Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, Antigua Sailing Week, Jolly Harbour Yacht Club Valentine’s Regatta, RORC Caribbean 600, and the Superyacht Challenge: these are just a few of the daring yacht races and regattas hosted on the small island of Antigua. Positioned peacefully in the Leeward Islands, Antigua and Barbuda is a two-island independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations. Queen Elizabeth is still on the currency and King Charles III is the head of its monarchy, but other than a few plaques scattered here and there, the island and its culture operate autonomously, living a distinctly Caribbean way of life.
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Green Island North, Nonsuch Bay SE
(17° 4' 23.5596'' N 421° 40' 27.4044'' W)
Anchor on the west side of Green Island off the newly constructed Reef Island. Alternatively, anchor north of Green Island with your bow facing east. The reef wraps around Nonsuch Bay and breaks the easterly swell. There are red government moorings laid to use at your own risk. It’s known that they are rarely maintained due to a lack of ability for collecting fees. A supply boat comes to the cove each evening and morning delivering basic necessities. For a premium fee, you can place a grocery store order in the evening and it will be delivered the following morning. Included in the supplies are ice, breakfast baked goods, ice cream, and fresh fish.
Deep Water Bay
(17° 7' 38.1468'' N 421° 53' 13.6212'' W)
Anchor towards the north or south of the wreck in 5 to 8 meters of sand. The holding is very good sand and shallow drafted vessels can anchor off the beach. Anchor along the north side for more peace and quiet. Dinghy ashore and hike the summit of Fort Barrington with sweeping vistas of the harbor atop the british fort.
Great Bird Island
(17° 8' 38.9004'' N 421° 43' 40.3644'' W)
Set anchor of the southwest coast of Great Bird island south of Windy Cove. Alternatively, set anchor in Red Head in 3m surrounded by the rocky outcrops. The outer reef protects the anchorage from the eastern swell but does not protect from the wind. The anchorage is a mix of sand and seagrass and a good set is required. There are numerous coral heads surrounding the anchorage and good light is required. It’s best to navigate when the sun is overhead or directly behind to avoid the mirror effect on the water.
English Harbour
(17° 0' 28.3104'' N 421° 45' 48.8376'' W)
There are two anchorages and one berth option in English Harbour. Nelson’S Dockyard has a traditional Med-Moor where vessels are instructed to drop anchor in front of the slip and dock stern-to the stone quay. The seafloor is soft mood and the anchor must be laid generally to minimize dragging. The surrounding anchorage is mangrove and vessels can anchor along the mangrove or at the entrance of the harbor in Freeman’s Bay. The peak of Shirley Heights to the east causes wind to funnel through the anchorage causing the boats to sway at anchor in unusually ways and its common for boats to bump in the middle of the night.
Falmouth Harbor
(17° 1' 1.2828'' N 421° 46' 23.8188'' W)
Falmouth Harbour is the largest harbor in Antigua with a large mooring field, anchorage, and marina with yacht club facilities. The harbor is a mix of public and private moorings and the red moorings are serviced by the harbormaster. They are a first come basis and the harbormaster will collect fees upon arrival. The Antigua Yacht Club reserves most of the berths for super yachts docked along the pier
Spanish Point, Barbuda
(17° 32' 47.022'' N 61° 44' 29.7132'' W)
Sail past Palaster Reef Marine Park towards Spanish Point. Keep a good watch for the various scattered coral reef obstacles before the anchorage. Drop anchor is perfect sand in 2m to 4m of depth. The reef along the eastern point offers protection from the east swell. Ashore is a long ungroomed and uninhabited beach and the anchorage offers a tranquil environment with calm seas.
Princess Diana Beach, Barbuda
(17° 33' 24.732'' N 61° 46' 25.7124'' W)
Set anchor in 2m to 6m anywhere along the Princess Diana Beach. There are scattered shoals and care should be taken navigating between the shoals and the shoreline. Larger vessels with deep water keels should anchor further out from the beach in deeper water. The seas remain calm unless there is an unusual southern swell. There is no dinghy landing along the beach and they must be pulled onto the beach or anchored along the calm water break.
Lower Bank
(17° 37' 5.5992'' N 61° 51' 22.2408'' W)
Anchor off the western beach in 3m - 6m of sand parallel to the island. The anchorage is calm during light periods of light wind where the swell is at a minimum. The sea state is settled and dinghy access to the beach does not present any issue. Although the western anchorage of Lower Bank is sheltered from any high east winds, large swell will wrap around the north point of the island causing swell across the anchorage. The beach landing is steep and a wrap around swell can cause a riptide with waves, caution is required when shuttling ashore.
Recommended Day Anchorages
Five Islands - Antigua
Darkwood Beach - Antigua
Green Island South Cove - Antigua
Maiden Island - Antigua
Dickenson Bay - Antigua
Rendezvous Bay - Antigua
Palmetto Point- Barbuda
11 Mile Beach - Barbuda
Fine Feet Bank - Barbuda
Uniquely, land ownership of Barbuda has the most unique history in all of the Caribbean. The early peoples of Barbuda were originally called Wa’Omoni by the Kalinago. In 1628, King Charles II claimed the island, leasing it to the Codrington family in 1685 for nearly two centuries. Due to its dry conditions, Barbuda was used for livestock and food supplies for Antigua estates, worked by enslaved Africans until 1834. Barbudans, excluded from the Slavery Emancipation Act, had to fight for their freedom. After the Codringtons left in 1870, Barbudans refused to pay rent, leading to the Crown recognizing them as communal tenants in 1904. This system persisted, and the 2007 Barbuda Land Act declared the island collectively owned, giving each resident three plots for housing, agriculture, and business. Today, the quiet and largely undeveloped island is facing rapid change by developers establishing luxury properties on the island and the fate of the local and the sailors who love Barbuda for its solitude and tranquility.
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