Discover Secrets of #Barbuda #Sailing - Frigates, TwoFootCaves & Lobster Beach Party

#catamaransailing #leopard48 #sailing #barbuda #frigates #lobster #TwoFootCaves

We waited for the right wind to sail to Barbuda from Antigua. It was a bit squally with winds changing every 10 minutes, but a short 5 hours later, we anchored in Cocoa Point.

We have a special guest for our Barbuda sailing adventure, Stephen’s son – Harrison Bell. Snow skate extraordinaire (instagram bellharrison). Harrison joined us for a pre holiday visit, so he could get back to Snow Country in time for the Holiday excitement. He had never been on our yacht before, so we were eager to show him our new way of life!

In Barbuda, we enjoyed a lobster dinner on the beach at Shak a Kai on Princess Diana Beach, toured the Frigate Bird sanctuary, and visited Two Foot Bay Caves. We ran out of time for the Darby Sink hole, but maybe next time.

We caught a Tarpon on the back of the boat at night.

Harrison even helped with boat maintenance by taking a trip up the mast for us!

BTW, the Cocoa Point anchorage has the most wind and wave protection of any in Barbuda. But be forewarned, dinghy access to beach requires getting wet! Our larger dinghy does not “beach” very well, but it sure comes in handy when we are exploring miles of waterways.

The Frigate Bird sanctuary is in Codrington Lagoon (near the only main town on the island). Estimates range from “2,500 to 6000 nesting pairs” . Hurricane Irma decreased the population some. These magnificent birds travel between the Caribbean and Galapagos islands during the varying mating seasons. The sanctuary is only accessible with a tour guide. We used George Jefferies (Call him at 268-788-7067). Our Taxi was with Devin 268-788-8419. Schedule your itinerary in advance!

The best time to visit is during the mating season, from September to April with December being peak time. The male frigate birds line up in the bushes, arch their heads back and inflate their red pouches. The females view from the sky and when she spots a suitor that impresses her, she’ll land and initiate a mating ritual. After mating, they take 2 weeks to build a nest from twigs that the male gathers. The female lays a single egg that both birds take turns watching over. It takes about seven weeks for the chick to hatch, and nearly six months for it to learn to fly and finally leave the nest.

Barbuda also offers Pink Sand Beaches, formed by pink shells breaking apart and washing ashore. Barbudaful is the term now used for the island.

Two Foot Caves was our next stop, accessible only by dirt paths – hence the name two foot. It is located on the northeastern cliff lined windward coast. While there are many caves in Barbuda, the Indian Cave has the only known Arawak petroglyphs on Barbuda. Indian Cave is 35 feet tall, with bats hanging from the ceiling.

The roads in Barbuda are rough. The main town very small. Our taxi guide Devin tells us there are only 1600 residents and it ls like one big family. Everyone helps each other out. The reason there are so many half built homes is that no one takes a bank loan out. They build their homes slowly as they can afford materials. Power outside the main town is generators and solar.

Snorkeling the reefs we not the most healthy, but conch was abundant, and on the Spanish Point side of the island, there were hundreds of lobster traps set by fishermen who then sell them to restaurants in Antigua.

Back to Antigua today so Harrison can catch his flight. Sporty conditions on the windward side of Antigua – reminded me of our initial arrival back in November.

TIMELINE:
0:00 Introduction
0:52 Sailing Antigua to Barbuda
1:20 Shak a Kai Lobster Dinner on the Beach
4:07 Night Fishing for Tarpon
5:40 Harrison up the mast for maintenance
6:00 Frigit Bird Tour
10:27 Pink Sand Beaches
11:05 Two Foot Caves Tour
14:40 Town of Codrington
16:00 Snorkeling
16:20 Sailing Barbuda to Antigua

FULL BLOG POST HERE: https://bluedotvoyages.com/sailing-barbuda-frigates-caves-lobster/

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Blue Dot Voyages is a Sailing Adventure Company. We recently packed up our belongings, sold our house and moved on to our Leopard48 Sailing Catamaran PILAR, where we are traveling the world. We offer travel advice as well as boat maintenance tips. We offer charter sailing experience trips when we can. Watch our videos and live vicariously through us!

Master Captain: Stephen Bell
First Officer: Dawn Bell