Antigua/Barbuda favorite anchoring spots. ?

[ColdEH]

Hi everyone .

Im still a couple of years away from breaking free and heading south. I thought I would ask all you who have spent time In Antigua what your favourite spots are for anchoring and enjoying the scenery as this will be one of the come back to places, when I get my "get out of dodge" pass.

Regards

[Zanshin]

Green Island and now Deep Bay are my two favorites.

[krafthaus]

We anchored in Falmouth Harbour off Pigeon Beach and in Deep Bay then headed to Jolly Harbour this past January. We were at the Jolly marina but anchoring at the entrance looks like it would be nice. All locations were great for different reasons.

There are a lot of gunkholing spots all around the island that look like they would be great to test out another time. Especially Nonsuch Bay.

[ColdEH]

Nonsuch Bay / Green Island , all that area looks amazing on google earth ! Lots of places in there to explore . Does Deep bay get a little rolly?

Regards

[krafthaus]

Originally Posted by typhoon

Nonsuch Bay / Green Island , all that area looks amazing on google earth ! Lots of places in there to explore . Does Deep bay get a little rolly?

Regards

Deep Bay is sheltered except from the west and you can head well in to shore. So likely not that rolly. We were on a cat so can't say for sure.

[Hud3]

After spending time in Falmouth, English Harbour and Jolly Harbour, we enjoyed the isolation of the anchorage at Great Bird Island, in the NE section of Antigua. That's our boat anchored there.




I dinghied around and did some enjoyable snorkeling on the Caribbean side of the island, and came across this natural "bridge" called "Hell's Gate".




In Barbuda, there's a nice anchorage at Spanish Point. We saw turtles and dolphins there as we drank our morning coffee. The snorkeling is good around the coral heads that dot the anchorage. On the west side of the island, you can anchor off Eleven Mile Beach in the most intense turquoise water you'll ever see.

[ColdEH]

Originally Posted by Hud3

After spending time in Falmouth, English Harbour and Jolly Harbour, we enjoyed the isolation of the anchorage at Great Bird Island, in the NE section of Antigua. That's our boat anchored there.




I dinghied around and did some enjoyable snorkeling on the Caribbean side of the island, and came across this natural "bridge" called "Hell's Gate".




In Barbuda, there's a nice anchorage at Spanish Point. We saw turtles and dolphins there as we drank our morning coffee. The snorkeling is good around the coral heads that dot the anchorage. On the west side of the island, you can anchor off Eleven Mile Beach in the most intense turquoise water you'll ever see.

Great pics, amazing !! Still lots of secret places left I see .

Regards

[CarZin]

We anchored at Deepwater, Jolly, and English. Deepwater is a dump. Don't go there. Not pretty. Just a place to bring in the cruise ships. Jolly was 100% beautiful. Gorgeous anchorage, and some beautiful beaches just outside of the harbor. English habor doesn't have any beaches, but has a lot of charm, as what remains of an British settlement. Some good snorkeling spots at the mouth.

We didn't have good anchor holding at Deepwater, either. Good holding at the other places.

[ColdEH]

I agree , from google maps "Deepwater Harbour" does look very industrial , not a place to enjoy a view ...... Pass

The others sound great , will visit .

Regards

[leitgib]

We spent one month in Antigua & Barbuda in March 2014. See our blog for charts, anchorages and secret spots. It is also an opportunity to learn French

[leitgib]

Originally Posted by krafthaus

Deep Bay is sheltered except from the west and you can head well in to shore. So likely not that rolly. We were on a cat so can't say for sure.

I confirm. We were there twice in March 2014. 1st time was ok, 2nd time was too rolly and went further South to Five Island Harbour. Besides, there are tons of boats moored there and there is nothing interresting in Deep Bay once you climbed to the Fort to take a picture or 2.
Check here Un voyage en famille: Antigua for charts and photos

[ColdEH]

Originally Posted by leitgib

I confirm. We were there twice in March 2014. 1st time was ok, 2nd time was too rolly and went further South to Five Island Harbour. Besides, there are tons of boats moored there and there is nothing interresting in Deep Bay once you climbed to the Fort to take a picture or 2.
Check here Un voyage en famille: Antigua for charts and photos

Great Blog, wish my French was a bit better .

Love your photos , Green Island , seems to be a favourite for a lot of folks. Can't wait to get lost there.

Regards

[leitgib]

We ranked Green Island 10 of our ... Top10 for year 1. But Barbuda is #3:
Un voyage en famille: Top 10 des mouillages de notre première année
Green Island (and Nonsuch Bay) is nice but pretty crowded. We prefer more private anchorages.

[BlueOsprey]

We are sailing Antigua now on Blue Osprey, a Lagoon 450S. Anchorages that we have enjoyed:

Great Bird Island: Great visibility for snorkeling even when the northern swells are running. Better viz that Barbuda, even. We were there two nights this week, and the first night, we were the only ones there! They have about five mooring balls, and encourage boats to use them as opposed to anchoring. Very protected from wind, but note that there is a current so weak swimmers should take care.

Deep Bay - Has a great hike up to the old fort where you can watch ships enter St. John’s. Good holding in sand. There is a wreck at the entrance to the bay which is marked by a buoy. Great snorkeling if the visibility is great. There is a new all-inclusive resort which does not allow outsiders to eat at their restaurants, and there are no other eating places ashore.

Green Island/Nonsuch BayGreen Island is at the head of Nonsuch Bay and has a number of moorings available. If you want, you can contact the kite-surfing school at the Nonsuch Bay Resort for lessons. Even if you don’t, you can enjoy watching them from your boat.

Carlisle Bay. Nice anchorage in sand and grass. There is a wonderful restaurant at the resort there, Indigo on the Beach, for fine-dining with a view of the bay so you can watch your boat. When we were there, (Jan. 20), the wind changed, and we were concerned about our holding so kept a sharp eye all through dinner, and checked it hourly that night, but, even with the wind shift, the anchor stayed dug in.

English Harbor We were on a mooring ball just inside the harbor. Great restaurants and shopping. We especially love Incanto, an Italian restaurant. Greeted at the dinghy dock by their new dog and the owner. Great food, people and atmosphere.

[Agdv]

We are in barbuda expecting moderate westerly and wsw winds for a couple of days. Do you know of any anchorages on the eastern coast of Barbuda?