Outta Control: Finally, we get a vacation!

Antigua Sunset

I know you've all been there....you work all year long, slaving for "the man"; enduring the hardships of the months that never seem to end; weather that is gloomy; the stresses that seem to build...then there's this light that starts to glow on the horizon. As the days get closer to "The Vacation", anticipation starts to set in...the days seem to get longer, and you feel as though "The Day" will never get here. FINALLY, IT'S HERE!

Rib Steak, Caribbean-style

Half of a lobster tail

Well, we feel your pain also. Our vacation was a short flight to Antigua, the home of our honeymoon 11 years ago. Our adventure started with the departure flight from Tortola being delayed about 3 hours. Evidently, the thrust from a heavy Virgin Airlines aircraft leaving Antigua had ripped up some of the runway, so planes couldn't depart or arrive at the airport. When we did get in, the rental car company had just closed their doors (even though they assured us they would wait for the delayed flights); Off in the taxi we went. Arriving at our hotel, the desk clerk couldn't find our registration. We did get a room for the night, finding out later the one we originally booked was "under renovation." The next morning, we met the two women (Mary and Marilyn) who were staying in our "under renovation" room...they were wondering why the room seemed so unorganized and dirty. We all were given better accomodations along the beachfront and, despite the "old" condition of the rooms, we were happy. The hotel had a wonderful restaurant over the water at the end of a dock. We sure enjoyed the food; some of the best steak Karen has had in the islands, and my lobster was pretty good also (It didn't measure up to that which comes fresh out of the sea by your own hands)

A second honeymoon celebration

The lady who cleaned our room (Blondie...and no, she wasn't blonde) really appreciated the daily tips we gave, and tried to make our stay a little special.

One of Blondie's daily flower arrangements she left us

Mary and Marilyn, in their room above us, overlooking the sea

When we had booked our reservation week to Antigua, we were unaware that it coincided with one of the premier sailing competitions in the Caribbean...Antigua Sail Week. It and the Classic Regatta of the previous month, comprise some of the best sail racing in the region. Yachts come to compete from all over the region, as well as some from Australia, Europe and the US. We had heard there were over 80 sailboats in the competition. Our hotel happened to be on the other side of the island from most of the sailing activities, so we needed a car. We've driven quite a bit while in the USVI/BVI...it's all left-hand driving as you would expect in Briitish-influenced islands. What made it easier for us to adapt to was that most of the vehicles are still configured like those in the US...steering wheel on the LH side of the vehicle.

Not so in Antigua! Yes, it's still left-hand driving on the roads, but virtually all of the vehicles are set up like "proper British" vehicles.

I don't know why Karen always felt it necessary to fasten her seatbelt

I kept turning on the wiper blades everytime I thought I was using the turn signal

Most of the sailing activities were down in Nelson's Dockyard, one of the few remaining marinas in the world that still retain the original structures from the early 1800's. It's quite a historic place with some of the original artifacts on display in many of the buildings.

The museum's floor was painted red, as an example
of what the early warships did for their decks...to help
mask the blood from many of their battles

Part of the original Kitchen

The original Officer's Quarters, recently renovated

This is the area where the ships would be docked under a building, then the
sails would be hoisted up through the building's floor to be repaired

This would look great on the bow of our boat

We didn't get to participate in any of the sailing...I wanted to though...but did enjoy the marina area. We talked with some of the boaters, enjoyed a meal along the pier and strolled around the area.

Some of the many race boats in the marina

We drove around other areas of the island to see what we could see....

One of the many military buildings situated on
the hills surrounding the main harbor

The view from "Shirley Heights" looking into English Harbor.
Nelson's Dockyard is in the upper right area, just beyond the boats
anchored

An alleyway in the main city, St. John

Let's see...they needed to build the sidwalk, but the fire hydrant was
in the way. Should they relocate it, or?

We picked up Mary and Marilyn for an evening out among the sailing crowd. Everyone was celebrating the happy times of Antigua Sailing Week and, evidently, no hard feelings were had for the losers...All were enjoying the alcohol and food. Many of the locals set up booths for their food specialties; there were local "provisions" (root vegetables like potatoes), seafood (including lobster), steaks, deep-fried you-name-it, etc. And lots of beer. Unfortunately, for me no one seemed to consider that some of us really like desserts.