Deep Bay Antigua
Malua
Harry Watson Smith
Sat 16 Feb 2013 13:55
I left English Harbour after a quiet drink at Shirley Heights the night before. I walked up a track just up the road from the beach. It states that it is a half mile but going up the steep hill it did seem longer. I arrived about an hour before sun set and grabbed a beer to watch the sun set over English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour in the distance. There was no green flash this evening. On a Thursday the local pub is trying to duplicate the very successful Sunday night jump up but frankly it is a poor imitation. The steel band was not anything to write home about and left after sunset to be replaced by an equally ordinary band with some singer. Not Caribbean music just music. The food is the usual unfrozen meat cooked on a charcoal fire turned by a sharp fork so all the juice runs out. The prices not good. Needless to say I returned to the Malua Restaurant.
The path down was much easier although I did need the touch to see the way because it was quite dark and only a new moon which did not pierce the tree canopy. An experience but wait for Sundays party is what I would do.
I did not want to wait so the next day I checked out (for departure in two days) using the eClear system. No money to pay but just a hassle. I must say the time spent in clearing in and out takes the fun away from ones arrival and departure.
I decided to take the safe route outside the fringe reef so sailed down wind to the SW corner of the island then reached up the west coast. I had selected Five Island Bay to stop which is just north of Jolly Harbour. The last mile is over quite shallow waters with shoals only 2 meters deep so one has to keep a look out on the chart. The water is creamy so you cant see the shallows while going in. I dropped the anchor in 4 meters of water and had lunch then looked around for something to do.... nothing.
Up the anchor and set off a few miles north to Deep Bay. The cruising guide warns one against hitting a submerged wreck right in the middle of the bay. Now this is a place I could stay. I passed the wreck of the Andes to port and went up into the bay and dropped the anchor in 3 meters of water. Out came the kyack and I was soon diving on this wrech of a three master sunk in 1905. It was full of pitch which started to smolder at the end of a passage from Trinidad to St Johns. They were refused entry to St Johns so came into Deep Bay. As they opened the hatches to deal with the problem the fresh air caused the pitch to burst into flame. That burnt the wood deck of the steel ship which sank upright in a few meters of water. One can see the whole vessel with one mast still above the high water mark. The water was not very clear so my photos are a little disappointing.
Towards sundown I took the dinghy ashore and climbed the hill on top of which is the stone fort Barrington overlooking Deep Bay and the entrance to St Johns. When I was there it appeared to be a hangout of passionate lovers unable to restrain themselves because of the view.
Tomorrow is a lay day and then I rise before dawn and set off for St Bart - a 75 nm passage to get me further north and away from the constant check-in check-out bureaucracy.
A magical moment on Malua