2003 - 2005
During this time, Encore II was based in Jolly Harbour Marina on the west coast of Antigua. The marina is part of one of the largest residential complexes in the Eastern Caribbean. It has hundreds of villas on harbor and canals, plus dozens of million dollar beachfront homes. We like it because it is secure, recently added a supermarket that rivals any at home, and has several restaurants to choose from.
Encore II at Dock in Jolly Harbour
The building in the background is one of several casinos on the island. It doesn't seem to get many visitors except for one night each year when the Antigua Sailing Week fleet makes a stop at Jolly Harbour
This past winter we stayed on Encore II from January to May, and were able to get in many rounds on the golf course at the complex.
Jolly Harbour Mega yacht Terminal
During Antigua Sailing Week each year, the fleet moves from one venue to another each day. When over 200 partying sailors show up in Jolly, we like to move to the end of the harbour where the "mega" yachts tie up, as it is quieter. It can still be crowed as the big boats come in to watch the fleet as well. In this picture, you can see Encore II's masts between the two sailboats at right. The blue boat next to us, is only about 120 feet long, and was the "mother ship" to Titan XII, a maxi sailboat that won its division.
Desmond and Sue Davies at their Jolly Harbour Villa
Our good friends, the Davies, had borrowed Encore I when it was based in Antigua in the mid 1990's. They sailed it around to Jolly as the complex was first being completed. Liking it so much, they bought one villa, and then a second, which is connected. They now spend much of their winters there, and are great hosts when we are around on Encore II.
Shirley Heights, Antigua
Perhaps the most famous view on Antigua is from the 18th century British fortification on Shirley Heights, overlooking English Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard in the foreground, and Falmouth Harbour in the background.
English Harbour is nearly landlocked and was the primary British naval base in the 1700 and 1800's. Today, the Dockyard has been restored and is a major tourist attraction, while the harbour becomes the base for private yachts and sailboat charters.
Sunset at Shirley Heights
Every Sunday and Thursday, crowds converge on Shirley Heights to watch the sunset, listen to the steel drum bands and eat the BBQ that is offered. At the peak of the season, there can be nearly a thousand tourists here.
Jennifer and her friend Caryn on Shirley Heights
Just east of Shirley Heights are two bays and a long peninsula. At the end of this peninsula is an estate owned by Eric Clapton. He has also founded a drug rehabilitation center which is based on the far shore in the background.
In the middle of the picture is Mamora Bay, where the St. James Club is based. The St. James Club was once voted one of the top resorts in world.
Montserrat on the Horizon
About 25 miles southwest of Antigua is the island of Montserrat, which is still a British colony/protectorate. Some days the island is very visible, including the volcano that started erupting in the mid-1990's. Although the scientists thought the volcano would go dormant in a short while, you can still see the ash steaming out of the crater on most days.
The capital city of Plymouth has become totally covered by ash, similar to Pompeii, and today, all of the remaining residents have been relocated to the north end of the island. Fortunately there have been very few casualties. Nearly every island in the Eastern Caribbean is volcanic, and many are or have been active in recent years. Martinique's Mt. Pelee erupted in the early 1900's and killed all but one of the 30,000 residents of the nearby city of St. Pierre.
St. James Club, Antigua
On the southeast coast of Antigua is this famous resort. We enjoy visiting, as we can stay at the dock at a cost less than most marinas in the USA, while enjoying the two beautiful beaches, many pools, and restaurants.
S/V Drumbeat in Nonsuch Bay
In the Great Lakes, Encore II, at 56 feet would be among the larger sailboats. Around Antigua, we're just a fraction of the size of dozens of boats like Drumbeat, which is around 160 feet long. They anchored next to us near Green Island on the east coast of Antigua, and were spectacular, especially after dark as their underwater spotlights around their hull made it look like they were anchored in a swimming pool.
While the largest motor yachts tend to frequent St. Barts and island to the north, Antigua attracts the largest sailboats in the world. It isn't uncommon to have more than two dozen sailboats over 100 feet long at dock or anchored in English and Falmouth Harbours.
J-Boat Ranger racing off of Antigua
Several years ago, Elizabeth Meyer was the first person to restore one of the classic J Boats from the early 1900's. Now there are about half a dozen restored and/or replica J Boats around the world including Ranger. These boats represent the pinnacle of the "classic" yacht racing era. During the 2005 Antigua Sailing week, Ranger had the 250' motor yacht, "Christina O" (named for Christina Onassis) as her "tender", providing accommodations and party platform for Ranger's crew.
At right are two "tall" ships at anchor in Falmouth Harbour. Used as cruise ships and as youth training ships, they participate in the Classic Sailing week in Antigua.
Around twenty miles north of Antigua is her sister island of Barbuda. About the same physical size, Barbuda only has 1/10th the population. We stop off there on the way to islands to the north such as St. Barts and St. Maarten.
We anchor along the "Eleven Mile Beach", literally, that long a stretch of unspoiled sand. Inland, there is a large lagoon, with an area filled with thousands of frigate birds. We took a tour to see and learn about them.
Gustavia, St. Barts
The harbor of St. Barthelmey is the playground of the rich and famous. Here is Encore II moored next to one of the many huge yachts. The harbor is relatively small, so yachts over about 160 feet have to anchor outside.
This past year, we were told that Rod Stewart was aboard one of the yachts while we were there, and that Tom Cruise, Liza Minelli, and many other Hollywood stars had spent Christmas on the island. The beaches here are among the best in the Caribbean, and being a part of France, the restaurants are great.
Anglican Church, Gustavia
It seems we end up in St. Barts around Easter every few years. In 2005, we attended services at this classic old church, where there was a baptism as well. The family hosted a reception for everyone afterwards with champagne and hors d'ourves. It turned out that one of the relatives attending was Jimmy Johnson, the NASCAR race car driver.
Driving on St. Barts
The island is relatively small with steep and winding roads. With a rental car, you can see the entire island in an afternoon.
Barely visible on the horizon to the north, is the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin. The northwest half of the island is part of France, while the southeast half is part of the Netherland Antilles. Because St. Barts' airport has such a short and steep runway, most visitors first fly to St. Martin, and then take a ferry or small plane to St. Barts.
Deshaies, Guadeloupe
South of Antigua lies the island of Guadeloupe, a "Department" (state) of France, and the administrative center for the French West Indies. Deshaies is the northernmost harbor, where we usually stop first after leaving Antigua. Guadeloupe is the largest island in the Eastern Caribbean and is actually divided in half by a river, with the eastern side relatively flat, and the western side very mountainous. Our friends, Margaret and Matt Rollberg, sailed their boat Santana to Guadeloupe with us, after crossing the Atlantic earlier in 2005. They were part of the Expo '98 Rally with us, and had dropped out of the rally like us, once they arrived in Australia, but instead took another 6 years to complete their circumnavigation. Margaret is a frequent contributor to sailing magazines.
Iguana near Pigeon Island, Guadeloupe
This 3 foot iguana was one of several basking in the sun below our table while we were eating lunch, overlooking Pigeon Island.
Pigeon Island is an underwater nature preserve off the west coast of Guadeloupe, and one of Jacque Cousteau's favorite dive spots. We stop here for a couple hours to snorkel each time we sail by.
Iles Des Saintes, Guadeloupe
Just south of the main island of Guadeloupe are a group of islands called Iles Des Saintes. Unlike the main island, the people here are mainly descendents of people from Brittany in France.
A bit like a small town version of St. Barts, we like to visit, and usually rent motor scooters to get around. This beach is on the Atlantic side of the islands, and the surf can be spectacular, but rough.
The Leeward Islands start with St. Maarten on the north and end with Guadeloupe on the South. While we have taken Encore II further south, on Encore I, we cruised the rest of the Eastern Caribbean (Windward Islands) for 5 years, visiting in order: Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. From there we went on to Trinidad and Venezuela, but that's another entry in our logbook.
This site was last updated 01/04/06