On our second visit to Antigua (which happened to be Thanksgiving Day), we decided to skip the beach and explore the island’s northwest coast by boat. We set sail from the St. John’s harbor in a group of about 2 dozen people, mostly fellow cruise ship passengers.
The weather was looking a bit ominous as we left the harbor, with large swells churning the ocean into a light green against the darkening sky.
But it never rained on us as we sailed around the coast, with our guides pointing out the many resorts and some of the 365 beaches the island is known for. At one point, we sailed through a swarm of little one-person sailboats, somehow managing not to run any of them down.
Hannah enjoyed the views…
…but Ray somehow managed to sleep through it all.
Our first stop was Bird Island, where we hiked up for some pretty cool views. I don’t remember seeing any birds, but there were lots of lizards and even a snake.
After a tasty lunch aboard the boat, we headed for Hell’s Gate, a funky coral islet on the reef that protects Antigua from the raging Atlantic ocean.
Danielle stayed behind on the boat while the kids & I swam over for a closer look.
It’s kind of a tricky swim, with some strong currents. Once we reached the shallows of the hole in the middle, we found ourselves battered by waves crashing through the gap from the Atlantic side, and surrounded by sharp pointy rocks. (Oh, so that’s why they call it Hell’s Gate.)
Hannah declared that she was done at that point, and swam back to the boat while Ray & I pressed on. We had to climb up through a twisted little cave full of spiderwebs before emerging at the top of the natural bridge, where we posed for a picture before making our way down the treacherous gap to where we started.
Ray proved to be an excellent climber – i could barely keep up!
Our last stop was along the reef for some snorkeling, but unfortunately the sea conditions were not favorable – too much silt in the water to see much.
As we cruised back to the harbor, Danielle, Hannah & I took in the scenery while Ray took another nap.
I’d say it was a pretty good day.
{ 1 comment }
Sounds like a great day. Olivia knew what she was doing, napping before so she could make the climb and napping again afterwards.
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