Sailor Trash
Monday, February 5
Falmouth Harbor, Antigua
N 17 degrees, 00.672 minutes
W 061 degrees, 46.659 minutes
We had been warned about the megayachts that congregate in places like St. Barts, St. Martin, and Antigua each winter, but we were not quite prepared for seeing a whole bunch of them together--especially Le Grand Bleu, Maltese Falcon (home page), and Mirabella V (home page), three whoppers known for their outrageous designs. All three of these privately-owned boats were in the harbor when we arrived, so we got a good look at them, and we even got to watch the Maltese Falcon, with its bizarre sailing rig, put her sails up as she headed out of the harbor.
Mirabella V, the sloop on steroids, is, we are told, the largest single-masted vessel in the world. At night, when all the supersize sailboats have their mandatory red masthead lights on to warn air traffic (no, I'm not kidding!), Mirabella V's light appears another twenty to thirty feet above everybody else's.
Le Grand Bleu looks like a cargo ship. On its deck are a 50-foot power boat and a 70-foot Swan sailboat (that's double the length of our boat and many times the price), in addition to a helicopter, a large crane, and a few other boats too small to mention in this case.
Given the serious size of some of the boats in the harbor, and the number of more modest sailboats anchored out by us, services in Falmouth Harbor are geared toward yachties. Many sailors base their winter explorations out of here, and flights from North America are both cheap and direct. So we should not have been surprised to sail in and find ourselves anchoring behind two boats full of friends. The only problem is, we've been having too much fun to get our errands done so we can head over to some of the more remote and beautiful anchorages on the island. Who wants to lug water and laundry and groceries around in the dinghy when there are sundowners to be had, books to swap, and stories to compare in the beautiful Caribbean breeze? Cleaning the head can always wait for tomorrow.
Falmouth Harbor, Antigua
N 17 degrees, 00.672 minutes
W 061 degrees, 46.659 minutes
We had been warned about the megayachts that congregate in places like St. Barts, St. Martin, and Antigua each winter, but we were not quite prepared for seeing a whole bunch of them together--especially Le Grand Bleu, Maltese Falcon (home page), and Mirabella V (home page), three whoppers known for their outrageous designs. All three of these privately-owned boats were in the harbor when we arrived, so we got a good look at them, and we even got to watch the Maltese Falcon, with its bizarre sailing rig, put her sails up as she headed out of the harbor.
Mirabella V, the sloop on steroids, is, we are told, the largest single-masted vessel in the world. At night, when all the supersize sailboats have their mandatory red masthead lights on to warn air traffic (no, I'm not kidding!), Mirabella V's light appears another twenty to thirty feet above everybody else's.
Le Grand Bleu looks like a cargo ship. On its deck are a 50-foot power boat and a 70-foot Swan sailboat (that's double the length of our boat and many times the price), in addition to a helicopter, a large crane, and a few other boats too small to mention in this case.
Given the serious size of some of the boats in the harbor, and the number of more modest sailboats anchored out by us, services in Falmouth Harbor are geared toward yachties. Many sailors base their winter explorations out of here, and flights from North America are both cheap and direct. So we should not have been surprised to sail in and find ourselves anchoring behind two boats full of friends. The only problem is, we've been having too much fun to get our errands done so we can head over to some of the more remote and beautiful anchorages on the island. Who wants to lug water and laundry and groceries around in the dinghy when there are sundowners to be had, books to swap, and stories to compare in the beautiful Caribbean breeze? Cleaning the head can always wait for tomorrow.
posted by S/V Delilah | 2:21 PM
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