The Wedding

The happy couple

So our friends Claire and Peter tied the knot on Saturday here in Antigua.  They had been searching for a place to get married since getting onboard.  Initially the French islands had been the favourite but unfortunately that proved impossible as you had to be resident for a couple of weeks before getting a marriage licence,  then the BVI’s were a possibility but we ran out of time there.  Finally they got everything organised here in Antigua.The ceremony was held at the dockyard which is not as industrial as it sounds.  The venue was beautiful given all the interesting old Georgian buildings around the old shipyard and the lush Caribbean plants and trees which are everywhere.  In fact, given Pete’s background in sailing and Claire’s background in antiques it was pretty much perfect.  The location was outside near the remains of what had been a sail loft.  It is a very unique setting as you can see by the photos with these huge stone columns which used to be the foundations of the loft.  Beside this was an old building which used to be the pitch and tar store but is now a hotel.

Sail loft at Nelsons Dockyard

The previous night we had had a pretty violent thunderstorm but Saturday dawned clear and dry.  Everyone got dressed up in their best clothes - we managed to get Calley in a dress and Scott wore a pair of shoes for the first time since Christmas.  The ceremony was held at 0830 in the morning and was presided over by a local Antiguan celebrant who added her own charm to the proceedings and provided a very distinctive island wedding.  

The deed is done

The ceremony was pretty short and then it was onto the champers while Pete and Claire had some photos taken.  Definitely not used to drinking at 0900 in the morning.  

The wedding party

We all relaxed for a few hours - to let the effects of the champagne wear off and then headed out to the beaches on the west side of the island in a hired car.  Its great to get out and see the interior of the island which is extremely lush - probably the most fertile island we have seen so far.  It is mango season and there are mango trees full of fruit absolutely everywhere. 

We had a swim at Turners Beach and then drove through St Johns and back to English Harbour.  That evening we all went out to dinner to celebrate at an Inn with a spectacular view over English Harbour and the dockyards.  Think Pete and Claire had a great day and they retired to a local hotel for some peace and quiet while the rest of us made our way back to the boat.

We move on from Antigua on Tuesday and head to Guadaloupe, the next island south.  Winds are up but are easterly so it should be a reach all the way down.  Looking forward to some more French cuisine on Guadaloupe and some great walks in the interior.

Our new wifi booster seems to be working well so we should be able to communicate easier with people by email and skype when we are in port or anchorage.