The twin towers of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine watch over the capital city of Antigua. After our tour of Antigua, Linda and I hurried to Hemingway’s for lunch. The scuttlebutt was that this once–well–known sailor’s hotel might have been visited by Ernest Hemingway, Linda’s favorite writer, during one of his famous Caribbean sailfishing expeditions… Why not? We had followed his trail all over Key West, Cuba, and Idaho.

Hemingway’s Caribbean Cafe was no longer a hotel, but it could have been. This West Indian– styled wooden structure built in the early 1800s showed damage from many hurricanes and had a definite “Papa” atmosphere. It advertised “the most extensive and exotic Caribbean rum collection in Antigua” including Hemingway’s fruit punch and Hemingway’s pineapple daiquiri. We had cheeseburgers and cokes, then continued our search for Capt. Styles Lightburn.

Warner, the great adventurer, in the lobby of Hemingway’s You have to understand our research expedition left us out of the jet set. We passed up a 4x4 safari, relaxing on Betty’s Beach, swimming with dolphins, a catamaran trip around the island, a hiking safari, snorkeling on the reef, and a kayak adventure… all for the sake of history.

The twin 70–foot towers of St. John’s Cathedral dominate the skyline of Antigua. On the way to the museum, we perused this church that dates back to 1683. The earlier buildings were destroyed by fire, earthquakes, and hurricanes. The present earthquake– proof, hurricane– proof structure was built in 1847 and proved its worth until an earthquake in 1974 damaged its structure. The high altar, silver candlesticks, silver cross, stained glass windows, octagonal pulpit, and 1848 organ have significant historical relevance. Though open for visitors, the church has ceased services while a restoration is underway.

The shipwreck section of Antigua Museum was very interesting. A number of ships that sank near Antigua had names similar to ships captained by the Lightburns: Phaeton

1802), New Providence

1817), Philip & Emelie

1821), Hope (1823), and Sisters (1823). I’ll have to check them against my records. The museum had the usual catalog of slave ships and slaving books but nothing that revealed any new information on the Lightburns. And a search of local leaders and property owners turned up nothing.

So, with a few hours of daylight left, Linda and I hired Euclid to drive us to Dickenson Beach, one of the 365 lazy beaches of Antigua. On the beach were many sun–worshippers trying to tan their pasty white skins. In the surf were scores of young barely–clad water skiers and jet skiers. We lounged in the Beach Club cabana with Jawadli Beers and a plate of humus… and enjoyed our years.

Ernest Hemingway Next stop in the search for Captain Lightburn… St. Martin.
Hemingways in St. John’s, Antigua, is the place to eat and be seen.