We stopped for the occasional herd of goats or for various tropical photo ops, made our way through the island's religiously named regions - St. Mary, St. Paul, St. Philip, St. Peter, St. George, and back to the main city of St. John - in time for sunset and dinner at the island's most elegant restaurant, Le Bistro, where grilled fresh lobster competed with a trio of fish swimming in an exquisite dill cream sauce.

All About Sailing
After a huge breakfast the next morning, I waited for the boats to be rigged, eager to get back on the water. Today, I'd try jibing, which had been demystified for me as turning the boat downwind, trickier and more apt to cause crashing than tacking (but now that I'd righted the boat at least a half-dozen times alone, I was no longer worried about being dunked). Later, I crewed on a couple of the more-complicated craft that had intimidated me a few days earlier. In the afternoon, two-person teams competed against each other in a resort regatta, rounding marks, putting up spinnakers, jibing, tacking, hiking out wearing trapeze harnesses, and I realized that not only did I now know what the terms meant, I could accomplish more than a few of the
maneuvers myself.
TOURING ANTIGUA
Car and jeep rental is available for $75-$90, including the cost of a three-month Antiguan license. Contact Club Colonna for operators, or it's easy to arrange once you're on the island.

Scuba, sightseeing excursions, eco treks, helicopter charters, and more can be arranged through a variety of local operators. Contact the Antigua and Barbuda Tourist Office, www.antigua-barbuda.org or (888) 268-4227.

GOLF:
Cedar Valley Golf Club, $35 green fee; (268) 462-0161

RESTAURANTS:
Home, St. John's. Caribbean, moderately expensive; (268) 461-7651