Fair winds, Dad
Tonight just after Sebastian went to bed, my father called. I heard Tess from the other end of the flat exclaim, "Hi Doug, that’s terrific!" At first, I thought it odd he called because I knew he was away. Dad flew last weekend to Antigua to join some friends. For the next several weeks he’ll be helping them sail their Ontario 32 sailboat from Antigua to Cuba. Soon Tess appeared and handed me the phone. On the other end of the tinny-sounding line was Dad’s voice. He proceeded to describe how he was calling from on board the boat – using Skype – that was moored in English Harbour, Antigua.
You can just imagine what this did to the PYM in me (in 1996 Tess named me the Poignant Young Man, but I’m not so young anymore!) and I quickly replied, "I wish I was there!" I was there, too… in April 2002 for Antigua Race Week and again in March 2005 for a family reunion. In 2002 I took the two pictures seen here. The first picture shows English Harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard at sunset from Shirley Heights, one of the highest lookouts in Antigua. In the middle of this picture you’ll see a yellow dot… that’s where The Admiral’s Inn is located in the middle of Nelson’s Dockyard. I stayed there for eight days in 2002. My first morning in Antigua I woke-up, opened the window, and took the second picture of the sunrise at around 8 AM. That’s about when my dad would have been calling, and he could have been aboard any one of the boats in this picture.
Antigua holds a special place in my family’s hearts since my mother was born and raised there, moving to Toronto, Canada in her late teens. If you watch any of my video productions you’ll notice that many are tagged with "Marblehill Pacific Studios." Before moving to Hong Kong, I used to make audio tapes for myself and friends that were labeled Marblehill Studios. Marblehill is the name of the family farm in Omemee, Ontario named after my great grandparent’s property in Antigua called Marblehill. The buildings have long gone – as has the property from the family – but you can still find the area on most detailed Antigua maps today.
I sit here in Hong Kong at the start of a new year, thinking about my time in Antigua and how much time has flown since I was last there. I’ll also share with you a picture that my sister sent me a few days ago from when I was about Sebastian’s age… I guess the cigar afficianado started young… and that’s about as PYM as we’re gonna get for tonight. Meanwhile, Dad reported that all was well in Antigua, and high winds were preventing their departure for a day or two. Wishing you safe seas and fair winds, Dad.
