Best of times… worst of times!
Our stay in Antigua has not gone entirely to plan, and I’m writing this whilst we are in the boatyard in Jolly harbour, when we should already be at least as far as St Barts, if not St Martin. First the good times…
We reached Antigua after a lovely sailing passage from Guadeloupe, and made landfall in the historic Falmouth harbour, home to the British fleet since the days of Nelson. Anchored in Falmouth bay, with our boat Merryn proudly displaying our home port of Falmouth (UK) on the stern felt very special, and we were easily able to get ashore to explore the historic sites around Nelson’s dockyard and to walk up to the hills surrounding the bays for amazing views.
Both Falmouth harbour and the adjacent English harbour are also home to some spectacular super yachts – we spied the Maltese Falcon, Leviathan, and a fleet of beautiful J class yachts. As a destination for the rich and famous, the area also boasted some lovely restaurants, and we ate at one in Nelson’s dockyard watched by a giant lizard on the dock just a few feet from us!
Whilst at anchor in the bay we found time to buy a new toilet for our main heads – the old one had been getting increasingly problematic with leaks – and we were able to fit the new one, although it was a bit embarrassing taking our tender to the shore with a toilet sat right in the middle – the ultimate in outside loos!
On the 22nd of March our friends Ros and Godric joined us, for a two week holiday sailing around Antigua and beyond. By the time they arrived we had moved into the Catamaran marina further into the bay. Over the next few days we took them on walks around Nelson’s dockyard, up to Shirley heights and to the old fort. Evenings were spent either eating out, or cooking barbecues off the side of the boat. Sightseeing concluded, it was time to move on, and we sailed around first to Carlisle bay (where we swam and ate out at a great beachside restaurant), then up the west coast of Antigua to Five islands harbour where we anchored in very blustery conditions off Hermitage beach.
After a few days at anchor we entered Jolly harbour, planning to spend a couple of night relaxing in the marina there. The local marina restaurant hosted live music – Soca one evening and Salsa the next, so opportunities to throw some awkward shapes on the dance floor!
By the 29th of March, and a week into Ros and Godrics’ holiday, it was time to leave Antigua and embark on a passage across to Nevis. It was then that it all started to unravel! Motoring out of the harbour, I noticed that the engine was failing to rev, and we could only crawl at slow speed. With light winds forecast we had no choice but to return to the boatyard adjacent to Jolly harbour marina to investigate. I assumed the problem would be fuel starvation, perhaps due to sediment build up between the fuel tank and the engine. We had recently had the fuel polished (a technique to remove sludge and debris from the fuel tank) and it was possible that the process had kicked up some muck that had blocked the fuel pipe. We duly engaged the help of the local Yanmar engineer, a very helpful man called Ivan, and his even more helpful assistant Jayden. They methodically went through the engine components, checking firstly the most likely culprits – the fuel supply, then the turbocharger, air filters, fuel injectors, and finally swapping our fuel pump for a test device. It was then (by now about four days since they started their investigations) that they discovered that our fuel injector pump had failed. It could not be worse – the new part would cost around £7000 (not to mention labour and other costs), and on top of that, needed to be shipped in from Georgia, USA by courier, and would take over a week to arrive.
Sadly, this was the end to our plans to take Ros and Godric to other islands, and their second week was spent at the boatyard – not what they had in mind when they booked their holiday.
Still, there were things to do around Jolly harbour, and we swam at the local beach, went out for more meals, and our friends hired a car to explore more of the island. We all went back to the south of the island for more walking around Shirley heights. Ros’ birthday was on the 3rd of April, so the evening before we went out for a fabulous dinner a little drive along the coast, and on her birthday, drove to English harbour for a “scooter snorkelling” trip – essentially snorkelling with a powered device to help whizz around the sea. We saw turtles, and I even managed another short snorkeling video.
Ros and Godric returned to the UK the next day, and claimed to have had a lovely holiday, despite spending half of it in a boatyard – still, they got to see what sailing is really like!
For ourselves, we are still in the boatyard, the engine work is still underway, and likely to take another week at least. The engine has not been our only problem – the new toilet we fitted just a couple of weeks ago was leaking, and close inspection revealed a hairline crack in the pump outlet. Fortunately, we were able to persuade the chandler to give us a replacement part under warranty, and fixing that has taken up some time. Worst of all, Cate noticed an unpleasant smell coming from one of the store cupboards. We found that a bottle of long life milk had burst, with sour milk soaking into the cupboard base. When we went to clear it up, we discovered that maggots were growing in the mouldy culture! A really disgusting job to clean up!
On the plus side, we have been in the yard long enough to catch the live bands returning for more sessions. Most amazingly, we saw the arrival of Renée – a solo female trans-Atlantic rower, who arrived in Jolly Harbour after nearly two months at sea. There was a big crowd on the dock to greet her, and we joined the crowds, tooting on our foghorn as she arrived
The multiple engine and other issues are causing another problem: our planned passage to Bermuda is getting delayed repeatedly. We know that the weather windows to make the passage safely are short and infrequent (we have to dodge a high pressure ridge that forms just south of Bermuda), and the delays are reducing our chances of finding the right window. Consequently, we are now re-thinking the Atlantic passage. One possibility will be to set off directly from here in Antigua, or from somewhere close like St Martin, and I have been sounding out my fellow crew members for their thoughts. We have yet to make a decision, but it is looking increasingly likely that we will abandon the trip to Bermuda and set off across the Atlantic from here.
Sorry to hear all the engine issues, had exactly the same with my Yanmar, turned out the exhaust elbow was clogged up over time and causing reduced power.
There are worse places to be stuck than Antigua, enjoyed some lovely times at Carlisle Bay!
Yes, we hoped it might be the elbow on our engine: it would have been a much cheaper fix than the pump!
Back in Blighty for a week and missing Merryn, Cate and Jonathan and their wonderful hospitality.
We had a super time even with the engine problems. Sad that you’ve had to spend longer in Jolly Harbour than anticipated but hopefully that will be resolved soon. On the plus side you must be on first name terms with the owner of Sea Dreams (great band venue) by now 😊
Yes indeed, Sea Dreams has become a regular haunt. Although as low season approaches, they have cut the bands to just one per week! It was great having you both on board. See you in Somerset,
Love Cate and Jonathan