2025-01-11 Antigua, to Montserrat to St. Kitts

Our plan was to stay in Antigua longer, and go around to the west side and check out some anchorages, as the weather forecast called for light winds, but a strong north swell in the coming week.    

We had some high winds on Monday, so we stayed on board, and glad of it, as 3 boats drug, and all next to us.  People were on two of them, so no worries, they took care of the issue, although one was down below, so we had to yell a bit to get their attention.  The third was a small boat, no on it, but we got in the dink and talked to neighboring boats, and someone knew the owner, who was contacted.  The boat drug about 2000' before they got there, but no issues, so all good.

May not look close in the photo, but the little blue boat came rather close to us.  Mostly worried about it snagging our anchor chain.

Windy days always good for boat projects and baking.  Dean made his two loaves, white bread for sandwiches and poppy seed loaf for breakfast bread.

Deans baking - he is getting rather good at it.

Tuesday the winds died a bit, so Kris headed off in the kayak to explore the shore a bit, and took a walk for some exercise.

This boat must have washed up during a hurricane, as it was at least 500' from shore

Antigua is a "dry" island, very much different from the islands with more rain

We also spent time with Mike and Gloria on Cotinga who were anchored next to us, and had an enjoyable evening with Kelly and Todd on Zing as well.

When cruising, plans need to be flexible, and we try to keep the boat ready to go at a moment's notice.  On Wednesday morning, after a quick weather review, we decided to check out, get groceries, haul anchor, and head to Montserrat instead of hanging out at Antigua.  Weather would not allow another opportunity for at least a couple of weeks or more.

Our friends on Cotinga were also heading to Montserrat, and were going on tour, so we asked to join them, which they graciously agreed to.

Nice sail over to Montserrat, and after checking in, we realized that we did not have the required courtesy flags for Montserrat, or our next anchorage of St. Kitts.  We were going to buy them in Antigua, but last minute change of plans to sail, so we had not done that yet.

Kris got out the fabric and sewing machine, and made up the base for both flags in a matter of minutes, and then got out the fabric paints and slopped together a couple of passable flags.  Not pretty up close, but passable from a distance.

Not pretty, but passable

Thursday we headed off on the tour of Montserrat.  In 1995 the volcano on Montserrat, Soufrière Hills started showing some activity.  It erupted and continued to have eruption activity until 2013.  Mud slides still occur and has basically made half the island uninhabitable, destroying the capital of Plymouth.  It was sad but fascinating to see the devastation that the volcano wrought.  They allow tours in the exclusion zone, but they are controlled, and monitor all persons who go in and out for safety.

Bunch of photos from the trip.

The dingy dock is just tied along the main wharf.  Very surgy and not the best place to leave the dink

View of anchorage 

Natural fresh water spring, notice pipe to left for filling water jugs

Our tour driver, Leslie, showing us a tree that grew up and enclosed the water pipe.  Now water comes out of the knothole of the tree

View of Soufriere Hills volcano from observatory.  Excellent movie in the observatory showing history

19 people died from the volcano.  It was amazing to see the video of the pyroclastic flows.  It looks like a big dust cloud, but using infrared at night you can see that it is really dust and rock superheated and glowing red - scary stuff considering they can move around 100 miles per hour.  The volcano would push up material from under the earth, and builds up "domes".  These are unstable, and eventually collapse, with rock flows, or pyroclastic flows depending on other factors.   When the normal tropical rains come, they wash down this dry loose material in huge mudflows.

The Capital of Plymouth was pretty much buried from mudslides up to 40' deep.  There is a small area near the coast that tourists can go, that wasn't quite as buried, but only with approval from the government and with approved tour operators.  Check in and out, and two-way radios, are required.  Any rain and you are not allowed due to threat of mudslides.  Any seismic activity occurs while you are there, and you leave immediately.

This was a school

The superheated gas killed all living things, but building remained

You can see this building partially buried

View of the volcano, and debris field.

Was a nice place at one time.  Those rocks are from the volcano

You can see it is still active, venting hot gas constantly

Dean and Gloria from Cotinga looking at the volcano and view

We are standing on the old large cruise ship pier.  A lot of shoreline has been added to the island, and the dock is much shorter than it used to be over water, as much of it is now buried 

The soil is dry, and somewhat dusty, but more sandy/pebbly.  Can you imagine coarse sand falling from the sky.

Our tour van.  A Toyota Voxy.  Always interesting seeing the car models that are not common in the USA

The entire south end of the island is no longer habitable.  The population of 12,000 is now down to under 5,000.  

Montserrat is a British territory, so is heavily subsidized by the British Government.  At one point the population was so low, the government considered "closing" the island, but then the local government opened it up to immigration, inviting anyone to come live there.  This got the population up enough that the island was not closed.

After the Volcano tour, we stopped at the botanical gardens for a tour. Small but nice.

Mangoes

Star fruit

The volcano also affected the wildlife, including the Montserrat Oriole, and the Mountain Chicken, which is of course really a giant ditch frog.  Both are endangered.

End of tour we enjoyed a nice late lunch out with Gloria and Mike of Cotinga.  

We did have one more join us for lunch, but they stayed under the table most the time

Yes, Dean shared his burger with the kitty.

We were inundated with bugs on the boat that night, they did not bite, but were attracted to the light.  Around 100 dead inside, and more outside.   Yuck.

Leftover dead bugs on the deck.

We left Montserrat the next day, and headed to St. Kitts.  No wind at all, so motored the entire way.  Worked out OK as we needed to make water, and were low on power.   Was actually a nice motor.

Not often the Caribbean Sea is this glassy and flat.  Island of Redonda in the photo

The last time we had been in St. Kitts was 34 years ago when we were still dating, we did a boat charter and spent two days in St. Kitts.  Boy has it changed.   The anchorage we were at was very remote, with no habitation around, now 34 years later, there is a large marina, resort nearby, and several mega-yachts anchored offshore.

Marina with mega yachts.  

 

Bad weather coming, so we either stay here a couple of weeks, or head out Monday for St. Thomas.  Haven't made up our minds yet.