Off the Grenadines
We sailed out of Soufriere in St. Lucia last night on our way south to the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Sunrise was at approximately 6 and the weather was a balmy 78 degrees Fahrenheit at 8AM. The crew went to sail stations at 8:30 and added more sails and by 10 we were making about 5.5 knots. Many of the guests took advantage of the tours of the bridge and the navigational equipment that is so much a part of this wonderful hybrid of a sailing vessel. The Sea Cloud II is designed as the most advanced of the sailing vessels when sailing reached its apogee in the late 1870’s but, in addition, it has the most up-to-date modern navigational aids. We sail as a living part of late 19th century history, aided by 21st century technology.
At 11 Roger gave a very interesting illustrated talk on the ecology of the reef. Lunch was on the Lido and after lunch we split into two groups: those who were going snorkeling in the marine sanctuary off Tobago Keys and those who were going to the beach on the tiny island of Mayreau. This tiny place has 350 year-round inhabitants and is a total of 1.5 square miles. The village has three restaurants and bars, one of which is run by a man with the inimitable name of Robert Righteous. Does having a rum punch in Righteousness’ establishment make one righteous?!
Most of us left the Sea Cloud II for snorkeling after lunch. We boarded an 85’ catamaran and sailed into the shallow reef-surrounded water of the Tobago quays. The government of St. Vincent has designated this a marine sanctuary. On our first dive many of us saw green turtles, some as large as 3” in diameter, feeding in the underwater sea grass. It was a real privilege and the turtles were quite unafraid. Our second dive took us off a coral reef where the fish were spectacular and in abundance, cuttle fish, stingrays and every imaginable tropical fish seemed present. We boarded our catamaran and after a still rum punch sailed back to the Sea Cloud II.
We set sail for Bequia at 6 and arrived off Port Elizabeth just after a scrumptious dinner at 9. This night was particularly special as we had the “King of Strings” – a group of five local guitar players – come on board to serenade us until 11PM. The evening was spent on the Lido with the Milky Way shining down, as we listened to the lilting music of the singers from the Grenadines.
We sailed out of Soufriere in St. Lucia last night on our way south to the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Sunrise was at approximately 6 and the weather was a balmy 78 degrees Fahrenheit at 8AM. The crew went to sail stations at 8:30 and added more sails and by 10 we were making about 5.5 knots. Many of the guests took advantage of the tours of the bridge and the navigational equipment that is so much a part of this wonderful hybrid of a sailing vessel. The Sea Cloud II is designed as the most advanced of the sailing vessels when sailing reached its apogee in the late 1870’s but, in addition, it has the most up-to-date modern navigational aids. We sail as a living part of late 19th century history, aided by 21st century technology.
At 11 Roger gave a very interesting illustrated talk on the ecology of the reef. Lunch was on the Lido and after lunch we split into two groups: those who were going snorkeling in the marine sanctuary off Tobago Keys and those who were going to the beach on the tiny island of Mayreau. This tiny place has 350 year-round inhabitants and is a total of 1.5 square miles. The village has three restaurants and bars, one of which is run by a man with the inimitable name of Robert Righteous. Does having a rum punch in Righteousness’ establishment make one righteous?!
Most of us left the Sea Cloud II for snorkeling after lunch. We boarded an 85’ catamaran and sailed into the shallow reef-surrounded water of the Tobago quays. The government of St. Vincent has designated this a marine sanctuary. On our first dive many of us saw green turtles, some as large as 3” in diameter, feeding in the underwater sea grass. It was a real privilege and the turtles were quite unafraid. Our second dive took us off a coral reef where the fish were spectacular and in abundance, cuttle fish, stingrays and every imaginable tropical fish seemed present. We boarded our catamaran and after a still rum punch sailed back to the Sea Cloud II.
We set sail for Bequia at 6 and arrived off Port Elizabeth just after a scrumptious dinner at 9. This night was particularly special as we had the “King of Strings” – a group of five local guitar players – come on board to serenade us until 11PM. The evening was spent on the Lido with the Milky Way shining down, as we listened to the lilting music of the singers from the Grenadines.
