BACK IN 1902 ........................

By the purest of coincidences, and just days before I left CAPETOWN, South Africa on "ARITA" back in 1997, I witnessed this magnificent mast-less yacht travelling down the road to a storage shed in Woodstock, on a low flatbed-hauler with full police escort and the electricity people disconnecting powerlines overhead................ Little did I know that fourteen years later, I would be anchored right next to it in Falmouth Harbour, ANTIGUA ...... Some of the photos were provided by the crew and many were taken during their South Atlantic crossing to the Caribbean ............ But back in 1902, and that's almost 110 years ago, the story was different, for then she was new and built as a yawl, from Burmese teak on oak frames and passionately sailed ' like it was stolen ' ............. A true 'Gentleman's yacht' ...... At least until World War I, when British Admiralty requested her lead keel in order to make bullets ........... Eventually she ended up mast-less and 'stored' in a muddy river in England, to be finally rescued in the mid 90's, put on board a freighter for South Africa, where the ten-year restoration project was completed ...... The sail plan was changed from a yawl to a schooner because it used to take 15 men just to lift the mainsail and bring it on board ............ And an engine was added ... 'Good move' ..... The photo above is " CORAL " on the dry-dock in Capetown, SA ......



Everything is original, including this 1902 'state-of-the-art' anchor windlass .... Which means it is fully manual .......... 'Bend your back boys' ......



Photos speak so much louder than words ..... But note the bandage wrapping around the mizzen boom, where it snapped during a jybe in the South Atlantic and was repaired by splicing the two hollow halves with an insert by the tenacious crew ...........



Steering was by the compass only, with some electronic wind instruments on the side ....... No auto-pilot on this ship ........



ANTIGUA is the home of so many wooden yachts like these ones, ready for the Classic Week Regatta ............



But you have to walk the decks, see the beveled glass windows and go down below to really feel the history and the craftsmanship of a bygone Era ....... For " CORAL " is one of a kind, with its blunt fore-foot and its tapered overhanging stern ...........



And the crew are glad to have reached ANTIGUA after an epic journey across thousands of miles of ocean with a vintage yacht that had not been sailed since well before WW II ........ Mark and Willie from the yacht "LIAHONA" were there to help them with a little celebration as was Dave from the yacht "PERSEPHONE" ............... For the crew had much to talk about, not the least of which were the magnificent Atlantic sunsets ................. We went over later .... "Hello, neighbours ........... "Haven't we seen you before ......"

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ...........

You don't have to be a millionaire to be able to sail in this bit of paradise ............. For the most part it is all free, as long as you stay away from the hard edges called 'land' ........ There is such a variety of sailing vessels to be seen here, that even the smallest ones take you by surprise in their ingenuity and the adaptations that the owners have lavished upon them ..... The French in particular, are 'driven to go sailing', and there is an old adage in the Caribbean that goes something like this ...... "Most of us work to equip our boats in order to go sailing, the French on the other hand, go sailing and then work to equip their boats" ...... So while sometimes you are in awe of the mega-yachts, it is equally pleasurable to see what some have done with 'so little' .............



English harbour is full of yachts with each couple living 'their dream', for most yachts are crewed by a couple, who have long term destinations and have departed from places all over the world .......... Take our friend Mark, with his wife Willie on board, who share their beautiful 60ft ketch "LIAHONA"....... He is down on his hands and knees, fixing a leak in his dinghy on some exotic beach, by pouring some 'PVC glue' inside the inflatable chamber and swishing it around and letting the air-pressure squeeze it into the leak ....... Works every time....



Or this wooden sloop built on the Island of Carriacou in the Caribbean of local island timber ........... Take a good look at the rudder stock, which turns inside a sealed water-filled wooden box connected to the hull called 'a tunnel' ...... No stainless rudder post or stuffing boxes here ........... This is traditional and 'making-do' .......



And as for holding the mast up, well, take a look at those 'dead-eyes' and the lashings holding the painted tree-trunk fimly in place ......... That thrilling 'feeling of sailing with the wind' is still the same, whether it cost a little or a mega bunch .....



O.K. ......... This is 'MEGA BUNCH' ....... Or motoring around in a 'MEGA-MEGA BUNCH' .......



And at least one credit card is required when you haul the boat out of the water for repairs or bottom cleaning ......... This little hydraulic lifter/trailer is being pulled by one of those airline 'dodge-em cars' ........... An adaptaion in a situation where there is no space to fit a more modern travel-lift ......



The alternative haul-out is on this flat-bed railway on which the larger yachts are hauled out ........ This more traditional method generally requires at least three or four credit cards ...... Especially in ANTIGUA ......



We can hear it already ........ "Small price to pay for being in such beautiful surroundings" .........



See what you have to do to get those photographs in full colour ..... And retrieve a lost halyard at the same time ....



Everybody loves their flags, but take a good look at this one .......... This wonderful couple Rick and Debbie, living their cruising retirement life on their yacht "MISS HEIDI", have made us this magnificent Aussie flag on their sewing machine ........ Perfect in every detail ....... Now is that not the truest meaning of "FRIENDSHIP IN CRUISING" .......... What a wonderful gift ....... Even our kangaroo on our current flag had tears in his eyes ...... I checked ....



Cruising is really about so much more than just blue water sailing ......... Just look at these succulant land crabs, freshly cooked ......... You have to be here ....You have to feel it with your eyes, your ears, your heart and your soul ...... You know what I'm trying to say .................



It still takes money, generally much more than you thought or brought ............ And a whole bunch of it if you want to own a "melt-in-the-mouth" yacht like this one that belongs to that guitarist Eric Clapton, so we were told .............. But we will just settle for our long sought-after New Zealand tinned butter ....... Also "melt-in-the-mouth" stuff, and we found it in half-gallon tins too ...... And later this week is the blue water event we have been waiting for .. " The Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta " ....... Just wait till you see that ...... Mouth-watering for sure ....... Yachts to drool over ...... Bring a napkin ....