GREEN ISLAND ANCHORAGES Wednesday 17th November 2010
The north side of Green Island by Russell Hicks.
There is no anchorage in the Caribbean that can beat Green Island on Antigua’s east coast. A mere eight miles to windward of English Harbour, it can be a bit of a slog to get there when the trade winds are blowing with force. But there is always the iron spinnaker to help you get there and it will be worth it!! When the swell is up, give York Island a wide berth since York Bank can come up with the occasional white breaker.
The main anchorage in Nonsuch Bay is to the lee of West Beach. There is plenty of room to the north where one can also anchor close to and in lee of the reef with only Africa to windward. This is a lovely quiet spot with spectacular scenery. This area offers a great opportunity to rig up your windsurfer or kite. The undisturbed trade winds are sure to give you a great ride!
Rickett’s Harbour has room for several boats. Reasonable snorkeling can be enjoyed here and beachcombing on the beach to the south is very interesting. A wreck was parked on the reef here when big swells were running last season and it serves as a reminder to sailors to keep their eyes open and on the water rather than on the chart plotter! If you can’t see, don’t go there!
The view from the hillside above Tenpound Bay.
And then there is Tenpound Bay. Bareboat charterers will have a big black line on their charts telling them to stay away. That’s okay – we don’t want it to get too popular. This is a spectacular private anchorage that takes some serious negotiating of reefs to get to, but you are guaranteed privacy to be shared only with the pelicans diving for their dinner and the blue heron walking the beach. Between this anchorage and the so-called ‘Garden of Eden’ is a very nice area for snorkeling with a 20-foot drop. There are plenty of fish and some colourful regenerating coral.
When going to the small beach in the bay, take your shoes. There is a prickly path on the north side of the beach that leads to the windward side of Green Island and offers spectacular views of Nonsuch Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
Green Island is owned by the Mill Reef Club and the Club is keen to keep the ‘Garden of Eden’ for the use of its members and guests. So if you see any people on the beach with picnic baskets, leave them in peace. Come back later – they won’t be there too long.
The reef on the north side of Green Island and then Africa!
Carlo Falcone keeps his Dragon Fleet at Harmony Hall Yacht Club and he will be happy to charter you one or even two. What better way to enjoy an afternoon than to do a bit of racing against the crew of the Perini Navi next door while your owner has lunch at Harmony Hall.
Nonsuch Bay Resort is another possibility for some leisure activity. It has a wide variety of sail boats available for charter and the club house restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.
Enjoy!
Article and photos by Hans Lammers.
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