The Barbuda Blues

4/23/09 to 4/27/09

Together with Lynne, Bob & Mollie (S/V Leap of Faith) we spent four days exploring the turquoise blue waters, shallow banks & pink sand beaches of Barbuda, an island 30 miles north of Antigua. Unlike the other Leeward Islands, Barbuda is relatively flat & visible only within 5 miles from shore. Its surrounding fringe reefs are an ominous sight & we were thankful to have access to charts, GPS & polarized sunglasses.

Cut through reefs off Spanish Point

Our first stop was Gravenor Bay along the island’s southern coast. We spent the afternoon & the following morning snorkeling the various large coral outcroppings & the fringe reef south of Spanish Point. Despite the beauty of these waters, the reefs appear to have been damaged by recent hurricanes & one can only imagine how spectacularly beautiful they must have been at one time.

Spanish Point – Above & Below

Between squalls, we motored west around the corner & anchored for the night just north of the Coco Point Lodge. Despite the beautiful beach, we were downwind from some inland wet & dry salt ponds & the odor was intolerable.

By noon, we were sailing north around Palmetto Point (the beginning of Barbuda’s 11-mile beach) & dropped anchor in Low Bay. Other than two small hotels and two other cruising boats, the coastline was deserted. Setting out via dinghy, we cruised along miles of unoccupied beach. As we neared Cedar Tree Point, we noted the sand to be intensely pink in coloration. On closer examination, we found the already pinkish-hued sand was blanketed in small pink shells. The contrast of the turquoise water, pink shoreline & blue sky was exceptional.

Barbuda’s pink sand beach

Capt’n Fred enjoying Barbuda’s 11-mile pink sand beach

The following morning, we set out with Bob, Lynne & Mollie to explore the remote northern coast of Barbuda. After negotiating the grassy shoals & shallow reefs lining this section of the coast, we explored the mangrove-lined channel leading into the Codrington Lagoon then headed back out towards the offshore sand banks. After walking the banks, snorkeling around the grassy shoals & eating lunch, we headed back towards the boats, stopping briefly at Cedar Tree Point’s pink shell beach to admire this unique sight.

Exploring the sand banks

Makai anchored in Low Bay

On Monday morning, we departed Barbuda heading back to Antigua where we would clear out through Customs prior to continuing our southbound journey.