Sunday, May 16, 2010
Falmouth harbour is almost empty, it is clear that the season is over and that things are winding down. One yacht and big mega yacht departed for either Europe or North America that morning and there were no really large yachts left at any of the docks in Falmouth.
We inflated the dinghy and headed off to shore for the short walk to English Harbour. We cleared in at the offices there and I was only partially disappointed that, unlike my dire predictions to Björn, the procedure was quick, painless and simple. We were the only boat clearing in while a couple of boats were in the process of clearing out. The officials had dispensed with one of the three forms that needed to be filled out, and even the process of ensuring that Björn was removed from the crew list by showing his aeroplane ticket was a simple one.
Upon walking around the dockyards and visiting the museum, we had a (rather expensive) sandwich and coffee at Tradewinds in the Falmouth Harbour marina and subsequently rented a car for the day in order to explore the island. Our first destination was Shirley heights but there was a security guard there who wanted $5 “Parking” fee per person so we turned around and headed along Fig Tree drive to St. Johns. Even the main city seemed dead, with nary a cruise ship at the docks and most of the stores closed. After St. Johns we continued along the coastal road in the rain and managed to find some of the most pothole infested paved roads that I’d encountered, but luckily the stoutness of rental cars is not to be underestimated.
Upon return to Falmouth and English harbour we tried our luck at Shirley Heights again and were not stopped at the entrance this time, we enjoyed a beautiful rainbow and picturesque views at the lookout but when we headed to Shirley heights there were ranks of buses filled with tourists and someone looking to collect parking fees again so we opted to return to the boat.
Dinner was had at the Mad Mongoose (whose 24/7 internet connection I am using to post this page) and the last night aboard for Björn was a rather early one – at least for me.
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| Shirley Heights outlook | Heights rainbow | Precarious ledges | Sunset calm anchorage |