The one thought I had over and over while leaving Jolly Harbor is, we didn’t have enough time.  Up until now I was pretty much done with the previous islands.  There were inland jungle trips that we missed because of Topaz, the kids and the expense of the guided tour.  But Antigua had beaches and islands that I would have loved to swim around and kayak along.

Oh, well, maybe something up ahead will make me forget what I missed.  I mean, look at this water.  An artist’s color pallet couldn’t do it justice.  The colors change when a cloud passes over and it’s shallow sandy bottom produces little upwellings of sand on the surface.

The 30 mile sail north to Barbuda was perfect.  Fifteen knots of wind, zero seas, and Makai sailing along with 6-7 knots over the ground.

We anchored at the North West side of the island along a strip of sand and mangroves that separates the Caribbean Sea from Codrington Lagoon.  This lagoon is the home of a frigate bird sanctuary that rivals those in the Galapagos.

We’ve been spending our days wandering up and down this 12 miles of deserted beach.  When the water washed back off the shore, it exposes pink coral sand.

We wanted to say HI to Erica, a fellow Disney friend who lives in Utah!

One day at bible study, we were studying Gods love for us.  I asked, “How do we know He loves us?”  The answer given compared the love given to a child.  When we love a child, we do things that makes them happy.  Grandma, makes them cookies, Grandpa takes them fishing, Mommy buys them t-shirts in their favorite color, and Daddy reads books.  God shows us his love by giving us the humming bird that swoops around on sweet flowers, towering  red rocky HooDoos in the desert, and God is showing me his love with this great family, great boat, and the pink beach in Barbuda!

I’ve taken numerous pictures here where the subject is simply COLOR!

Even boat work is pleasurable when I can look out at the water.

The beach here is pretty steep with quite a shore break.  The dinghy wouldn’t be happy about landing on this beach and we wouldn’t be happy about dragging it up away from the surf, so we’ve opted to use the kayak.  Topaz  has to swim to shore and it takes two trips for the rest of us to get in.  We could all swim, but it’s pretty uncomfortable to spend the day with crusty salt on your face and hair.

Topaz is having a blast running free and diving in the surf.  We walked over a mile in each direction and never came across another person.  There is a hotel on the beach in front of us, The Lighthouse Bay Resort.  The place doesn’t look like much to speak of, but after further research, it’s way out of our league. There is a helicopter pad in the back,  9 rooms at over $1000 per night, and a friend emailed Eric warning him about having a beer at the beach bar, their bill was $20 US each.  So far we’ve only seen one couple at the hotel, I’m sure they’re having a peaceful time.

We’re having a strange south wind right now, the next two days are supposed to be light winds barely reaching 10 kts, so we’ll wait for a bit more wind on Tuesday night and do an overnight sail to St. Martin.

Written by: sailmakai on March 3, 2013.