Saint Lucia, Lesser Antilles
We shortened sail overnight to position ourselves in the lee of the dramatic island of Saint Lucia – quite possibly the most beautiful island in the Caribbean with its stark skyline of jutting “pitons” (hard volcanic intrusions left standing as the rest of the volcano was eroded). Our plan was to sail into the picturesque Soufriere Bay, on the south-western shore of the island, at lunchtime - a proposition that the captain deemed would require some complicated and intricate sailing manoeuvres. As often happens at sea, things did not go quite as planned as we were victim to calm and absolutely windless conditions – in fact we spent about an hour travelling at the whopping speed of ¾ of a knot, despite practically all sails being deployed. Despite this, our amazing Sea Cloud II crew displayed a tacking manoeuvre for us and we were able to lower Zodiacs for the photo opportunity of a lifetime – our own ship at full sail, with us on the outside! Whilst some of us chose to spend the afternoon relaxing on a beach where our Wellness Specialist, Kimberly, led some yoga and aqua aerobics classes, the rest boarded small minivans with wonderful local guides to explore the island.
We drove through the small town of Soufriere, literally translated as “Sulphur in the air” (with a heavy Caribbean drawl) and up into the very crater of the active volcano – an experience our guides referred to as a “drive-in” volcano! Bubbling mud and dense fumarole activity were witness to the volcanic nature of this island, whilst the stench of sulphur (apparently good for the sinuses… there were actually many residences at the very edge of the crater!) reassured us that this was not about to blow…
We then continued on to the most beautiful tropical botanical gardens I have ever seen, with trails lined by colourful Heliconias, densely laden cacao trees and towering tree ferns amongst others, before heading on to a waterfall for a delightful fresh-water dip – truly an afternoon to remember!
We shortened sail overnight to position ourselves in the lee of the dramatic island of Saint Lucia – quite possibly the most beautiful island in the Caribbean with its stark skyline of jutting “pitons” (hard volcanic intrusions left standing as the rest of the volcano was eroded). Our plan was to sail into the picturesque Soufriere Bay, on the south-western shore of the island, at lunchtime - a proposition that the captain deemed would require some complicated and intricate sailing manoeuvres. As often happens at sea, things did not go quite as planned as we were victim to calm and absolutely windless conditions – in fact we spent about an hour travelling at the whopping speed of ¾ of a knot, despite practically all sails being deployed. Despite this, our amazing Sea Cloud II crew displayed a tacking manoeuvre for us and we were able to lower Zodiacs for the photo opportunity of a lifetime – our own ship at full sail, with us on the outside! Whilst some of us chose to spend the afternoon relaxing on a beach where our Wellness Specialist, Kimberly, led some yoga and aqua aerobics classes, the rest boarded small minivans with wonderful local guides to explore the island.
We drove through the small town of Soufriere, literally translated as “Sulphur in the air” (with a heavy Caribbean drawl) and up into the very crater of the active volcano – an experience our guides referred to as a “drive-in” volcano! Bubbling mud and dense fumarole activity were witness to the volcanic nature of this island, whilst the stench of sulphur (apparently good for the sinuses… there were actually many residences at the very edge of the crater!) reassured us that this was not about to blow…
We then continued on to the most beautiful tropical botanical gardens I have ever seen, with trails lined by colourful Heliconias, densely laden cacao trees and towering tree ferns amongst others, before heading on to a waterfall for a delightful fresh-water dip – truly an afternoon to remember!
