One of the most beautiful sailing yachts ever built, Sea Cloud entered the bay of The Saints. Like in the good old days, the ship moved with the wind while displaying her 30 fantastic sails.
It is easy to be transported back in time to 1493 when Columbus arrived to this same group of islands with 17 ships and 1,500 men during his second voyage to the Americas. The day was November 4, hence the name of the islands, “Los Santos.”
This archipelago is located six miles south of Guadalupe. The bigger island is Terre-de-Haut, and the smaller one is Terre-de-Bas. Several of the islands are uninhabited.
We visited Bourg at Terre-de-Haut, a French overseas territory. This colorful and larger village is home to 1,800 people. The language is French, Euro is the local currency, and baguettes and croissants are sold on the streets. But Terre-de-Haut has its own delicacies and charm, including a tiny church built on lava (these are volcanic islands) and a population composed of the descendants of the many ethnic groups that inhabited this part of the world for millennia. Terre-de-Haut also has its own pastry. Torment d’amour, or torment of love, is a pastry filled with coconut, pineapple, and guava.
We visited Fort Napoleon and enjoyed the view of one of the most beautiful bays in the world. The area also boasts a “petit” sugarloaf. It is not composed of pure granite, like the one in Rio de Janeiro, but of columnar basalt. We find igneous rocks here, after all!
We walked the streets and enjoyed shopping for rum, spices, and clothes dyed with the very traditional French indigo. We had time for swimming and snorkeling. I spotted several species of parrotfish along with sergeant majors, queen angelfish, four-eyed butterflyfish, and French grunts.
Later, we had the opportinity to swim from Sea Cloud. We admired the islands from a different perspective and enjoyed the care and luxurious treatment that all visetors receive on board Sea Cloud.
We departed after lunch. We must travel a long way south to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The moon illuminated the seas while we continued our adventure into the culture, history, and natural wonders of the Lesser Antilles.
