The Carpenter - Jones Valley Trail

The Carpenter - Jones Valley Trail 

Sunday 24th - Monday 25 March 2024

We spent Sunday hiking the excellent Carpenter - Jones Valley trail. Our departure from Cotinga was delayed by rain and as we left the boat it was still cool and cloudy. That lasted about ten minutes, but as soon as the sun came out the humidity sky-rocketed and it felt outrageously hot and sweaty. By the time we had hiked around to the start of the trail off Galleon Beach we were seriously having second thoughts. We sat on the rocks near the entrance to English Harbor and ate our sandwiches. We had no other plans and little energy to formulate alternatives and so we set off along the trail around the coast. With every footstep our mood changed; the views were incredible and we started to really enjoy the walk. The hike up the ridge towards Shirley heights was steep and hard work, but the incredible cacti that we saw along the way kept us entertained, and before we knew it, we had reached our high point. The hike down through the woods of Jones Valley was easier going and we stopped to look at the old gravesite and to take photos of the plentiful dragonflies. We didn’t get back to the boat until late afternoon, and we were quiet tired, but we both felt it had turned out to be a really good day. I am so glad that we didn’t bail out early.

(p.s the "AllTrails" app is excellent ... load up the map and route while you have connectivity and then you can follow the trail even when you are off-line) 

This morning was again showery, but we are in no hurry to get underway. It’s only about 12 nm from Falmouth back to Jolly Harbor and we didn’t want to arrive at lunchtime, when everything would be shut down. The showers eased up around 10.30 am and we were underway by 11 am. It was a pleasant, if somewhat rolly, downwind motor-sail (Genoa plus diesel) back round to Jolly Harbor. We pulled into the fuel dock and topped up our main diesel tank and then backed in to the slip in the marina that had been assigned yo us. This went perfectly, not least because we had the help of the harbormaster and his dinghy. It’s amazing what a difference it makes to have a dinghy with an outboard motor push against the bow to set up the correct angles … an inflatable bow thruster! 

The one thing that did go wrong today was our stove. We have not used our oven since leaving the USA, because it’s been really warm on the boat and who needs the extra heat. However, last night we wanted to warm up taco-shells and I tried to switch on the oven. I couldn’t move the knob at all. We decided to toast our taco-shells on one the top burners and address the faulty oven switch this morning. Well I managed to get a good wrench on the actual spindle (not the plastic knob) and snapped it right off. So there is no prospect of the oven working again. The unit is 25 years old and no longer in pristine condition so we have looked into replacing the entire stove. This would be easy in the USA, but likely to be much more expensive over here. We are considering three options: buying a replacement here in Antigua if we can get it here in time, buying one in the USA and carrying it back with us or just doing without an oven until we return to the USA next year.

Does anyone know whether you can turn up for a flight with an 80 pound box and treat it like checked bag?

Mike

The bouldery cliffs at the entrance to English Harbor

The Carpenter trail follows the edge of the cliffs to the ridge in the background, which is climbed to the top. There is a section where you can scramble down the cliffs and swim in a shallow pool on a ledge of rock above the ocean (known locally as Mermaid's Pool).

At the base of the ridge where the trail heads uphill. The cacti are impressive!

The top of one of the "Englishman's Head" cacti

The view down from near the top of the ridge (which is not itself particularly exposed)

A set of dragonfly photos taken whilst descending the Jones valley Trail ... from above

 A head on shot

As close as my macro lens would allow me to get

From the side

Motor sailing downwind in light winds using the genoa. We were too lazy to get the mainsail out (or to put away my shorty-wetsuit!)