Deshaies in Guadeloupe is known for its blustery winds all night due to the way the winds form and drive over the mountains, and it proved to be correct for us. At 0130 in the wee hours of the morning, the anchor bridle broke with a BIG SNAP; it is the “sponge” that takes the load off the anchor roller and chain which makes a horrible sound all night in the wind and swell without it. So a necessary fix was due in the rain and wind. Thanks guys.

At 0700 we lifted the anchor for our 45 nm passage to Antigua. Winds were expected at 20-28 knots, and a 10-12 foot swell, so a double reef was put in the main, and off we went into a close reach from the Starboard side.

It was about three hours into the crossing when we heard a LOUD SNAP and all the sudden noticed a frantically swinging shroud on the leeward side of the boat. This is bad. A shroud is one of the cables that holds the mast upright from the sides. With a 12 foot waves and 28 knots of wind, it was very difficult to contain the piece of wire with a large metal end whipping around the boat. I guess you can imagine that we don’t have any action pictures of this. We quickly headed up into the wind, and took the sails down to ease the pressure off the mast. A fix underway was not possible in the sea conditions, so we motored the remainder of the 25 miles we had left to go to Antigua.

The sea was rough, the swell was large, and we had to have our foulie gear on. The cockpit of FMD sits about 14 feet above the waterline, and we were taking waves over the boat on the odd bigger one. We should have had our snorkel gear on. We did not catch any fish….. we did try….

We arrived in Antigua at English harbor at our scheduled time, albeit wet and salty. The entire boat was covered in a layer of sea salt. We should have bottled it. Commencement of boat chores began. Fixing shrouds was the priority.

This IS the superyacht Capital of the Caribbean. Many HUGE boats are lined up along the quay here, with their crews polishing and tidying all day long.

Nelsons Dockyard in English Harbour sits side by side with Falmouth Harbour and they both meet the requirements for being easily defensible, easily accessible to trade winds, and be protected enough to during hurricanes. Their potential was realized in 1745 when work was begun on the Dockyard. It was completed in 1789 and it stands today in much the same condition after its excellent refurbishment in 1949 into a beautiful yet functional monument. It was Britain’s main naval station in the Lesser Antilles. Lord Nelson was stationed here to replace Sir Richard Hughes, who blinded himself while chasing a cockroach a fork. Nelsons Dockyard has been named in deference to Britains favorite hero.

The next morning we took a spontaneous visit to St Johns, when we found we had to venture into the city to get a new Digicel card for our router. It cost us 3 dollars each to take the bus into ST Johns and it was a lovely way to spend the day.

We found RUM for $10 a litre! We looked at the three large cruise ships, walked the streets and checked out the museum. There is quite a history on this island with native Caribs, British and French. Antigua is a major Caribbean yachting center now and tourism drives the countries economy.

Shirley Heights was our destination for the evening for its fabulous view and breathtaking sunsets. It is a restored Lookout and Gunn Battery for the British Navy due to its excellent 360 degree scenic landscapes. The RUM punches were only $5 EC ( $2.50 CDN or $AUS)

Bright and early, and a little bit groggy… we left Antigua for our passage to St Maarten, via St Kitts.