Our expedition continued to be filled with excitement and activities as we traveled to St. Vincent and the Isle of Bequia. The morning began with Aaron Raymond’s talk about expedition photography. He demonstrated various functions and camera settings and shared technical information and methods with guests to help them enhance photographic images when capturing memories of their voyage. Following Aaron’s presentation, the captain gave a tour that focused on the restoration efforts that keep historical Sea Cloud functioning and in pristine condition. After lunch, we disembarked on the Isle of Bequia in Saint Vincent where our guests had the opportunity to visit the model boat museum and workshop. This workshop is important in creating replicas of the historic sail ships owned by celebrities and the Royal family of England. The museum provided a background on the whaling activities that once provided a source of income for the local community. In the late afternoon, guests had a chance to swim on the beach and enjoy some drinks while watching the beautiful sunset. We ended the day on the ship with our local guide and a musical group that delighted guests with local interpretations of American songs.
1/28/2025
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Sea Cloud
Dominica
Named by Columbus because he landed on a Sunday, Dominica is known as the nature isle. It remains almost unspoiled. We next had an informative one-hour ride to the rain forest atop Morne Diablotin (or to use its Kalinago name Waitukubuli – “she whose body is so long”. The mountain was shrouded in clouds. Once in the forest we saw an endless variety of plants and trees. We returned to Sea Cloud for lunch and for a brief talk by our local guide, Dr. Lennon Honeychurch. Next stop, our snorkeling destination at Purple Turtle Beach, and yes one guest did see a turtle. After our snorkeling adventure, Lennox took us on a guided tour of 18th century British Fort Shirley. He was the principal advocate for the fort’s restoration. The fort is massive and spreads across most of the 200 acres of the Cabrits’ headland. It has only been possible to recover a small part of the original. Strangler vines and jungle cover the rest of the compound as you can see from Rich Reid’s photo of the commandant’s house. Our day ended with a great meal, and tomorrow on to Iles des Saintes.