Day 3 – Sailing the Antiguan waters!

Waking up to another day in paradise, we relaxed beachside until early afternoon, when we boarded our boat for a 4 hour sailing lesson.  A little hesitant, the concierge mis-booked the trip and while we thought we were just going to be castaways on this sailing lesson, the captain believed we were there to learn!  Never-the-less, we took it in stride and actually had a really great time playing the role of student!  We were on a 40’ sailboat with a couple from London who were getting their skipper’s certification and another woman from Norway who was starting her studies as “competent crew.”  The difference being that a skipper can charter their own boat, while the competent crew can work alongside the Captain handling the ropes and the sails.  And then there was Jeff and I, mostly watching and listening to how they sailed the boat.  Sailing is a whole different language, most the times foreign to us!  There is a LOT of work that goes into a sail, and after seeing it in action, we are fascinated by the skill and natural talent it takes to sail.  We sailed the Antiguan waters from English Harbor to Galley Bay, which is straight east.  We got to experience both upwind and downwind sailing, which is quite different.  I also took the role as Captain for 45 minutes!  The wheel is so sensitive, lierally a half inch to the right and we were heading towards Guadelope! 

During our sail, we were able to see beautiful Antigua from the sea, passing Rendezvous beach and other beautiful harbors around the island.  We were told that the reason Rendezvous is secluded is because it is a two hour trek (walking) through the rainforest to reach the sand.  No reason there were only boats there!  We also saw sea turtles and Eric Clapton’s house from afar! 

We finished the night with a beautiful dinner at “Papparazi” – which is a local Italian restaurant on the water.  The only access there is by boat, which was nice.  Today was a great day and we are looking forward to another beautiful day in Paradise tomorrow.

XOXO

Jenn & Jeff