Winter Solstice - At Sea heading to St. Lucia
Today we unfurled the sails at 9:00am and proceeded toward St. Lucia at about a 10 knot pace. The morning was taken up with an interesting talk on the history of the Caribbean by Steve Blamires. He led us on a journey from the pre-Columbian inhabitants, through the tobacco and sugar empires and on to the independent Caribbean countries we know today. Then folks passed the time with their sail diagrams studying the sail configuration and “learning the ropes” on board the Sea Cloud II. It was a lazy afternoon with some focus on fish identification with Emma on the Lido deck and some sunset yoga and stretching with Helen on the Sundeck.
We took in sail at 5:00pm in preparation for a full night under sail. Taking in the sail is important for night sailing as a precaution against the possible squall in the middle of the night. It is for safety as taking in sail during the night could be difficult. As the captain says: “It is prudent sailing.”
Lastly, the highlight of the day was stargazing with Tom O’Brien on the Lido Deck as he told stories and brought the skies to life pointing out the salient features.
Today we unfurled the sails at 9:00am and proceeded toward St. Lucia at about a 10 knot pace. The morning was taken up with an interesting talk on the history of the Caribbean by Steve Blamires. He led us on a journey from the pre-Columbian inhabitants, through the tobacco and sugar empires and on to the independent Caribbean countries we know today. Then folks passed the time with their sail diagrams studying the sail configuration and “learning the ropes” on board the Sea Cloud II. It was a lazy afternoon with some focus on fish identification with Emma on the Lido deck and some sunset yoga and stretching with Helen on the Sundeck.
We took in sail at 5:00pm in preparation for a full night under sail. Taking in the sail is important for night sailing as a precaution against the possible squall in the middle of the night. It is for safety as taking in sail during the night could be difficult. As the captain says: “It is prudent sailing.”
Lastly, the highlight of the day was stargazing with Tom O’Brien on the Lido Deck as he told stories and brought the skies to life pointing out the salient features.
