Ventura: All out in Antigua

Yesterday was Ventura’s first port of call since leaving Barbados on Saturday evening.
The island of Antigua’s national bird, the frigate; a few brown pelicans, and a gaggle of taxi drivers and street traders all turned out to welcome us to St John’s, the capital.
The town itself did not have a lot to offer, unless you were in desperate need of another T-shirt, a sarong, or a dinner plate sized-steel drum.
But there was a selection of excursions from the ship to enjoy
Cricket fans could visit the Recreation Ground, where Viv Richards scored the fastest-ever century; the splendid new Sir Vivian Richards Stadium a couple of miles inland, which was the venue for six games in the 2007 World Cup; and the Stanford Cricket Ground, home of the recent $1 million 20-20 competition.
That’s an impressive amount of cricket for a tiny island with a population of just 70,000.
For the more energetic, there were opportunities to swim and fish, go kayaking, or snorkel with stingrays.
The sedate option was visit to Nelson’s Dockyard at English Harbour. Where sailing boats from the Royal Navy once came to be repaired and have their bottoms scraped, there are now some of the finest and fastest yachts in the world.