Sea Breeze Cottage, Red Hill, Parish of St. Paul, Antigua, West Indies
The rough dirt track climbs west into the hills above Willoughby Bay. At the crest of the hill is Sea Breeze Cottage, my new home in Antigua. The cottage sits in a large fenced in yard with various plantings including palms, yucca like plants, hibiscus bush and cassia trees. The fence is to keep out wandering goats and horses of which there are plenty.
A short stone walkway takes you to the steps of the veranda which wraps halfway around the house. The cottage has two doors, one that faces north and a double door that opens onto the veranda and the view over Willoughby Bay.
The cottage is wood framed with bead board interior walls painted white and varnished pine floors. It has one room that measures 19 by 21 feet. At the west end is a big queen size bed on a simple frame. There is a pair of curtains that can be drawn to separate the sleeping area from the rest of the space but I haven’t used them yet. Next to the bed there is a closet and shelves for my clothes. Behind the closet is the bathroom which includes a large tiled shower.
To the left of the double doors, there is a sitting area with a love seat and two comfortable chairs. There is also a flat screen TV on a small cabinet with storage space underneath. To the right of the doors is a simple kitchen table with four chairs and the kitchen area with a long counter against the south wall. The kitchen is well appointed with plates, cups, pots and pans, coffee maker, toaster as well as a gas range top and a small fridge.
There are 9 louvered windows with screens and blinds that will seldom be closed. There are some nice paintings hanging on the walls including large colorful renditions of bamboo stalks and a white and yellow tropical flower.
The cottage is uphill of three other houses that are similar in design. Two are vacant and the third will soon be occupied by J and D, two other new teachers.
As I sit and write this at the kitchen table, I look out onto Willoughby Bay and the distant Hudson Point. The bay is long and wide with a few big reefs at its mouth that the Atlantic swells break against. The color of the bay is always changing as the pattern of sun and cloud highlight different parts of the water.
The constant trade winds come right down the bay and up the hill through the doors of Sea Breeze. As I sit inside, I feel that I am on a boat because of the constant sounds of the wind. The palm trees rustle outside the veranda, the blinds swing in the windows, the veranda door squeaks as it moves on its hinges, a picture frame taps against the wall. When I move onto the veranda, I am moving onto the deck of a boat. Anything light you have in your hand must be put down thoughtfully or else it will wander away with the breeze.
Looking upwind, I can see squalls march their way towards the bay with sheets of rain shimmering in the sun ahead of the dark shadows they cast upon the sea. I’ve had to jump up and shut the double doors a few times as the wind drives the rain straight inside.
It is a spot with breathtaking views and I am very pleased with my decision to live here. It has a sense of wild remoteness to it but I am only 8 minutes by car to all the trappings of English Harbor and Falmouth.
