How Would Maisy Fare, If She Came With Us To Antigua
Maisy had her reservations at Woofs & Whiskers for two weeks from the 10th until the 24th of January. She saw that her dog food and blankets were packed, but didn't realize she would be away for such a long period of time. Her owners, David & Shannon were on their way to Antigua for their long awaited Honeymoon, by sailing the high seas and later on to get pampered at a well - known resort on the south western part of the island. This story will depict what if Maisy joined us on our trip.
Here we are flying American Airlines @ 38,000 feet headed southeast to St. John's, the capital of Antigua. Maisy of course would have to be in the cargo hold, I will NEVER have Maisy be subject to the torture of being enclosed in a crate for four hours, scared beyond her wildest dreams. Once we landed, we had to show our passports at the Customs counter, since dogs do not have any travel documents, she would have to fly back to NYC, or be quarantined on the island and looked after by a vet. We hopped in a cab shared by another couple, they were headed in the same direction as us, but we were headed to the "Nemo Yacht" in the Jolly Harbor Marina.
Once we met our crew, Andrea & Valentina, they handed us a couple of beers called, "Carib", the local brew for the islands. So this was the view we had as we left the harbor, on
our way to our first location around the island. The waters were a gorgeous turquoise blue, as they surround the entire island. Shannon and I sat in the front of the boat and as we got out into deeper waters, the waves got bigger and a bit more violent.
In the distance this rock formation looked like a perched frog, waited to leap or grab the boat zipping by.
So as we sail east to our first anchorage, we got quite wet from sitting on the trampoline, and we had to crawl back to the back of the boat, where more beers, including, Red Stripes and Coronas were waiting for us. Maisy was in the back of my mind for the entire trip, but how would she manage the swaying back and forth of the large waves? She has actually been on a pontoon boat near OC, Maryland during the summer, so she may have taking this trip fairly well.
The views from the water was outstanding, we could see historical sugar plantations, where there are over 177 of them, back during the days of slavery and afterwards. We finally reached our first stop, Deep Bay, as we entered the bay, we could see a channel marker which turned out to be a piece of wood that was actually a shipwreck from three hundred years ago.
Once we anchored, Shannon and I jumped into the crystal clear waters and swam to the beach about 50 yards out. Shannon had recently broken the tip of her middle finger, so she was worried that her finger cast would get ruined. The beach was very nice, with only a few tourists soaking in the warm sun, which was setting in the distance. When we got back to the boat, we went back to shore again, this time with the crew and hiked up a small hill, that also served as an old fort and watch our first sunset during our trip.
Here is Valentina & Andrea, not sure who the dog belongs to, but it had recently given birth, plus it was one of the many stays on the island.
The island to the left of the sun is called, "Redonda".
Our first dinner was Mozzarella & Tomatoes, then Gnocchi Pomodoro with Basil, it was outstanding. If Maisy had been on board, she would've had her usual, Iams dry food with pumpkin puree'. I hope she was having fun at the kennel. I know she missed us dearly, but she always has fun there, plus she needed to shed a few pounds.
The next day, we woke up to a light breakfast, we put on our 30 lotion and waited to set sail to our next location around Antigua. During the sail, it rained and rained and rained. It didn't let up until 4pm or so. We got to sail pass the Jumby Bay resort, it was quite nice, but it looked empty, no one was on the beach, plus there view was of industrial region and the airport. We got to hike at another small island, which is also used for day trippers and naturalists alike. The island has many different species of birds, geckos and snakes, once Shannon heard the word "snakes", she immediately didn't want to be there. But we dredged onward up to the top. Luckily we didn't see any snakes.
Maisy would have liked the hike, exploring new trails, chasing birds and running up and down the beach. Now, the next day was a big sail to Barbuda, another island, which has joined forces with Antigua to become one country. Their flag shows a sunset over blue waters and white sands, making it a flag you see every where, buildings, all boats and tourists shops. And yes, I did buy one myself, but its an authentic one, to which you would hoist on your boat to show a sense of community. Barbuda was to be a four hour sail, being excited to get going, I sat in the other chair where the other steering wheel sits. Shannon on the other hand, decided to stay below in bed until we came close to Barbuda, she wasn't feeling so good from the day before. The swells again were very high, and as I gazed northward, I couldn't see the island, hoping we were going in the right direction. As time passed, I could see in the distance the tops of the trees and the white sand beaches that stretches for seven miles. It was a happy site to see, that we would finally reach land once again. It wasn't until almost 12 noon that Shannon showed her head looking refreshed and happy to breathe in the fresh sea air.
The Nemo was swaying back and forth, hence the bad camera angle.
Now Barbuda only has 1500 inhabitants, and 2 hotels, one semi private. We got to swim ashore and walk on the beach. Maisy would have had a hard time swimming, since she doesn't really know how to swim, since she just turned 2 years old. Barbuda is known for it's caves and the largest Frigate Bird Sanctuary in the world. We had a guide take us there the next day, forgetting his name, but he knows almost everyone on the island. We also had a lobster lunch which was delightful, but since they cook everything in butter, well you know what happens later on in the evening. So here are some pictures from our days and nights on Barbuda.
Definitely not Jacques Cousteau
A male Frigate Bird trying to find his mate.
Our tour guide.
The view from atop the cave.
As we got back to the boat to relax, Valentina had chilled a bottle of Rose' Champagne for us, and we got the chance to enjoy the sunset from atop the Nemo with some Hors d'Oeuvres. What a way to end the day with another beautiful sunset. Maisy would have loved to chillax on top of the boat, licking our faces and wanting the cheese and or crackers. At the end of each evening, Andrea would pull out his homemade Limoncello, man that stuff was awesome!!! He had made it months before, so it was ripe for the drinking.
For the next couple of days, we set sailed again, and headed back to Antigua. There was going to be more snorkeling, trolling for fish, to which we caught a wahoo and had it for dinner, yum! Our first stop back in Antigua was Green Island, a small island off the coast, where large sailing yachts would also anchor for periods of time. Though we didn't see any boxers, there were several dogs on board the many vessels, especially in Historical English Harbor. Shannon and I got to swim once again, and headed to a small beach to look for shells and sea glass, which is a huge hobby of mine. We saw some enormous yachts with a crew of 8 at least. These are the type of yachts you would see in magazines, and is owned by celebrities are retired hedge fund managers, etc...
Our next stop was English Harbor, a historical dockyard marina that once housed the British Navy back in its hay day. We went to the museum, where they had exhibits of old pottery, clothing and other artifacts. Being that Antigua is of English rule, there was a photograph of a young Prince Charles, and yes I did take a picture of the photo, see below.
For the last two days of our sailing portion of our Honeymoon, we ate like king and queens, snorkeled a large reef, that had a wreck from a sailing vessel that couldn't have been more then 2 years under the water , swam amongst sea turtles, sting rays and other colorful reef fishes. Soaked in the rays, drank the local beer and Andrea's famous Lemoncello. And on the last morning, Shannon and swam to shore once again after breakfast. In the back of my mind, I wondered how was Maisy was doing. She would have loved the serenity of the open ocean, long walks on the beaches and to visualize what a true sunset looked like without the skyscrapers in the way. For the next five days after, we stayed at the Curtain Bluff Resort, which lies on the south western part of the island. It was time to get pampered!
An early morning rainbow
The Nemo Yacht logo.
After reading my short story of our trip and are interested in chartering Nemo, go to Yatesyachts.com, Sherry Yates was a pleasure to work with, she can help you with any destination and any size yacht.
Sorry Maisy, we really wished you could have joined us on the our trip, but we were happy to see you once we returned.
