Nearly there!

We now have a mast step ... Yippee .. But just as we were getting excited about the mast going on Stan from Antigua Rigging mails us to tell us that the starter motor on the crane has burnt out! It is a 24 v starter motor and there is not another one on the island ... One is being sent over from Miami but it will be Wednesday before it arrives so guess we have to wait a little longer. However the end is neigh!
We have been here so long that we have had to renew our visas which lasted for 3 months. No problem for me I went home for a couple of weeks to see my mum who is struggling with her legs at the moment. John went to immigration at English Harbour who told him to come back in April ... He did on the 2nd when our visa expired and they told him to go to St. John's ! Frustrating but we hired a car and off we tootled having to find a passport photo of John to take with us. We hired a car which is cheaper than a taxi and managed to locate the immigration office with the help of a friendly post woman. I left john to it but was surprised when he phoned me a couple of minutes later to tell me that they would not process him as he was wearing shorts?! So off we sped to buy a pair of long pants!! Having been separated from 75ec for the purchase John went on his way back to immigration I was not allowed in as I had the audacity to wear shorts! We were not going to waste any more cash on a pair of long pants for me! I wandered around St. John's for a couple of hours before John caught up to me at Napoleons. He guessed I would be there as we had been there before and it was not so much of a rip off. We have made the mistake of going to a place called Cheers before and that was definitely cruise liner prices !
Anyway getting there and we have our friends Sue and Gig arriving next weekend so should be fun!,

Somewhere to eat and drink

As we are nearly Antiguan citizens we have been here so long! I thought I would give anyone who might be considering a holiday out here our thoughts on places we have frequented since we have been here.

Around Jolly Harbour

The Crows Nest

The staff  are very friendly and helpful. There is wi fi but it can be slow as there are always a lot of people using it. They have a happy hour between four and six when you can buy a bucket (5 beers) of Carib beer for 25ec though the bottle openers they provide can sometimes be a challenge! The food is good with large portions and we often share one dish which is ample for us. They do excellent spicy chicken wings as a bar snack.

Mellini’s

We found the pizzas very disappointing considering it is an Italian restaurant but the specilas are better value and much tastier. They also have wi fi.

May Day

A new Hungarian restaurant which we have not tried but know several people who have and they have not been very complimentary.

Acroplis Greek Restaurant

The service was slow but the waiter was very friendly. The owners are actually Greek and the food was quite good but a bit on the pricey side. This might be because we have eaten so often in Greece!
Al Porto
This is over by the customs dock and looks out over the marina. It does a great 2 for 1 pizza deal on Tuesday. But you really have to book. Nice place.
Miracles
If you go out the Jolly Harbour complex and turn left you come to a red route master bus hiding behind that is a great little restaurant that serves good local food. Half a lobster served in one of five ways(you choose) costs 60ec. Very good value. Service can be a little slow but then no problems ... Don't worry be happy!!

English Harbour

The Copper and Lumber Hotel

A good setting but it is a shame that the ambiance is spoiled by slow service. They have Wadadli beer on draft but you need a drink while you wait for your drink! It can get very busy and that affects the speed of the service even more. We have waited an hour once for food. The food when it comes is good. Your bill comes in UD dollars.

Falmouth Harbour

Collins Place.

This is a local café that opens for lunch. It is a local menu and the Roti’s are delicious. I have also had the fish stew which is very good as is the pork. As you would expect the prices are good a linch for two with a beer each will set you back around 45 – 50 ec (about £10). It is a family run establishment Rashid serves while his mum does the cooking. It is located just outside Falmouth Harbour Marina.

Cap Horn

Ii enjoyed my meal here. Their speciality is hot stone cooking so the ingriedients are served to you along with a hot lava stone to gook them on and various side dishes to compliment. The meat was tender and the fish yummy. The service was good the waitress friendly and very helpful.

Catherines Café Plage

If you want to push the boat out for a special occasion then this is a lovely place to eat. They open every lunch time and on Wednesday and Friday evenings. It is a wonderful setting on Pigeon Beach and the service cannot be faulted. You are greeted with a smile everyone is happy and nothing is too much trouble. The food was delicious. It is not cheap but it is a great restaurant.

SeaBreeze

We have had a drink here once and will not be frequenting it again. The service was surly and to cap it all the waitress decided that she was keeping the change as a tip without bothering to offer it back to us. They do have wifi.

Skullduggery

A bar next to SeaBreeze. They serve Pannini and snacks whilst you go to the bar to get your drink the girls have a smile on their face! They have wifi.

The Mad Mongoose

A good bar. The service is good and they have Happy Hour between 4 and 7. They often have a special deal on beer but Junior the bar man during happy hour serves a good Dark and Stormy (rum and ginger beer) for 5ec(just over a pound!)They have bands playing some nights.

The Famous Mauro

I have mentioned this before. A very good pizza place. The pizza are excellent and Mauro prepares them and cooks them around the pizza oven which is on view for everyone to see.The chilli oil is dynamite but the waitresses will give you warning about this. The devil pizza is hot and spicy and the Romano has plenty of anchovies and capers. It is an authentic pizza establishment. Pizzas are good value, the wine is good and from Italy.

Pirates Pizza

This is run by an Italian and the quality of the pizzas is variable. If it is busy you might have to wait quite sometime for your pizza but they will warn you about the waiting time. The pizza base is how I like it nice and thin and one big pizza is more than enough for two people. It does not open until 6 in the evening.

Stir Crazy!!

So we are still floating around at anchor in Falmouth Harbour and starting to go a little stir crazy so we hired a car for a week to have a drive around the Island. There are around 85,000 people live in Antigua and it is not very big so driving was not that bad and they drive on the right side of the road for us ….. though to be honest the majority seem to drive in the middle!

John is having problems with tooth ache so we booked an appointment with a dentist in St. John’s the capital. The big cruise liners come in here and it is set up for this and Redcliffe Quay is full of tiny boutique type shops and cafes all dealing in US dollars and claiming to be duty free. I found it ok for a day out but I am glad we did not anchor there.

                                                        The view from the Boxer Shack

 On our travels going up to St. Johns we travelled along the coast and found a little bar/restaurant close to Morris Beach called the Boxer Shack which had a lovely view and we sat and watched the pelicans dive bombing into the sea for fish. They really take no prisoners diving into the sea like kamikaze pilots. I tried to get a picture of them but you can’t appreciate just how fast they go from the picture the splash is the pelican entering the water. We noticed the restaurant did Sunday lunch so we went back for the full Sunday lunch last Sunday just for a change. We have got quite into Caribbean food and a particular favourite is Roti. They are sort of like pancakes filled with chicken, vegetables or pork. They really are great for lunch and there is a little café in Falmouth called Colin’s Place where we have taken up residence!! I have had fish stew there also which was very good too. For some reason there are quite a lot of Italian restaurants too and we tried the Famous Mauro Pizza restaurant a really excellent pizza and dynamite chilli oil!  He has a proper pizza oven and cooks the pizza in front of you. I would recommend the place to any one going to Falmouth.

Just past St. Johns is Dickenson Bay and St. James Fort. We stopped off in the car and were surprised to see groups of tourists segwaying their way up the beach and odd sight! St James Fort is now sadly in need of renovation but the guns are still in very good condition with the inscriptions very clear. The beach at Dickenson Bay was very clean and crystal clear as well as warm the water temperature here is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit!

                                                 Another way of seeing the Island!!

I should also mention the mongoose which is found all around the island. They were introduced into Antigua to control the snake population. There are no snakes in Antigua now but there are a lot of mongooses which scurry around the place. I have to admit at first I thought they were rats till I took a closer look!  

The Wobbly Bob Rce took plce on Valentines Day teams had to make their own boat in two and a half hours we took our outboard over and ended up giving some guys a tow.... cheating was allowed and it looked good fun!!