Each of the islands of the Lesser Antilles has its unique features, but none is so distinctive as Barbuda.  Composed of low-lying sandstone , the highest point is only 125 feet above the sea — instead of towering remains of volcanoes — this 62-square mile island is home to a scant population of only about 1600 people, almost all of whom live in or very near the dusty town of Codrington.   Descendants of slaves brought here by the Codrington family beginning in 1685, the locals live in a unique lifestyle, with the land owned communally and never sold to outsiders.  Cruisers come here to get away from the crowds of the sister island to the south, Antigua, and to experience the gin-clear waters and to walk the lovely long pink beaches and to see some of the 170 different birds that have been identified here, including the Frigates found at the north end of the island in one of the world’s largest rookeries.

We came up the 30 miles from Five Islands, Antigua on April 1, accompanied by a number of like-minded cruising friends.   We spent most of our time anchored in White Bay, just west of Spanish Point, the same bay where the iconic picture of Tusen Takk II (found in the header of this blog) was taken a few years ago.  In the next several entries of this blog we will post accounts of our various experiences.