When we first arrived in Antigua, I wasn’t sure if we would make it to Barbuda, Antigua sister island. The trades winds normally blew from the NE-E, and of course, that was right where Barbuda was located. We knew several people who mentioned that the passage between Antigua and Barbuda could be a nasty piece of water when the wind was on the nose even though it was only about 30 miles away. One person even indicated that they had turned around midway and return to Antigua—just gave it up!
However, a window presented itself for us to make the trip. The wind was at 38 degrees off the bow part of the way, but it was light, and the sea state was calm. Once again Ben picked an excellent weather window and we had a pleasant sail.
As we entered the waters surrounding Barbuda, we were greeted by several dolphins frolicking beside the boat including a mother and a baby. Several turtles also paved our way into the reef laden bay. (Sorry no pictures as sometimes the experience of the moment is more important.)
Originally, we had planned to anchor on the west coast near the lagoon, but a local had warned us away from this side because even though the winds were light, there was a north swell that would have made the anchorage unpleasant. The swell was evident on the southwest side by Princess Di beach, but the reefs protected us from being uncomfortable. In fact, the view was wonderful as the water with it multiple blue hues lapped the pristine white beach.
And of course, don’t forget the amazing nightly sunsets.
We could sit on the boat and watch the wonders around us for hours, or even days! When visiting Barbuda, one needed to take a chill pill and relax! The whole vibe was one of leisure and relaxation. The island was small with only one town, Codrington, where most people resided. Thus, everyone knew everyone! The roads were barely paved, rutted and dusty. The island reminded us of Anegada as it was flat, dry, and landscaped with scrub brush. There was no racing around. It was time to take a deep breath, blow it out, and chill.
I say there was no racing, except for Sunday horse racing. The islanders were very proud of their horses who roamed freely around the island. The racing was just beginning this season; therefore, we didn’t witness this event, but we saw horses grazing along the beach.
I read that the houses all have fences, but they were not to keep animals in, but rather to keep them out. Not only do horses roam free, but so do goats, donkeys, and deer. We were very surprised to learn that Barbuda was known for deer hunting. I asked if they also hunted dove, but our taxi driver, Frances, thought it was funny that someone would use a rifle to shoot something so small, much less eat them.
Engine Woes
Even in the most relaxing of places, Daggers decided to throw in a little drama. As we navigated the numerous reefs surrounding the island and began to douse the sails, the port engine quit and refused to restart. Nuts, what was it with these engines?!! Luckily the wind was light and the anchorage, at the time, was sparse. We located a nice patch of sand for the anchor to dig in right in front of the magnificent beach and dropped. I felt bad that Ben must once again work on an engine, but “Boat Life!”
It turned out that even though he had cleaned the fuel in Antigua (see more at information in Blog Post—Antigua: Adorable and Historical), he had not thought to blow out the port engine fuel line as it was not the engine giving us problems. Oh well, we couldn’t have picked a lovelier spot to fix it!
After assuring the port engine was running smoothly, we decided to let out a little more scope as a caution against the swells. We wanted the boat secure in order to leave while exploring. As we finished this process, Ben went to turn off the starboard engine and I’ll be danged, if that engine wouldn’t cut off! Ben had to climb in the engine room and kill it manually. What in the world? Ben will never get bored while living on the boat. Thank goodness, he knows a thing or two about engines!
Exploration
As I said previously, exploring Barbuda could be done at leisurely pace as it was more about enjoying the scenery than scurrying around. We took several dinghy rides through the bay to get the lay of the land. We drove around dodging reefs while identifying the landmarks noted in the cruising guide. Turtles seemed to love the area as well as the stingrays who could be seen skimming the bottom or jumping in the air. Most of the bay was quite shallow and the water was incredibly clear.
The swell made landing on the beach difficult. So it was important to pick the right spot. We chose to land at Shack-A-Kai, a beach bar where Enoch also barbecued lobster, and according to our friends on SV Skoolz Out, would assist in setting up a Frigate Bird tour. Ben timed our landing well, and with a little help from Enoch, we beached the dinghy without incident.
Enock assured us that he could arrange a taxi at 0900 tomorrow to take us to Codrington where we could board a water taxi to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary. He also would have a lobster lunch ready when we returned. This sounded like a winner to us!
Back on the dinghy, it was still early enough that we decided to drive around to the south side of the island. We had been told that while this side was fraught with reefs, it was also very beautiful, peaceful and a great place to retreat from the hubbub. We were not sure what “hubbub” they had been talking about but wanted to explore it anyway.
After watching a few other dinghies navigate the reefs surrounding Coco Point, avoiding the breakers, we loaded up to go around ourselves. We had read it was best to pick your way through the reefs during high sun without many clouds. Ben navigated around the point to the Gravenor Bay where we ran along the shore. It was beautiful, but with the current wind direction, we determined it was not the best side of the island to anchor at this time. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the dinghy ride and made it back out to clear water beyond the reefs just before the light faded from rain clouds and showers.
As we dinghied back to the boat, we observed a few sailboats navigating the south side outside the reefs and figured that if the wind became favorable during our stay we might pop around, but if not we were more than satisfied with our current location where we could listen to the surf as it crashed against the beach and swim in the gorgeous water.
Scuba Buddy
The water was so inviting that after one dinghy ride, we decided to jump in. Ben donned his snorkel gear to clean the rudders and daggers as we hadn’t done this two weeks ago. I also put on my snorkel gear to determine if I could find any rays or turtles swimming around. However, I took one look at the hull bottoms and was appalled by the number of barnacles that had already glued themselves to the bottom of our boat! Christy and I recently completed a thorough cleaning of the hulls. Man, oh man what a surprise. So instead of swimming for leisure, we decided to take another turn at cleaning. At least the water was clear, so it made the task easier. Nevertheless, we both tired before we finished as it had been a full day of fun before we started this task. I told Ben that we had certainly earned our dinner and apple crisp dessert!
Since, there were still numerous barnacles on the bottom of the hull, and we hadn’t even touched the rudders or props yet, I finally talked Ben in to getting out his scuba buddy the next day to finish the task. We had been carrying it around for two years without using it. I think it was the trepidation of pulling it all out, putting it together, only to learn that it no longer worked! But low and behold, it was still in perfect working condition. Ben made quick order of cleaning the rest of the surfaces below the water. It was super nice to have something function without spending more time getting it to work than using it. Haha!
Continued Exploration and Fun!
This morning bright and early we went back to Shack-A-Kai to go on a tour of the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, the largest in the Eastern Caribbean. The tide was much higher today making landing the dinghy on the steep beach even more precarious. While Ben timed it well and got the dinghy on the beach without incident, I didn’t make it out of the dinghy and upright before the next powerful wave hit me from the rear and toppled me over. It took two poundings before I was able to get up the slope and to my feet. I was a sandy, wet mess, but luckily I had worn my swimsuit and it was early. I was mostly dry by the time the taxi arrived.
At times the beach could looked really tamed, but then a big swell would come in and remind you the force of the sea.
Pictures did not do it justice, but believe me, the surf was powerful. The next dinghy that tried to land found itself on top of the swell rather than on the backside and it toppled over, sending both the occupants overboard. The dinghy slammed over the driver, but he exited the water and seemed alright. Later, he indicated that his arm was hurt but was hoping it was not anything severe. I was glad they were basically ok after the nasty spill!
Two couples and two children entered the taxi with us to go to town. As we were sitting right behind the driver, Ben took the opportunity to quiz him about the island and to identify the landmarks we had seen from the water.
Frances, the taxi driver, took us to the landing dock where we caught a water taxi to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary. George, and his Whaler boat, provided a great tour.
George was raised on the island and knew much of its history. When hurricane Donna devastated the island back in 1961, the birds flew away (except for the babies) before the hurricane, but the entire rookery in the lagoon was totally wiped out.
Nevertheless, the resilient birds moved to another mangrove area within the lagoon and rebuilt their nests. George said that there were about 20,000 birds before Irma hit in 2019. It took a bit for them to rebuild their numbers after a hurricane as the babies cannot fly away and are lost. The females only lay one egg a year. The birds feed off of flying fish from the Atlantic and bring them back to the young for almost a year before the babies become self-sufficient.
The protected lagoon also was one of the largest nesting grounds for lobsters. The entire tour was quite interesting. The birds were magnificent flying to and fro among the mangroves and roosting in the treetops while the young nestled down within them. Since it was mating season, many of the males were sporting their bright red pouches.
After we returned, Frances, the taxi driver took us back to Shack-A-Kai for lunch and drinks. It was a perfect spot to relax and eat a delicious lobster lunch. The white sandy beach went on for miles as did the beautiful azure water. Awe, I could relax here forever!
As you can tell, Ben and I really enjoyed our visit to Barbuda. It was a perfect island for relaxin’ and chillin’.
Stay tuned as we begin tightening up our plans for our return trip to Grenada. Its hard to believe that its already March!! The sailing season is going way too fast!
It you haven’t signed up for the email list to receive notifications of future blogs, be sure to complete the form below. Also, if you have favorite things you did on Barbuda, please leave your suggestions in the comment box for other cruisers. Thanks!
