Landfall in the Caribbean

[Sauntress]

That is a neat idea. Thanks very much

[quandary]

If you are considering Antigua, St Kitts is not much further.. anchorage on Carribean side and also very protected new marina nearby at Christophe harbour (south west end)?

[Sauntress]

Another string to our bow. All welcome

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by atoll

man of war bay,tobago
idyllic jungle and peaks,customs and immigration just back from the dinghy jetty.
can easily sail on and off your anchor in the large protected bay.
can be slightly rolly,but what price is paradise.
https://www.noonsite.com/place/trinidad-tobago/tobago/

A great recommendation. It is a lush, beautiful spot with friendly customs and locals. You will need to arrive with your own provisions as it is just a village. There are many small bays heading west from there, then give the reef a wide berth before turning south to Trinidad, which is a very good place for provisioning and exploring. Stay for Carnival, then work your way north to be in Antigua for Classic week. If you want more then head back south to Grenada or Trinidad for the storm season, or head on up the islands.

Have fun.

Greg

[Sauntress]

Brilliant. That just feels so right. Thank you so much. This a really good forum.

[CarinaPDX]

You can stop in Barbados first, then sail to Man of War Bay in Tobago, if you want to see Barbados. I wasn't impressed with Bridgetown; the downtown pretty much closes up after dark. During the day there is some exploring to do and some fresh fruit and vegetables are available at the market. My crew had time to travel around the island and she liked what she saw so it is unfair to judge by a small urban area. The anchorage and beach are nice and there is some nightlife behind the beach. Tying alongside the quay in the cruise ship harbor wasn't my favorite experience as it was a climb to get on/off, and while attending to the entry paperwork Carina was a little too close to the concrete for the rigging - but all was well and the officials were nice. Personally I would pass if I were doing a crossing again and use the time on the north coast of Tobago and in Trinidad instead - and of course get to Trinidad for the pre-Carnival partying (the month before is pretty special).

Greg

[ALLAN WARD]

It would be a pity for you to bypass Barbados as the island is very different to the other 18 islands that we visited in the Caribbean.
After enjoying the festive sailing events in Antigua we set sail for Barbados and made landfall at Port St Charles Marina where we received the friendliest welcome from the authorities than we had experienced anywhere else in the Caribbean. After a brief clearing in process they gave us a welcome pack of maps and brochures of places to visit on the island. The Bajan people are super friendly and my wife claims that Barbados was her favourite island, mine being Dominica.

Although we took a berth in the marina there were a couple of boats anchored off the breakwater. Speightstown is nearby with everything that you would possibly need. Public Transport is easily accessible and getting around the island is straight forward.

From there we sailed for Tobago and finally Trinidad which is where we keep our boat through the hurricane season.

My suggestion would be to head for Grenada once you have sampled Barbados's delights. If you miss Barbados but decide later that you would like to visit the island, it is a hard slog to windward from most of the islands in the Caribbean chain unless you do what we did and sail from Antigua. For the entire passage the wind was forward of the beam but we were determined to see Barbados and were well rewarded.

By the way, although we started our season from Trinidad we met many cruisers who had visited Barbados as their first landfall after crossing the North Atlantic. They were the people who motivated us to visit the island and l would strongly recommend that you don't miss this opportunity.

Safe sailing.

[Sauntress]

Thank you. Your blog is informative as well. All these those photographs neatly captioned so you know what you are looking at.

[jmh2002]

I agree with the various posts about Barbados and Tobago.

Both of these islands are a bit off the normal path, and in some cases a real pita to return to if you decide that you do want to see them.

So coming from the Atlantic side it can indeed make some sense to stop in Barbados, even if it's just for a short stay.

Then onwards to Tobago since it's quite special there and many cruisers miss this island.

Then if you need, or it is simply convenient, you might as well continue on to Trinidad to, unless it is part of your plan to return south for Hurricane Season anyway?

Either way from Tobago or Trinidad you can then for the most part comfortably work your way up the island chain in time to arrive in Antigua for Classic Week, which I can also highly recommend.

[Sauntress]

We are increasingly taken with Tobago as a landfall. Being a boat with no engine, ( well set up with solar thanks to this forum) our shore side needs are simple. As to whether we stay in the Caribbean more than one season is open. My crew and I have no ties. So are lucky enough to be able to choose.

[jmh2002]

Even if it has changed somewhat over the 25 years or so since I was first there - there are way more boats now, and unfortunately crime (even against cruisers) is a problem in some locations too (search the forum, there are plenty of recent threads).

But Eastern Caribbean cruising can be, in my opinion, unbelievably fantastic. Especially if you are time flexible and open to getting off the beaten track or simply taking a bit more time to have experiences that others miss because of their haste.

There is also a surprising amount of things to do ashore on each little island if you are a curious person. Some can end up being quite costly, and some can be free or almost free, maybe the cost of a mini bus ride and after some walking.

Here is an overview post that I wrote in another thread in case you are totally unfamiliar with the Eastern Caribbean.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2952142

In general that thread is probably worthwhile reading, and if you are not familiar with being setup for living onboard full time in the tropics without aircon then I also wrote this post (and a few more) about shade and ventilation:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2952307

Hope that helps too.

[ALLAN WARD]

Love your boat, very pretty.

You referred to our blog where there is a post dedicated to Barbados itself with pics if you want a sneak preview.

[Sauntress]

We will have a look. Thanks.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by ALLAN WARD

Love your boat, very pretty.

Yes me too, and since we're not the first to mention how pretty she is I did manage to find a few more photos online. I hope nobody minds me adding this one to the thread for all of us to enjoy. What a beauty.

Originally Posted by Sauntress

That is exactly what we have in mind. The big racing mainsail is below decks. And to add interest we carry a square yard and sail a la Claud Worth. It works too.

^^^ I like the sound of that too

[Sauntress]

Thanks for the compliment. The red square sail in the photograph has been replaced by a larger purpose, made version and the aluminium yard by a spruce spar. This a bit off thread, but on passage down via Porto Santo and Gomera we used the sail often, with deep reefed ,main (to stop rolling ).