At Sea from Barbados to Dominica
We boarded the Sea Cloud II at 4 in Deep Water Harbor of Bridgetown, Barbados. There was great expectation as we came into the dock yard by coach and suddenly caught sight of our ship. She rode majestic in her berth. Not far off in the same harbor was its namesake, the original Sea Cloud. We were berthed alongside the Aventura a floating hotel which carried four thousand guests. We knew at a glance how lucky we were. Tom O’Brien welcomed us and gave a thorough introduction to the history of sailing on a hand sailed full rigged ship at 6. The Lindblad staff then introduced themselves and spoke about their expertise. Cocktails and a grand dinner followed. Many of us came up on deck after dinner to watch the Sea Cloud motor by us at 9PM. We cast off at 10 last night and motored into the blackness of the Caribbean. The sea was calm and we were lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the ship.
The sun rose at 6:30 on our very first full day at sea. The ship’s crew was called to muster at 9 and we hoisted sails for the very first time. As the wind caught the sails, the ship heeled over ever so slightly and sliced the sea. In fact, the sails acted to reduce the movement of the ship through the sea. Imagine sailing with a technology that first began millennia ago, doing it with no power other than that of nature, and moving a vessel of 117 meters (386’), which weighs almost four thousand tons up to 11.5 knots.
The sea was gentle and there was little breeze. We had our lifeboat drill and a chance to hear the officers explore professional procedures to take in case of emergency. It was a comforting feeling to know that we are in the hands of such competent sailors. During the Chief Officer Vladimir’s safety talk on the Lido deck we sailed between Martinque on the starboard side. In the distance off the port side we could see St. Lucia with its two prominent pitons rising from the southern end of the island. Tom Heffernan gave a talk on the “Magic of the Caribbean Languages: their Evolution from Aboriginal, Indo-European and African Languages” on the Lido deck at 3.
Later that afternoon, we watched the sailors furl the sails for the evening. Tonight Captain Nemerzhitskiy formally introduced his officers and we celebrated the Captain Dinner, a tradition dating back to the 17th century, if not earlier. What a wonderful day -- we sailed with little sound just that of the wind in the rigging. Tomorrow Dominica.
We boarded the Sea Cloud II at 4 in Deep Water Harbor of Bridgetown, Barbados. There was great expectation as we came into the dock yard by coach and suddenly caught sight of our ship. She rode majestic in her berth. Not far off in the same harbor was its namesake, the original Sea Cloud. We were berthed alongside the Aventura a floating hotel which carried four thousand guests. We knew at a glance how lucky we were. Tom O’Brien welcomed us and gave a thorough introduction to the history of sailing on a hand sailed full rigged ship at 6. The Lindblad staff then introduced themselves and spoke about their expertise. Cocktails and a grand dinner followed. Many of us came up on deck after dinner to watch the Sea Cloud motor by us at 9PM. We cast off at 10 last night and motored into the blackness of the Caribbean. The sea was calm and we were lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the ship.
The sun rose at 6:30 on our very first full day at sea. The ship’s crew was called to muster at 9 and we hoisted sails for the very first time. As the wind caught the sails, the ship heeled over ever so slightly and sliced the sea. In fact, the sails acted to reduce the movement of the ship through the sea. Imagine sailing with a technology that first began millennia ago, doing it with no power other than that of nature, and moving a vessel of 117 meters (386’), which weighs almost four thousand tons up to 11.5 knots.
The sea was gentle and there was little breeze. We had our lifeboat drill and a chance to hear the officers explore professional procedures to take in case of emergency. It was a comforting feeling to know that we are in the hands of such competent sailors. During the Chief Officer Vladimir’s safety talk on the Lido deck we sailed between Martinque on the starboard side. In the distance off the port side we could see St. Lucia with its two prominent pitons rising from the southern end of the island. Tom Heffernan gave a talk on the “Magic of the Caribbean Languages: their Evolution from Aboriginal, Indo-European and African Languages” on the Lido deck at 3.
Later that afternoon, we watched the sailors furl the sails for the evening. Tonight Captain Nemerzhitskiy formally introduced his officers and we celebrated the Captain Dinner, a tradition dating back to the 17th century, if not earlier. What a wonderful day -- we sailed with little sound just that of the wind in the rigging. Tomorrow Dominica.
