Birds

Next stop was Codrington Lagoon National Park and a visit to the Frigate Bird Colony. It can only be visited by booking a sea taxi. We found a great guy called George and had a very informative and entertaining trip out there with him. He has so much knowledge as he has lived here all his life and is now in his 70s. In simple terms the males are the ones who can puff their big red chests out, the females have white chests and the juvenilles have white heads, oh and the chicks are the fluffy ones!! To top the day off we visited one of Georges lobster pots on the way back and ended the day with a lobster BBQ for 5 on Nimrod. Tomorrow we leave for Saint Martin

Mum and Chick	Lobsters From George

Sights of Martinique

Hi all Sue here, so it was au revoir Barbados and bonjour Martinique.

St Anne’s Anchorage	Fort de France Cathedral

As you may come to realise we are now on a bit of a rush through the Islands to enable us to spend a couple of months in the Bahamas before our Insurance says we have to get out of the Hurricane zone by the end of May. Martinique is a beautiful place, we visited Saint Annes after checking in, a very quaint place with a buzzing local market where you were encouraged to sample local fayre. Then we moved on to Fort de France which was more lively,especially as their was a strike/protest on that day so some of the museums etc were closed. We did get to see a group practising for Carnival which was really entertaining and sampled the street food, which was delicious.

Drumming Troupe Practicing	Looking For A Waterfall

There are also some amazing hikes to do on the Island. Our first little hike of 10km, up to a waterfall, involved crossing the river several times. Actually it was 17 times each way!! So lots of paddling but it was well worth it and only a few blisters to take back with me!!

Sue Found It	Chris Getting a Closer Look

I should know by now that none of Chris’s hikes are straightforward and always involve a little scramble!!

Scrambling the River Banks	Little Friend

The second hike we did along with friends, Steve and Helena off Amalia. It was the Canal of the Slaves Hike. Which is actually an aqueduct built by slaves between 1760-1770.

Chris and Steve (Amalia)	Huge Bamboo

The views are stunning and the trees and flowers are like something from another world.

Stunning Flowers	Amazing

It’s no good if you suffer from vertigo though because you have to walk on a thin low wall with water on one side and nothing but a steep drop in places on the other. Definitely a must to do if you have the time.

The Canal of Slaves	About 150m Down

Exploring Barbados

Hi all Sue here, well we did it and all in one piece still, we were all very proud of ourselves and it was so nice to have a welcome party waiting for us. Thank you Caroline, Debbie and Kathryn. Dave and I decided in the words of the great lady, Nimrod was  “Simply the Best”

Ta Da!!!	Best bit of the crossing, cheers

As you can imagine the party went on quite late and got a bit messy, Richard wasn’t very well the next day. We then had to do it all again as our friends on Rosie Skye followed us in the next day.

Sisters reunite	Awesome sea on a windy day

We hired a car for 2 days to go and explore the island. It was very windy and we definitely witnessed the power and force of the sea that day, glad we weren't out sailing!!

Power of nature	Local black bellied sheep

The people of Barbados are so friendly and the island is really easy to get around by local bus if you don’t want to hire a car. All journeys are 3.50BSD and the buses are very entertaining, we called them the reggae uses. You definitely shake, rattle and roll!!

leisurely lunch	Heaven

All the beaches are stunning and different in their own way and most of them have local food huts and bars. The busier ones have lifeguards as snorkeling and swimming can be dangerous at times as we witnessed. Couldn't get back in our dinghy one night so good job Caroline had a big apartment.

Monkey time	keeping our fluids up

The island has lots of monkeys roaming free and they were very entertaining to watch but don’t get too close. We found this great bar off the beaten track, the barmaid wanted to keep Richard!! When you order a rum in a locals bar they ask you which size bottle you want!!

Rain Forrest	Strange plants

This rainforest was actually closed to the public for restoration work but being with Chris we just climbed over the barrier!! We had it all to ourselves and a worker came and explained all about it to us.

Girls having fun	and more fun!!

After 2 weeks of relaxing, exploring and partying it was time to say farewell to everyone. We have had such a great time, many, many laughs and lots of memories created. What a resounding finish to our Atlantic Crossing. Keep on rolling ladies!!

Holetown beach	Lovely evening

Atlantic Pictures

Some of our photos from the Atlantic Crossing

Here We Go	First Sunset at Sea

Spinnaker Lessons	Where Are We ?

First Catch of the Trip	Kite Looking Good

Kite Looking Bad	Afternoon Tea

Rich Is A Bit Hungry	Fish Processing

Spinnaker Repairs	Cleaning Solar Panels

It's Gone A Funny Colour	Rich's New Pet

Sue's Catch Of The Day	Three At A Time

Easy Life	Rich's Laundry Day

Biggest Catch Of The Trip	Nimrod's Atlantic Sail Plan

Are We Nearly There?	Arrival Anchorage