Leaving Guadeloupe behind, we sailed the 50nm trip to Antigua. Knowing that this would normally take us 8-10 hours, we decided to do it as an overnight passage, planning to arrive in the early morning. The wind had other ideas though; Force 3 (7-10 knots) from the east. It made a superb beam reach and Escapade was sailing at speeds of up to 7 knots. We ended up reefing the main and the Genoa to slow down to avoid arriving in the dark!
Our choice of check in location to Antigua was Jolly Harbour on the west coast. There is a marina here, but the anchoring is good, so we dropped the hook in Mosquito Bay. Great place to stop for a few days.
Tam Lin was here too and this was where their two new crew members arrived, carrying spares for both boats…including a new belt for our furler. No more using the drill for us!
After fitting the new belt, we joined Tam Lin for a day trip to Deep Bay to snorkel the Andes wreck. We have been here before and it is an interesting shallow dive or snorkel. Unfortunately, on this visit the visibility wasn’t that good and the jet skis buzzed around like annoying flies. It was still a good day out though; a beautiful bay for a lunch stop.
From Jolly Harbour, Tam Lin headed north to Barbuda on route to Sint Maarten and we headed south to Falmouth Harbour to carry out some research for Christmas and New Year when our son, James and his partner, Aimee will be joining us.
Anchoring off Pigeon Beach at the entrance to Falmouth Harbour, we were with several other Rally boats and we took a ride up to Shirley Heights for their weekly BBQ and steel band. As usual, it did not disappoint. It is always very busy, but it has one of the best sunset views in the Caribbean.
A few days later, it was back up to Jolly Harbour to check out and then head west 100nm to St Martin. This was another excellent passage with winds of between Force 2 (4-6 knots) and Force 4 (11-16 knots). We had to do a little motor sailing, but generally we sailed at 5-6 knots. With thunder and lightening and several tankers to avoid, we were kept on our toes whilst on night watches.
St Martin/Sint Maarten is another island that we have visited before. It is unusual as the island is part French and part Dutch, complete with different languages and currencies. If sailing between the two areas, boats have to check out of one country and into the other. However, once checked into one of the countries, it is easy to dinghy between the two with no formalities. We anchored in Marigot Bay on the French side as check in is much easier and cheaper!
Taking the dinghy across the lagoon, we made several trips to the excellent chandleries in Sint Maarten and spent lots of money. Our main purchase being a new dinghy! After five years of being our ´car´ in exotic places around the world, our F-Rib had finally given up. Although Martin had carried out several repairs, it was losing air quicker than we could blow it up. The time had come to retire it and buy a new one. After much research and emailing to and fro, we decided on a Highfield UL290.
Whilst in St Martin, we bid farewell to our buddy boat, Tam Lin. We waved them goodbye as they set off on the World Cruising Club´s ARC Europe to Bermuda and then the Azores.
It was a strange moment for us. We had started as strangers in St Lucia in February 2023 and parted as lifelong friends in May 2025. So many shared experiences along the way and so much laughter. It was definitely not goodbye, but see you later.
