Off to Nelson’s Dockyard in English Harbour

We had a slow start to the day as we are only going around the corner to English Harbour, the start of our visit to Antigua. This means we have circumnavigated the whole island now. We had a last snorkel to look for turtles, but could not find them this morning.

Thank goodness we left just as the mega gin palace returned

Monserrat on a clear day

Coming into English Harbour

We got into the marina at Nelson’s dockyard at about 3pm, it is an amazing harbour full of enormous expensive boats, mainly sail boats, thankfully only one gin palace. We are the smallest boat here and on our dock the only boat without a crew! In fact it is teaming with English and South African crew, who are having a very social time as there are no charters or the owners are stuck abroad with Covid.

Our resident Peli who does the most spectacular dive bombing around us

The marina is a National Park and Nelson’s Dockyard is a World Heritage site, it has loads of old harbour buildings that have been restored. The forts and defensive buildings were built in the 1770’s at the entrance and up along the hilltop, Nelson was stationed here for 3 years around that time. The hills behind it are all part of the park and protected, so thankfully not developed. Phoebs and I decided to walk the Goat trail up and over to Pigeon beach, Rowan was meeting a man about getting some new sails (specific downward and upward sails apparently). I’m glad we left late afternoon as it was a steamy rugged climb to the top and as the name suggested there were loads of goats. It reminded me so much of Muden the valley where I grew up in South Africa, loads of thorn bush and prickly rugged plants, with lovely old gnarly trees on the cliff tops. It was a spectacular walk with incredible views down to the sea and then looking the other way was the view of both English harbour and Falmouth Bay. As we descended to Pigeon beach, in Falmouth bay, the vegetation changed and we found forests of air plants growing in the trees. Lots of old defensive ruins , wonderful look out posts for the troops. It was a gorgeous sunset at Pigeon beach with loads of young crew about (clearly there is a requirement to be young and gorgeous to crew!), it was dark by the time we walked back to the boat via town.

The fort at the entrance

Can you spot PolePole?

A colonial house across the way

Phoebe climbing to the top in flip flops

Nanny goat feeding her kids on a precipitous cliff edge over the sea

Air plants everywhere

Falmouth bay

Pigeon beach

Rowan’s sail man was still on board when we got back, and very chatty. An English man whose parents were in the garment trade in the East End (he is 62) where he grew up. He left home at 18 and joined the VSO, and was posted in Monserrat to set up the science department at the main school there. He moved to Guadeloupe after a few years where he married his French wife, married her and had 3 kids. He realised his talent and expertise was with sewing machines, so set up a sail business. Divorced after 25 years of marriage, and has just recently married an Italian chef. The funny thing is his mother and sister live around Beccles, so he feels like that is home – he keeps his Maserati in a locked garage there for his months he is back in the UK!

We decided to go to the Italian restaurant across the water, which meant getting JeldiJeldi down, it was literally 100m across the water but no bridge and a very long walk around. It was very quiet with only one other table, but it was great food and a lovely setting on the water’s edge, we could look across and admire PolePole. She really looks like the Gypsy boat in the harbour, with all our swimwear on the line and bits of colour and clutter, all the other boats are immaculate!