• Barbuda:
  
  Antigua and Barbuda courtesy flag
  
  British.
  Forms one country with Antigua.
  
  Can't check in here; have to check in on Antigua.
  Need to go a couple of miles into Codrington town to clear out; best to clear out on Antigua also.
  
  Sparsely populated.
  Many beaches and reefs and wrecks, and great snorkeling.
  Dock at Boat Harbour is for commercial boats from Antigua.
  Entrance to Gravenor Bay has lots of scattered coral heads; do only in settled weather and good visibility.
  East side very rough.
  Some BBC content on 88.9 FM, 92.9 FM ?
  
  
  
• Antigua:
  
  Antigua and Barbuda courtesy flag
  
  British.
  Forms one country with Barbuda.
  
  US$1 = EC$2.70, approximately. Stores take US$ and EC$, but many won't take US coins.
  Entry fees 2010: about US$3/person plus US$15/boat.
  (For my 44-foot boat, EC$15 to enter, EC$25 for cruising permit for one month.)
  Port charges if you stay in English Harbour or Falmouth: varies by boat length and season, but about $11US/week for my 44-foot boat.
  Departure fees 2010: zero !
  
  When I arrived in Jolly Harbour 5/2010, the Customs officer was very upset that I had anchored out and dinghied to the Customs dock, and taken 90 minutes or so to get there (I'd just finished a singlehanded 28-hour trip, and constant rain-squalls delayed my dinghy ride an extra 30 minutes). They want you to bring the big boat straight to their dock, immediately. Their dock has a big yellow "quarantine" flag flying.
  
  From article by Liesbet Collaert in 4/2011 issue of Caribbean Compass magazine:
  Officer in Jolly Harbour is a total pain, nasty and threatening and unfriendly; go to St John's or English Harbour instead.
  
  When I departed English Harbour 8/2010, the officers were very friendly, no mention of bringing boat to dock, no fees, etc.
  
  Arrival at English Harbour 4/2015, now they're using eSeaClear, no mention of bringing boat to dock, US$24 of entry fees.
  
  Caters to sailing crowd.
  Many good anchorages and beaches.
  Many cricket and tennis tournaments.
  
  Classic Yacht Regatta: early April at English Harbour.
  Sailing Week / Race Week: last week in April.
  Carnival: last week of July and first days of August.
  Nicholsons Boat Show: early December.
  Nelson's Dockyard national park: in English Harbour. Museum, restored buildings, fort, etc.
  Nude beach: Hawksbill Beach.
  
  Food is slightly expensive. Soda is very expensive.
  Fuel much cheaper in Antigua than in Guadeloupe.
  Get propane in Antigua if heading south; very difficult to get in Guadeloupe, maybe hard to get in Dominica.
  
  Do hailing on VHF channel 68, then switch to another channel. VHF 16 is for distress only.
  BBC on 95.5 FM from midnight to 5 AM or so.
  A little BBC content on 97.1 FM at 7 AM, and 89.1 FM from 8 to 10 AM ?
  
  There's a bus-van system, and you can use it to get to the airport, but it may not be worth the time and hassle. It's a pretty long trip between English Harbour and the airport, for example, for US$25 to US$31 by taxi, which isn't too bad. [By the way, US$50 departure fee when flying out of airport.]
  
  
  
  
  
  Harbors/anchorages:
  • Falmouth Harbour:
    Port charge for anchoring of about US$2/boat/day, and a garbage fee of about US$1/person/day.
    
    • Antigua Yacht Club side:
      As of 12/2011, anchored boats no longer allowed to use Yacht Club dinghy-dock inside "pool". May use Yacht Club's outside dinghy-dock for loading/unloading with 2-hour limit, or (decrepit) public dock near gas station.
      Can get to Customs via a half-mile walk over to English Harbour, into Dockyard. Generally open 0800-1645 ?
      Antigua Yacht Club: small chandlery (but they can fetch parts from main store in English Harbour; closed in off-season).
      Small grocery store.
      Internet computers in restaurant (EC$5 for 30 minutes); free Wi-Fi if you buy a meal.
      Small book-exchange in Skulduggery Cafe.
      Bookstore with charts and flags upstairs.
      Book-exchange in Temo's sport shop ?
      Jane's Yacht Services: left on road outside Yacht Club, and down to T-intersection. Big book-exchange, mail services, propane refill (bring tank Tues or Thurs before 10, get back at 4, EC$75 for 20 pounds).
      Diesel available anywhere on Yacht Club dock (they have a cart); US$1/liter (US$3.80/USGallon) 5/2010. Cheaper at the gas station: EC$10.90/ImperialGallon (US$3.36/USGallon) 5/2010. About the same (US$3.33/USGallon 5/2010) at the Jolly Harbour fuel dock.
      Gasoline available only at the gas station.
    • Catamaran Club Marina side:
      Diesel US$3.41/USGallon at the fuel dock 5/2010.
      Bailey's "supermarket" is a small grocery store, about the same size as the grocery store in Antigua Yacht Club. Propane refill EC$32 for 20 pounds (incredibly cheap); drop off tank Saturday by 8 PM for Monday pickup, or Wednesday 7 PM for Thursday pickup.
      Bailey's Boatyard: 5/2010 rates: haul-out, chock and pressure wash: US$14/foot, storage and lay-days US$0.80/foot/day. No DIY; no living aboard; measurements are overall length. Bottom-painting rates: sanding US$35/hour/person, painting US$7/foot/coat (I assume cost of paint and materials are extra).
      
    No public garbage cans anywhere.
  • English Harbour:
    Port of Entry.
    Port entry fee of US$5/person, port charge for anchoring of about US$2/day, and a garbage fee of about US$1/person/day.
    Sometimes foul bottom, fouled with ancient debris.
    A bit small and crowded for my taste, in off-season; can't imagine what it's like during Race Week.
    Freeman Bay a rolly even in ESE wind.
    Historic sites.
    Antigua Slipway boatyard and chandlery, but they're on the side you can't walk to from Falmouth Harbour.
    In Nelson's Dockyard: small liquor-and-munchies store; small bakery; vegetable stand and a bank out near the entrance.
    Weather radio broadcast: VHF 6 at 0900 MTWRF (very limited info).
    
  • Indian Creek:
    Tiny, but well-protected.
    
  • Mamora Bay:
    Popular with big power-yachts.
    All resort ashore. One tiny grocery market / internet place, with mostly soda and beer and liquor and munchies for sale.
    
  • Willoughby Bay:
    Big, empty, with a difficult entrance, not well-traveled.
    
  • Nonsuch Bay:
    Plenty of nice anchorage space N of Green Island, and decent snorkeling.
    A little better snorkeling S of Green Island, on SE corner of Ricketts Harbour.
    No space inside Brown's Bay; they've filled it with floats and balls.
    Mouth of Cloverleaf Bay deeper than charted.
    
  • Guana Bay / Great Bird Island:
    Well-protected anchorages, bird-nesting area, park. Snorkeling rated "fair".
    Lots of reef, some decent fish, but not great.
    
  • Parham Harbour:
    Small town with few services. Three tiny grocery stores.
    The waterfront complex is not a marina, it's a government-run "artisanal fisheries support facility".
    "Antigua and Barbuda Marine Guide 2010" says it (actually, probably up at Crabb's Marina) is a Port of Entry now, but everyone else says it isn't. Looked closed to me as I went past.
    Commercial traffic goes up west side of Maiden Island; be careful if you anchor there.
    
  • Long Island:
    Nice anchorage on west side (Jumby Bay), private resort on the island. Ferry traffic continues after dark; don't anchor anywhere near it.
    Incoming ferries make some wakes; also water-skiing.
    
  • Dickenson Bay:
    Not very protected anchorage, but nice beach and lively resort area.
    
  • St Johns:
    Guidebooks recommend anchoring in cove at extreme SE end of harbor, but it's tiny and full of med-moored small fishing boats along a seawall and there's a bar with loud music at night.
    Port of Entry, but more oriented toward cruise ships.
    Nice historic town.
    Waterfront supermarket (Bryson's, IGA) closed 6/2010 and maybe moved somewhere outside of town.
    Outboard motor servicing, chart shop, big produce market, Radio Shack, department store, museum, lots of boutiques.
    
  • Deep Bay:
    Wreck is large, not far below the surface, points E-W, and only a small piece in the middle is visible above the water sometimes; give it a wide berth.
    Good snorkeling on wreck of Andes and on N side of bay.
    
  • Five Islands Harbour:
    Very big, lots of room to anchor, lots of beach.
    Saw a big, smoky garbage fire in the NE corner of it as I went by.
  • Jolly Harbour:
    Port of Entry.
    No anchoring inside.
    Bigger than it looks in guidebooks; plenty of room inside.
    Customs dock is just N of boatyard; flies big yellow "quarantine" flag.
    Boatyard, Budget Marine store, marine services, shopping arcade in marina, supermarket.
    Cafe with Wi-Fi: Java JoJo in marina; buy food/drink and Wi-Fi is free.
    Book-exchange: in marina office, and another at a real-estate office right near the bottom of the marina office staircase.
    Garbage: cans near dinghy dock in marina; boatyard fuel dock charges $5/bag there.
    Fuel and water: at boatyard fuel dock.
    Propane refill: Donny in boatyard does it as a personal side-business; I don't know the times or prices.
    Money: none of the ATMs would take my ATM card. The ATMs will take a credit card, but require a PIN. Bank did a cash advance on my credit card (no fee).
    Buses: walk past supermarket and out the security station onto the road. Buses at stop here mainly go to St Johns. Turn left and walk about 200 yards up to "main" road; buses here may go "near" English Harbour. I'm told there's no bus "into" English Harbour; best to go there by boat.
    Looks like it could be a decent hurricane hole, inside, in a slip in Jolly Harbour marina. Dockmaster says the marina doesn't get full when a hurricane threatens.
    
  • Morris Bay:
    
  • Carlisle Bay:
    Rolly if wind is S of E.
    
  
  From Scott in Georgetown: Antigua has lots of variety and lots of things to do; nice place.
  
  Weather radio: AM 903 at 0830 and 0555.