We cleared out of Antigua and Barbuda a few days ago (Monday, 08 January 2024); here is our experience.

Anchoring in Codrington:

When we first approached the cut at Codrington, we anchored south of the cut (the opening to Codrington Lagoon), thinking it looked a little shorter distance to get to shore. However, it was pretty rolly (in east wind). We subsequently moved to the north side, where it was a”little” less rolly and holding was good. We anchored in clear sand north of the cut, a bit north of the collapsed resort.

On both north and south sides, the depth shallows very gradually as you approach, making it easy to find a comfortable depth. On both sides we anchored in about 3.5 meters.

I don’t think either side is noticeably closer to the waterfront dock area; it’s a long ride in – no matter how you do it. The “buoy” (what looks like a fishnet float or old round fender, with a couple of bleach bottles attached for good measure – pink-ish colour) that marks the safest entry point is quite hard to find, given the amount of breaking water all across the cut.

When we dinghied in, I was honestly quite concerned for our safety and I don’t recommend trying it. When we went back in to clear out, we instead called the boatman who had conducted us on a tour of the frigate bird nesting area, Kevin (+1 268-732-2643). His high-bow boat is much more appropriate for handling that crossing than a low-slung, underpowered dinghy and it’s safer and drier. It cost $40US for the round trip.

We have a fairly shoal draft boat (1.2 meters with the centerboard up), and I wouldn’t even think of attempting to enter the lagoon itself to anchor. There’s not a lot of tide swing, even at springs, to help you, and depths in the lagoon are all over the place (based on our eyeball evaluation on the way in).

A dredged and buoyed channel would certainly make the approach to Codrington a lot more usable, but given the conditions, I doubt it would last very long.

Clearing out:

The morning we wanted to clear out of Barbuda I went on eSeaClear (which is how we had cleared in) and submitted a departure request. I printed the summary of the request, and we went in to Codrington (from Low Bay) to clear out.

The customs office is about a 15 minute walk from the waterfront dock area in Codrington (see map).

The hours posted were 10AM to 4PM, and we arrived shortly after 10. No one was there. We called the number on the door (+1 268-464-5012). The call went straight to voicemail, with the name “Matthew John” (who, it turns out is a customs officer on Barbuda). I left a message asking for a return call, and we settled in to wait.

After about 20 minutes I tried again; still straight to voicemail. I then decided to call customs on Antigua (+1 268-732-4157). The person who answered the phone took my number and said he would check into the situation and call me back. I never got a return call.

We then decided to walk to the “airport” (a small building next to the landing strip at Codrington, and only a short walk from the customs office). As we approached the building, we were met by a friendly woman in a uniform. We explained our situation, and she immediately went into the building and made some calls. She came back out and said we should go back to the customs office and await the arrival of a customs officer. We did, and about 20 minutes later, a car pulled up with two customs officials. One was Matthew John. They took our boat papers and passports and went into the office, leaving us outside to wait. After about another 20 minutes the official who was NOT Matthew John, came out with our passports, papers and outbound clearance.

Even though we had been in Antigua and Barbuda for about 6 weeks (we left the boat for 5 weeks on a mooring at the AYC marina while attending family concerns in the US), and had only initially paid for 6 days of park and environmental fees, we were not charged at all for departure. We elected not to question this.

Anyway, I think the salient points are:

• We probably should have done the eSeaClear online entry the night before, and CALLED before going in.
• If there is no one at the customs office, it is definitely worth walking over to the airport to see if you can get some assistance there.

It’s definitely a tricky port, but the frigate bird nesting area and friendly people make it worth the effort. And even with the waiting around we did to clear, for a westbound boat, it’s faster than going back to Antigua to clear out.

Jerry Callen and Katy Petersen
SY Idril

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising.

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