The third sister - Redonda (an interesting look at the island and it's history)

This is taken from my column in Enjoy Magazine which comes out every two weeks here in Antigua. Look for your new issue coming out soon! 

At 16 56' North and 62 21' West there is a mysterious rock reaching out of the dark ocean around it that looks as though it may have been the inspiration for King Kong or some other adventure story. This is the island of Redonda. It is less than a mile square, rises to a height of just under a thousand feet, and for now is uninhabited. Antigua and Barbuda claim the rocky island just 30 miles to the South-West as part of their country and helps give the nation one of the largest economic and territorial zones in the region.

Historically the island was left alone and used only as a stopping point until it was discovered that minerals produced by thousands of years of bird droppings could be mined and exported. Mining phosphates on the island took place between 1860 and the early 1900s and during its peak the island exported 7000 tons a year. Back in the summer of 1894 an American writer from Popular Science Monthly spent a few days on the island and wrote about his adventure in the November issue (read that here). He beautifully described the island with its interesting geography and biology as well as Redonda’s small community of miners. There were one hundred and one people living on the island when he wrote about it and that number generally stayed at about that level peaking at 120 one year. Most of the calcium phosphate and later, aluminum phosphate were ultimately exported to Germany and when The First World War began the demand dwindled. Also during the war new technology was found which further decreased demand for Redonda’s minerals. A small number of people stayed on the island to maintain the equipment until 1929 when a hurricane damaged the houses. Since then nobody has lived there, but many of us have visited the adventure filled island to spend a day or two exploring. The bird life there is absolutely fantastic as is the snorkeling and diving. The hike to the top along the gorge where the cable trolley used to carry workers up and down is exhilarating and exciting.

While I am no climber, I have been to the top twice, but I would describe it as quite dangerous though doable if you are very careful.

It’s funny because my experience after getting to the top was very similar to that of Fred Morse as seen in the Nov 1894 issue of Popular Science. The incredibly fresh air at the top is wonderfully cool after the hot hike and the majestic views over to Montserrat, Redonda, St. Kitts and Nevis are truly magical. The view of the sea and tiny boat below didn’t look real either.

The buildings left behind sit in ruins but you can easily imagine how life and work must have been a hundred years ago on the island.

While the natural environment on the island remains the most interesting aspect of Redonda, it is perpetually threatened by several alien species including goats and rats both brought by the miners. The Environmental Awareness Group has been trying to get funding to do a similar rat eradication program there as was successfully done on Great Bird Island but the program hasn’t started yet. At this moment there are no scheduled trips to Redonda and very few people ever get the opportunity to visit the island. For many the island remains an intriguing bump on the horizon at sunset still waiting to be rediscovered some day.

After habitat destruction comes a press release. Want to laugh?

After writing this blog (click here), lawyers for the developer sent this my way.


STATEMENT

FROM: Hill & Hill, Attorneys for Queens Bay Limited
DATE: 26th May, 2011


QUEENS BEACH CLUB

Clearing of the site for the proposed construction of Antigua’s newest exclusive condominium development consisting of 27 villas and hotel has been completed at Mosquito Cove. The proposed development to be named Queens Beach Club is being undertaken by Queens Bay Limited whose shareholders are from Holland.

Upon the completion of the layout of the plans of the site the application for the approval of the construction will be submitted to the Environmental Division. The proposal intends to satisfy the full range of demands and environmental concerns made by the Environmental Division in relation to the density of the project, the capability of the waste water management and disposal systems and the construction of a retaining wall.

The Developer is fully committed to the development of a project which is environmentally friendly and satisfies all of the concerns and requirements of the Environmental Division.

Coastal Habitat getting Destroyed in Antigua

Over the past two weeks I have seen several fairly natural areas around Antigua get clear cut or otherwise destroyed. Habitat destruction is one of the best ways to diminish your biodiversity and here in Antigua is looks as if the powers that be care very little about the problems associated with it. Below is a video done by the Antigua Conservation Society which is a small environmental group which we will hear much more about over the next few months. It shows a property that was owned by some of the Dutch Jolly Harbour (CDAL) share holders. Also shareholders of La Perla which has already been in big trouble for digging up mangroves in Nonsuch Bay. Anyway, I don't think they are the problem here. The problem is the government and their lack of proper management. The point is that apart from being totally wrong to clear coastal habitat with all of the normal environmental implications, it is against the law. You need permits from the Forestry Division, and you shouldn't be able to clear land if the proposed project has been turned down by the Environmental Division and the DCA. I am not sure if they have changed their mind, but sources within the government agencies say that no approval has been granted. It's time for this kind of thing to have some form of punishment. Anyway, have a look at the video and think about what you can do. I think we need some change in environmental policy here in Antigua.



EDIT: Since writing this originally, I have been contacted by some of the LA Perla and CDAL group who say that although the transfer hasn't been finished the land in question has been sold to an "unrelated" person. As you will read in the comments on this blog, another name has been given for the owners. Anyway, the problem is the government here and their lack of supervision or enforcement of the regulations.

A cool little video of light tackle fishing through the mangroves in Antigua.

As most of our promotional material will explain, our Eco Tour is based on adventures we would get up as kids. Long before we were old enough to take the boat out by ourselves, my Dad and our uncles would take us exploring in the North Sound Islands as well as around Barbuda.

This photo is a shot of me, my brother Ali and sister Nell out fishing with Dad. When my dad was a kid he did the same thing out there with his dad and with friends growing up. As soon as I was old enough to use the boat sometime around my eleventh birthday, my cousins David and Nick and I would lead our own adventures. Anyway, you can imagine how easy it was to start www.adventureantigua.com when I finally decided to make a business out of our adventures. Every now and then I spend a day in the North Sound fishing just as I did when I was a kid. Last week I was invited out fishing by Stevie and David Mendes who both have worked with Adventure Antigua as crew and as captains.
As you will see in this video, it was just some simple light tackle fishing fun on a 13 foot boston whaler with a 15 hp engine. I hope to one day take my kids up into these islands and do the same things. How could anyone get tired of doing this stuff?



To see what we would get up to as kids and even now as adults please visit
http://www.adventureantigua.com/
and book a day trip with us on this amazing tour.

youtube videos and facebook photos

There are many people shooting videos and taking photos while they are on our tours and we often never see the results. If you are one of these people and happen to be reading this, please post the youtube or vimeo video or photos on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/AdventureAntigua
If they are good then I may ask permission to post them on this blog, and if they are really good then we may ask if we can put them on our website. For that we would trade a few trip for two on one of our tours.
Shoot away and please let me know. You can tag me in the photo as well as tagging Adventure Antigua or just post them on our facebook page. Remember if you use twitter and post a photo or video all you have to do is put @antigua in your tweet and I will see it. If you use Flickr or Picasa then all you have to do is paste the link of a photo into our facebook page. Get involved and comment on the posts there too if you like.Don't be shy. Thanks so much! Eli

www.adventureantigua.com

a bit of kayak fishing

After the Eco Tour returned back to Jolly Harbour, I decided to do a little fly fishing from my kayak. I took my nine weight rod and a good tarpon fly and paddled slowly out of the harbour. It had been a fairly cloudy day without any rain despite some of the weather forecasts which as usual were wrong. Anyway, I saw some fish splashing but they turned out to all be mullet. I paddled out of the harbour and across the bay towards the little inlet and swamp near Hermitage Hotel. I had one strike from what looked like a decent snapper and apart from that the only action I had was a few bites from a common laughing gull that kept following me.
At least the sunset as seen above from the kayak was nice. Just after I took this photo I had a good bite as I was just about to enter the harbour again. This time it was a little tarpon and I got it to the kayak in short time. When releasing fish you want to try to touch them as little as possible as taking the mucus off their scales can cause them harm. When I fly fish with my uncle we use something called a booger grip which helps you get the hook out without you having to touch the fish. I didn't have one but as I got the fish alongside the kayak, it spat the hook and swam off. A good ending to the day for both of us.......

www.adventureantigua.com

A basic snorkeling lesson for those who don't know how.

As some of my readers may know, I write a column in the Enjoy which is an Antiguan magazine that comes out every two weeks. This last issue had a "staycation" theme and I figured I would write something that locals who were considering having a vacation in Antigua could enjoy. Of course the topic isn't just for locals and some of our recent tripadvisor reviews showed just how many people coming here on holiday don't know how to snorkel either. Snorkeling is easy but many people would benefit from a lesson and that's what my article was all about. Enjoy!

There is a great song by someone called Baz Luhrmann that was a high school graduation speech. It’s called “Everybody is free (to wear sunscreen)”. He gives the new graduates all kinds of fantastic advice that I actually never get tired of hearing. One of the things he tells the students is to do something each day that scares you.

The reason he gave this advice was because too many people live their lives staying away from things that appear scary but that would probably make them happier if they gave them a shot.
I thought I would write about something that scares some people here and hope that they take up Baz Luhrmann’s advice and give it a try.
SNORKELING is what I am speaking about, and it just doesn’t have to be scary. Since growing up around The Lord Nelson Beach Hotel I have been teaching people how to snorkel, and now that I run a snorkeling tour company we use these techniques everyday. The biggest problem that people have when giving snorkeling a try is that they often are not using the equipment properly and have the mask on incorrectly. If you can’t swim then you need to wear a life jacket, or wear a buoyancy vest if you are a weak swimmer. Before you get in the water, put the mask on with the strap fairly high up the back of your head. Put it just above where your pony tail would be tied if you had or have one.There is no need to have the strap tight at all and only need it tight enough to hold the mask in place. If it’s too tight you will get a headache. Make sure your nose is inside the mask and that there are no folds or hair in the edge of the mask as it goes around your face.

You are now only breathing through your mouth as your nose is sealed inside the mask. If you inhale though your nose and the mask sticks to your face then it’s sealed well.

Next is the snorkel. Put the entire mouth piece in your mouth and try to breath in and out of your mouth while keeping your lips tightly sealed around that mouth piece. Don’t try to breath out of the sides of your mouth as that will only let water in.
Once you are suited up, have someone else with you, and are ready to give it a try, walk out into a calm area of water until it’s just below your knees. DO NOT VENTURE DEEPER UNTIL YOU ARE A PROFICIENT SWIMMER AND ARE COMFORTABLE WITH SNORKELING! The next step is to kneel down and put your hands in front of you on the sand as if you were about to do a push up. Remember you are in less than knee deep water and your head is out of the water at this point. When you feel comfortable enough to go to the next step you will need to bend your elbows in order to lower your shoulders and head into the water. Look at the horizon but NOT DOWN, and put your mask slowly into the water low enough so that your eyes are just below the surface. Breath regularly though the mouth piece as you were doing before you put your face into the water. You can easily straighten your elbows and lift your head out of the water at any point if you don’t feel comfortable. Stay in the shallow knee deep water with your palms on the sand until you have relaxed enough to keep your eyes below the surface for a few minutes. If you try all of this you should be able to remove your hands from the sand, try a little breast stroke to move around, and see more within a short while. Keep the top of your mask just below the surface and give a sharp blow through your mouth if you get water in the snorkel. Always remember that you can lift your head out of the water, take your mask off, and breath as normal though you mouth and nose at any time. If this all works then Baz Luhrmann’s advice will have worked well for you. Good luck and have fun!

www.adventureantigua.com

The most dangerous thing in the Caribbean

Yesterday one of my firends posted the video below on their facebook wall and I was curious to see what it was about. It reminded me about a blog post i wrote back in the summer of 2007 which received a huge amount of interest and hits. Since this info is so important I figured I would re-post it which is something i rarely do on my blog. The video below is good enough that it inspired me to share it and my most popular blog post from the summer of 07. Sharks are not the most dangerous things you will find here.

Ever since I can remember, our visitors have been asking questions about dangerous things that you may meet while out on the water. I started competing in regional windsurfing events when I was twelve and that was after years already spent out fishing and messing about on small boats. So many people would worry about sharks and other “nasties” out there in the unknown.

When I started my tour company Adventure Antigua the questions or worries were even more common about “nasties” in the sea. People would ask about sharks and jellyfish, stingrays, moray eels, barracuda, fire coral, urchins, currents, waves, pirates, poisonous plants…and the list keeps going on an on. You name the worry and I have heard of it or been asked about it. The Italian guests that visit Antigua seem to be the biggest worriers with “squalo?” and “medusa?” being words that I learned very quickly through constant repetition. When working in this business you sometimes are challenged to reply to common questions in different ways just to keep it interesting and not annoying. I know that if you had to answer the same squalo question every week in the same way, you would get tired pretty quick. I mean how would you answer the question; “Do you have sharks in Antigua?”

I have at least 10 versions of answers to that one just so the crew doesn’t get annoyed with the same answer each day. One of them may be silly like “there are loads of sharks, but they are all walking around on two legs in St. Johns.” The answer could be more serious like… “Yes, but there has never been a shark attack in Antigua’s recorded history.”
Most of the time if someone is asking about unknown nasties that may attack them and ruin their eco tour or xtreme tour…I tell them that the most dangerous thing that they will encounter today is the sunshine.

It’s not a joke at all and is the core of today’s blog. Each year in the USA over one million people get skin cancer with over eight thousand deaths a year because of the disease. This crazy statistic is something that worrys me more than any thoughts of the other "nasties" that i may encounter while out on the boat. In the USA there are on average 60 shark attacks a year with 4 being fatal. Antigua gets none. In fact most of the Caribbean is shark attack free. With over 8000 dead with skin cancer and 4 from shark attacks you can see what the main “nasty” is.
This past week the USA has finally followed Europe’s lead when it comes to sunscreen regulations. Apparently the actual new classification and labeling of sunscreens which is the same that they have in England and in Europe will not come into effect until 2009. I don’t know why it’s going to take so long to show people that their sunscreen isn’t protecting them against possible skin cancer death, but at least the new labels will come in 2009. Europe and Canada has been using it since 1993. If you live in the USA now I guess you can always just remember a few things spoken about on this blog when buying sunscreen.
For a long time it was mistakenly thought that UVB rays were the harmful rays radiated from our sun which is why the SPF classification came into being. The FDA used the SPF as a measure to show how well you were being protected against these harmful UVB rays which undoubtedly can cause skin cancer. Anyway, long after many studies proved that the other UVA rays are also dangerous and can cause skin cancer the FDA has decided that they should let the general public know. The new classification will have the SPF rating as well as the UVA rating which will be a 5 star rating system like Europe’s system. A great article on it all is: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/24/health/24sunscreen.html?ref=health
I think if you really want to be a geek (aka “smart”) you could check the chemicals that are in your sunscreen. In order to block both UVA and UVB sun rays there are certain ingredients that you should look for in your high SPF factor sunscreen keeping in mind that the SPF by itself is just blocking the UVB rays. These UVA blocking chemicals are avobenzone (also called Parsol 1789), titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or Mexoryl SX (or Tinosorb outside the U.S.).

Now I am no scientist so I don’t know which of these chemicals are better for you than the other, but there are loads of articles on the net that you can research the topic more. I know that many people think that some of these chemicals may do more harm than good. A good start explaining the benefits is found on this link where i took the quote below from: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/sunscreen/index.html#intro :
"Dermatologists say that Mexoryl SX is the most effective UVA-blocking ingredient currently available. It has been used in Canada and Europe since 1993, but was just approved by the FDA for use in the U.S. in July 2006. However, sunscreen products containing Mexoryl SX (a trademark of L'Oreal) have been slow to enter the U.S. market. Right now, only a handful of products are available containing Mexoryl in the U.S. LaRoche-Posay Anthelios SX (*est. $30 for 3.4 ounces) is a facial moisturizer that contains Mexoryl SX. More widely available is Lancôme UV Expert 20 (*est. $35 for 3.4 ounces), a face and body lotion with Mexoryl SX. If you want the best possible protection, Lancôme UV Expert 20 an ideal mix of ingredients, but it's very expensive.
Helioplex is another advance in sun protection. Developed by Neutrogena, Helioplex boosts the UVA-blocking power of avobenzone, which otherwise begins to degrade after a couple of hours. (Mexoryl SX doesn't degrade in sunlight -- another reason why reviews say it's such a good ingredient.) There are actually two kinds of UVA rays -- short and long waves. Avobenzone protects against long-wave rays. Several ingredients, including the commonly used oxybenzone, can protect against short-wave UVA rays. Many sunscreens contain oxybenzone, but don't contain anything to protect against long-wave UVA. By including oxybenzone, companies are allowed to say their product protects against UVA, but unless it also contains avobenzone, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide or Mexoryl SX, you are not protected against long-wave UVA rays. That's why skin-care experts say you should look for "broad spectrum" UVA and UVB protection. "

I went and looked at all my sunscreens and was happy to find that they all had chemicals which blocked both types of rays. I have had quite a few skin cancers burnt off and a few cut off all of which I am sure came as a result of burns I got as a kid. Back then the sunscreens were not that strong and none were waterproof which is another thing that I think is essential when you are coming on holiday. This is even more important for kids too since they are always in the water and never reapply on their own.

You want to find high factor, broad spectrum UVA and UVB sunscreens that say something like “all day waterproof” or even “6 hour waterproof”. This is where I think the USA does a better job that the UK. Most of the UK stuff washes off as soon as you get in the sea and unless you are always putting the stuff back on you will get burnt.

My sunscreen of choice for years has been Bullfrog since I can put it on once in the morning as I am leaving the harbour and that’s it for the day. The stuff stays on after loads of snorkeling too. Epicurean in Jolly Harbour has it for sale.

There are more and more waterproof sunscreens on the market and recently someone left us some Coppertone kids 50 waterproof spray which is so good that I think you only need to apply it once a holiday!! My mom and brother have had more serious skin cancers than I have had and it’s no joke at all. Buy the right stuff and put it on. Even the people with nice dark skin can get skin cancer so be prepared. It’s a lovely place to be and it can be safe with the right preparations. I think that good education about sharks, stingrays and the same sunshine that many ancient civilizations (who are no longer with us) have worshiped is key to a happy trip to Antigua and the Caribbean. I hope you enjoyed the words or at least my photos. c ya!

www.adventureantigua.com

The Traditions of wooden boat building in the Caribbean

This article was published in the Enjoy Magazine here that comes out every two weeks and is published by the Observer Group. I write something to do with the sea in every issue. As you will read, it came out just before the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta which our Caribbean boat Zemi ended up winning.


I am woken by the sound of water rushing along the side of the wooden
hull. Dawn is showing its colours above the stern, and as I am taking
in the lovely sounds and colours that I miss so much when I am on land
for too long, I see the day's first flying fish zoom by. For hundreds
of years people in the West Indies have been experiencing mornings
like this out at see while fishing, smuggling, and transporting cargo.
The feeling is similar while out on newer fiberglass yachts, but there
is much more to it when you are on a traditionally built wooden vessel
and I don't think I will ever get tired of it.

Up until the late 1960s and early 1970s most islands in the West
Indies had shipwrights who used the incredible skills that had been
passed down from generation to generation to design and construct
wonderful majestic vessels.

Usually they were built on a beach where
there was a tradition of boat building in the village nearby, but as
islands became more wealthy and "developed" the tradition's slowly
began to fade away.

Instead of learning the age old skills of boat
building, people sought work in the hotel industry or in some related
service. The demand for wooden boats also diminished as steel hulls
and fiberglass vessels were imported and purchased by fishermen and
cargo boat owners. The last wooden boat build for commercial purposes
here in Antigua was finished in 1986, and Antigua isn't alone with
this trend.

In fact one of the only places in the Caribbean between
Puerto Rico and Trinidad where wooden "work boats" are still being
built traditionally is in the Grenadines. The islands of Carriacou,
Bequai and Petit Martinique are still building these fabulous sailing
vessels, but even there the traditions and techniques were in danger
of being lost.

This all changed with a rebirth of interest thanks to a
few passionate sailors who are using these boats for racing and just
pure pleasure. Famous Antiguan photographer, Alexis Andrews, is
leading the fight to keep traditional West Indian boat building alive.

He spent over 10 years visiting Carriacou collecting images for a book
that he published back in 2008 entitles Carracou Sloops.I was
encouraged and helped by him to become one of the growing group of
boat owners, and together we join up to 12 others racing each year in
the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta where we now have a class just for
our boats.

This year the regatta starts on April 14th and will be held from The
Antigua Yacht Club. Please come by and see what it's all about. The
West Indian work boats will all be alongside the dock together and we
will welcome you on board if you would like to see more and hear
stories about how they were built. For more photos of our Carriacou
Sloop that we use for day tours and charters visit

www.adventureantigua.com
http://www.sailing-antigua.com/  

Sailing week finishes and I am lucky to sail the last two days on an amazing yacht.

There is so much to say about this years sailing week. I think I will leave that for another blog post. There will be dramatic changes I hope to the way it planned and organized. There were many brilliant ideas and for the most part it was well run, but wow!.... some of the ideas were so dramatically wrong that there is no wonder the event gets less and less interest each year. Look out for my blog about all of that soon.

Anyway, as the title of this blog post suggests, I managed to sail a few days with an amazing yacht. It was a custom made 60 foot beast of pre-preg carbon fiber made in France for an Italian owner. He and his wife wanted to have one of the fastest luxury cruising yachts in the world and they indeed got what they paid for. Wow that thing was fast!
On day one of race week I managed to snap a few images of the regular cruising yachts racing outside of Curtain Bluff resort. My wife and I then drove up to Shirley Heights and The Lookout to take a few photos of the racing yachts outside of Indian Creek and the St. James Resort. Here are a selection of those images.

On Monday I took out my Eco Tour boat with my wife, my sister Fran and a few friends and we followed the racing class as they zoomed down past Rendezvous Bay passing Carlisle Bay and Curtain Bluff.

Seeing the two fastest yachts in the regatta, Titan and Genuine Risk battling down wind was quite amazing. We couldn't even keep up with them. Driving the boat and trying to shoot a few photos was not too easy. Here are a few I managed:

We then chilled out for a swim in Carlisle Bay which was lovely. You can't swim and watch the yachts racing past during the internationally famous Cows Week in the UK. Antigua's sailing is hard to beat.

Later that day one of the fastest boats in the regatta that was being sailed by a team of paid professionals was so badly damaged by a fire that she had to retire from the regatta. Titan Powerplay possibly will never race again, so these images are some of the last of her racing. She's the large sloop with the red bow and dark stern.

One of my Zemi crew from our Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta was racing on the black 60 footer I mentioned at the start of this post (shown above with white spinnaker and crew wearing green shirts) and when I heard they lost one of their crew in a accident on board, I asked if I could join them for one of the races. As it happened it was blowing 25 to 30 knots on the day that i joined them and it was a very exciting day of racing indeed. This video done by close friend Roddy Grimes-Graeme of http://www.acquafilms.com/ shows some of the action and if you look carefully from 2:27 into the youtube video you will see yours truly trimming the spinnaker at 22 knots. I have spent most of my life windsurfing at speeds well above 20 knots but doing it on a 60 foot yacht was quite amazing.



See all the sailing week videos that were quickly edited after each race and uploaded for everyone to see on this link

Anyway, the boat I was on is called Ourson Rapide and the owner and his wife just wanted to have a good time racing their amazing machine in Antigua Sailing Week. There was an equipment malfunction the day before I joined them and one of their crew was badly hurt taking him out of the competition. They probably could have done with about four more experienced crew. The first mate on board was a extremely experienced French racer and probably would do very well on one of those single handed races. He wasn't the best at communication and I think the main reason he was on board was to help the owner and his wife learn how to race the vessel. The hot shot racer was down below doing who knows what when we were sailing back upwind towards some rocks when the owner decided we should tack. Naturally this was the only decision that could have been made. Anyway, the hot shot came back up after the tack arguing about why we tacked. Needless to say and argument ensued that resulted in him leaving the boat after the race. The boat was now short of two experienced crew. The hot shot was the man who usually did the starts and sailed upwind leaving the downwind sailing to the owner. Anyway, you know where this is going..... I was asked to come the next day and when I arrived I was asked to do the start and the upwind legs. I was then asked to do the down wind legs too. I had come on board to be used as what I like to call on my boat "intelligent ballast" and next thing you know I am on the helm of a multi million dollar racing machine in Antigua Sailing Week. Sometimes you just have to laugh at how things pan out. Anyway, we were doing very well until we had another equipment malfunction which prevented us from using our spinnaker on our second and third down wind legs. It was ultra enjoyable for me anyway and an honor to be given the helm on this beautiful boat. Here are a few images I took from their site:

And these shots were taken by Jame Miller using the wide angle gopro camera. He's friend of mine back home in Antigua between terms from Med school: As you can tell, I was ultra happy to be on the wheel for this race. In fact, I would be ultra happy sailing that boat anytime!!!

This year I ended up staying for Antigua Sailing Week instead of going to the West Indies Regatta because for many reasons I just couldn't go. I was very upset about not being able to race in St. Barth on my boat Zemi especially after we just won the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. Anyway, after sailing with Ourson Rapide for those last two days of Sailing Week I didn't feel so bad.

www.adventureantigua.com