by Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
I love travelling in the Eastern Caribbean but I absolutely dread changing planes in Antigua because it always ends up with me being stuck at the airport for hours. And this time, on my way back to Trinidad & Tobago from Montserrat, was no different. I faced a 12-hour wait between flights. So instead of being stuck at the airport my friend and I decided to see the sights of Antigua — and see if it could be done in a day. Our first major objective was Stingray City. Cricket is a big thing in the Caribbean, so on our way there we took note of the Sir Viv Richards Cricket Ground. Just outside the capital of St. John’s, this ultra-modern facility that can hold up to 10,000 spectators was built to host the ICC World Cup in 2007. It was named after a son of the soil, Sir Viv Richards, one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
We also passed Potworks Reservoir, which is said to be the largest body of freshwater in the Eastern Caribbean, covering 320 acres and capable of holding up to one billion gallons of water. Started in the late 1960s, it was completed in 1970. The name comes from an 18th century pottery works owned by the Codrington family and located at Garden Estate, part of which the reservoir is built on. (Remember the name Codrington, as you will hear it again.) At this factory
the workers made conical sugar pots out of clay. These were used for draining molasses from raw sugar.
Then we made a stop at the Betty’s Hope Estate. For three centuries Antigua was intensely cultivated for sugarcane production, so it comes as no surprise that the island has more than a hundred sugar mills dotting the landscape. Windmills were used to produce power until the introduction of steam power in 1850. The twin windmills at Betty’s Hope were apparently a standard for a large estate such as this. One of these mills, referred to as the “old mill”, is the only one on the island where the original machinery is still in place. It is estimated to have been built at the end of the 17th century, with the second mill being built a few decades later.
The sails were dismantled a few years ago because of repeated damage from hurricanes. All the openings in the “new mill” were bricked up about seven years ago and the structure is now used to store water.
This estate is full of history. Located in the Limestone district, it once belonged to Governor Keynell and was passed on to his widow upon his death in 1663. However, she fled Antigua three years later during the French occupation. When the island came under British rule again, all land claims of persons who fled or were disloyal to the Crown were annulled. So Betty’s Hope was granted to the Codrington family. Near the windmills one can see the ruins of the houses where the workers stayed and where the boilers that turned the cane juice into sugar were housed. The cotton storeroom has been converted into a museum.
After leaving Betty’s Hope we headed for Stingray City, where we changed into our swimwear and assembled with other visitors for a briefing on the area we were going to and some safety tips. Here we learnt the “stingray shuffle” — you slide your feet in the sand wherever the sea is shallow enough for standing. We were warned to avoid raising our feet as you can put them down on
a stingray or, worse, on its long barbed tail. After the briefing and getting our life vest (if needed)
our group was whisked away in two covered boats past some of Antigua’s many offshore islands. Our journey lasted about seven minutes and ended at a floating jetty anchored off the periphery of a shallow coral reef.
The Southern stingrays here were caught in the nearby waters and kept penned for a few years, to
become accustomed to humans. However, now that they are docile they are free to come and go. They enter the area on their own when they hear the boat approaching because they know it is feeding time. They are quite comfortable around humans and even bring other stingrays into the area for food. Visitors get the opportunity to feed them. We offered them squid, which we held loosely. When they passed by and sucked it up from our hands it felt like a vacuum cleaner had just glided by.
We also were allowed to hold the rays and have our photo taken with them. We were told by their handlers to keep the rays’ eyes under water. The rays are very sensitive and can sense if you are afraid; we were told that if you are afraid or nervous the rays are not comfortable with you. If you want to take a break from the stingrays, or just want to keep your distance as you muster up the courage to swim with them, you can snorkel around the shallow reef.
After the Stingray City tour we went to Devil’s Bridge at the northeastern part of the island. This is a natural rock formation where the action of the waves over the years on the hard and soft limestone has carved an arch and a series of ledges cut into the cliff. So many slaves committed suicide here by jumping into the rough waters that it is said that the Devil is indeed there.
On a lighter note, if you want to enjoy panoramic views and take some photos, you will want to stop at both Fort James and Shirley Heights. Fort James, at the entrance to St. John’s Harbour, is the only fort on the island with the original ten cannons in place. Shirley Heights, on the eastern side of the island, is named after Sir Thomas Shirley, governor of the Leeward Islands in 1781. As you near Shirley Heights, there are ruins of colonial officer’s quarters, a powder magazine, barracks and cemeteries. At Shirley Heights are a small visitor’s centre, outdoor stage and gift shop. The lookout is about 490 feet above sea level and gives a superb view of English and Falmouth Harbours.
After visiting these two sites you’ll be aware of the heavy military presence in Antigua’s history. This is because of its great sugar-producing value and its excellent harbours for the British fleet.
Of course no trip to Antigua is complete without visiting Nelson’s Dockyard at English Harbour. It is named after Admiral Lord Nelson, who in 1805 won the battle at Trafalgar that established Britain’s naval supremacy over the French. This harbour is a hurricane haven for ships and its use for this purpose can be traced as far back as 1671. His Majesty’s Antigua Naval Yard at English Harbour was built starting about 1725. Its function was to maintain the Royal Naval warships that captured valuable sugar islands of the Eastern Caribbean, thus cutting off enemy trade and increasing Britain’s own wealth. The dockyard eventually fell into decline and closed in 1889. It
reopened in 1961 after restoration work by the Friends of English Harbour, a group that was formed a decade earlier. This once-military facility is now lined with pleasure yachts. Some of the original buildings are still in use, but serving different functions from their former ones. There are restaurants, a hotel and other small businesses such as a sail loft, a little gift shop and a bakery. English Harbour is like a miniature town and one really needs a whole day to take it all in.
Another must is taking a scenic ride along Fig Tree Drive (“fig” is what we in the Caribbean call bananas). You start off in the low central plains and end up in the higher elevations in the southwest portion of the island. Along the way we saw plantations of Antigua’s
endemic small pineapple, the “Antigua Black”, so named because the fruit is unusually dark. The pride Antiguans have for this fruit shows in their houses, which often have concrete images of the pineapple on the sides of their houses or concrete sculptures of them on the tops of their fence posts. We also passed by the tallest point on the island, recently renamed from Boggy Peak to Mount Obama after US President Barack Obama.
After all that we returned to the airport, checked in for our flights and still had about two hours to kill! So we ended our day with a meal at the Sticky Wicket Restaurant, a two-minute walk from the airport. A perfect end to a perfect day.
So the next time you get stuck in Antigua (or any island) during your travels, get out and explore. It could turn out to be the highlight of your trip!
For more information on Antigua’s historical sites visit www.antiguamuseums.org/Historical.
This article originally appeared in the November 2007 issue of Caribbean Compass.
