Day Eleven - Antigua.

As we move from island to island I am running out of superlatives with which to both describe the wonderful views and beautiful weather. Today we were greeted once again by a bright blue sky reflecting off the clear Caribbean sea as we slowly moored in St John’s Antigua.

As usual we decided to "do our own thing” on this island which was made really easy by the lines of taxi drivers waiting for potential fares as we left the docks. After negotiating the fee for a tour Sylvia and I together with Win & Jim and a couple from Bristol joined Cynthia who would be out driver/guide for the morning.

Antigua was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 but it rapidly became part of the British empire which developed large scale sugar production on the island. It gained independence in 1981. During the years of British rule Antigua became one of the most important military bases in the Caribbean and where Nelson located his naval base. These dockyards have been restored and now form part of a national park. This was our first port of call on the trip.

Many of the restored building have been converted to shops and cafes with the Admiral’s House now housing a museum with artefacts from the old yards. The docks are still working with yachts both large and small lining the wharfs.
From the dockyard we drove to Shirley Heights which was originally built as a signal station with its commanding views over the whole area. On the tip of the promontory is a large dwelling that is the home of rock superstar Eric Clapton and nearby is the Crossroads clinic, a charity that he supports.

The more spectactular views are on the other side of the Heights where views over both the English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard can be had.

They say that there are 365 beaches on Antigua, one for every day of the year. When I pointed out to our guide that 2016 is a leap year she replied that they could always find another one. She stopped the taxi at a small beach where we could paddle and enjoy the warm sun on our backs.

Returning to the ship for lunch we still had time in the afternoon to look around the shops near the pier. Flicking through the channels on the television this afternoon we discovered that the France/ England rugby game was being shown live and so spent an enjoyable 80 minutes seeing England win the Grand Slam.
Sylvia and I have cruised the Caribbean on two previous occassions both with Princess. On both we were supposed to stop at Princess Cays a private island owned by the company. Both times the stops were aborted due to high winds. It came as no surprise then when the captain announced this afternoon that due to a technical problem we would not be stopping at Princess Cays. Tomorrow therefore St Thomas will be our final port of call before steaming off to Fort Lauderdale and home.