Falmouth Harbour, Antigua tide times

Antigua Sailing Week runs in the first week of May, typically Monday through Friday with the prize-giving on Saturday. It has run every year since 1968 and draws a fleet of around 100 vessels across multiple racing classes, from offshore bluewater cruisers to high-performance racing yachts. The race area centres on the waters between Falmouth Harbour, English Harbour, and the south coast reef passages. For spectators, the best viewing position is Shirley Heights on the hill above the harbour — the entire starting area and the outer course marks are visible from the lookout. Entry for competing vessels through the Antigua Yacht Club is open to all qualified offshore boats.

Nelson's Dockyard National Park covers the restored 18th-century British naval dockyard in English Harbour, a short walk or dinghy ride from Falmouth Harbour marina. The Georgian dockyard buildings are intact and interpreted as a heritage site; the park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. The site is open daily and charges an admission fee. The Copper and Lumber Store Hotel operates from within the dockyard buildings. The access road runs down from English Harbour village; there is no charge for vessels entering the harbour itself. Shirley Heights Battery and lookout above is reached by road or by the popular Sunday sunset jump-up trail.

Caribbean microtidal: spring range 0.3 to 0.5 metres, mixed semidiurnal. Two unequal highs and two unequal lows each day. The harbour entrance and the inner anchorage are accessible at all states of tide; the controlling depth limit is the harbour bottom, not the tidal range. The current at the Freeman's Bay channel between Falmouth and English Harbour runs up to 1.5 knots on a spring ebb — noticeable for paddlecraft and dinghies, manageable for all powered vessels.

Open-Meteo Marine, a free gridded global ocean model. Accuracy is typically within plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 metres on height. For Antigua, the Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Service publishes weather and marine forecasts. The nearest authoritative tide gauge reference in the region is St. John's Harbour on Antigua's west coast; the south coast harbours run on a slightly different phase, typically 20 to 40 minutes earlier than St. John's.

No. Falmouth and English Harbours have active vessel traffic including charter yachts, racing fleets, and commercial marina operations. The south coast approach from the open Caribbean requires knowledge of the reef positions off the Antigua southern coast. For vessel navigation, use the current Eastern Caribbean charts and the OECS Notices to Mariners. Nelson's Dockyard park regulations apply to vessels entering English Harbour. Open-Meteo Marine gridded predictions are not authoritative navigational data.