Just when we started to believe that hurricane season was finally coming to an end – something had to happen. We had been anchored in the Lagoon at St. Georges so we could be near the Island Water World store while we did some work on the boat. With that completed, we decided to head back to Prickly Bay once again. While motoring around Point Salines, we enjoyed near calm water. This is unusual to say the least. Most trips that we’ve made around this pointy piece of land have been rough, choppy, and uncomfortable because you must head into the wind and waves while clearing lands end. Smooth, smooth waters mean little wind, so we enjoyed a quick motor into the bay. The wind happened to be coming out of the West when we set the anchor; opposite to the usual flow from the East.
A couple of days later we woke up to squally weather. I was going to meet some people onshore and head into St. Georges, so Roy dropped me off at the dock and went back to the boat. A particularly nasty looking line of black clouds was looming and as the wind and rain raked through the anchorage, I felt pretty anxious standing there at the dock thinking about how when we anchored the wind was blowing in the opposite direction. About 10 minutes later I could see Roy coming at full speed in the dingy. We dragged anchor and I had to reset it! He said as I jumped back into the dingy. Yikes.
We raced back to the boat. As soon as we got onboard we pulled up the anchor again and reset it. I have no idea how Roy managed to start the boat, operate the windlass (thank goodness we have a control panel at the helm) and then pull forward into a new spot – further away from the catamaran that had ended up about 10 feet off our stern. Like I said, Yikes.
Once that piece of bad weather passed the rest of the day was uneventful except for the 2 to 3 foot swell that spilled into the anchorage. We spent the day rolling back and forth and not in a peaceful sort of way. And then, just before sunset, another purple-black line of clouds began to gather again to the South. This is a picture that you do not want to see especially after dragging anchor once that day.
We switched on the radar and you can see the big orange blob on the radar screen beside me. That indicates where the heaviest rains are and the screen also displays the speed and direction they are traveling. Thankfully, this storm line paralleled us- moving past us at a distance of about 2 miles. We got sprinkled on for about 5 minutes and that was it! Well, that was it
except for the waves that followed keeping us rolling almost all night long and not in a good way. The next day we pulled up the anchor and made a beeline for the coveted anchorage at Hog Island. Coveted, because it’s almost completely surrounded by mangroves and reefs that have the power to keep out the swells. Now we could get some shut eye without rolling right out of bed.
In Antigua the tradition on Christmas Day is to head down to Nelson's Dockyard for some champagne. People come from all over the island to walk the docks and look at the boats while enjoying a glass of bubbly. Huge tubs of ice are filled with different types of champagne. This is not a by the glass affair. Oh no, you select the bottle of your choice. Seasoned veterans of this affair bring their own flutes from home, but as first timers we settled for the plastic cups that come with purchase. They let you stroll around with your bottle...no problem. Bill from Voyager C was supervising our progress.
Next, we gathered on board Dream Maker, along with crew from Daniell Story, Cheetah ll, and Voyager C, for the full Christmas Dinner. Kathy and Bill (Dream Maker) were denied their turkey dinner last year, so this season they were on a mission to make it happen. Of course, everyone brought enough food for three dinners. This is just the desert buffet. Apparently we all thought this was hilarious.
