Sailing to St. Lucia
The majestic Caribbean greeted us this morning as we headed for St. Lucia. As the Sea Cloud set sails, we could once again witness the skill of our sailors, who handled lines with remarkable coordination. Today, in front of our own eyes, this ancient way of traveling the seas was re-enacted in very much the same way as it was back then, when Europeans first encountered the West Indies.
Because the Sea Cloud travels entirely on wind power, we lowered our Zodiacs and moved a short distance away to experience the full majesty of this magnificent vessel under sail. We had the opportunity to circumnavigate the Sea Cloud as it elegantly cut though the Caribbean’s blue waters at 4.5 knots. This rare opportunity was enjoyed both by photographers capturing images and by observers, who appreciated having a different angle of our ship underway.
St. Lucia was our destination for the rest of the day. This little country is a beautiful island with two main dramatic peaks called “Les Pitons.” Here in St. Lucia, we traveled to a volcanic crater, where we saw the sulphur-saturated boiling mud, a product of geothermal activity. Clouds of steam rose through the tropical rain forest, reminding us of the intense volcanic history of the Lesser Antilles.
We also visited a beautiful botanical garden, where we got to know a variety of plants, both native and introduced to St. Lucia. We saw beautiful heliconias and begonias, as well as birds such as bananaquits, bullfinches, bare-eyed robins, and purple-throated caribs in the thick vegetation.
On the way to lunch, we stopped at a very nice waterfall. Here we had the chance to play under the waterfall and enjoy the very refreshing cool water.
After a marvelous dinner out on the lido deck, the “Sea Cloud Shanty Gang” sang their saltiest tunes. The performance was not only fun to witness, but everyone was welcome to participate as we kept an old sailing tradition alive.
