Much of what you see in the Caribbean can be linked back to the wind: the history of slavery and colonial trade networks, the tropical ecology of rain blown in from the open ocean to the east, and the culture of sailing and island hopping. And this morning, we had our best experience yet with these powerful winds. The crew of Sea Cloud awoke early to unfurl the sails and catch a strong 15-knot wind that propelled us (in our fastest sail of the trip) towards our afternoon destination of Bequia, a small island within the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
There, we explored different aspects of an island culture heavily influenced by the trade winds and sailing. Guests joined historian Tom Heffernan on a guided walk to a boatbuilding museum and visited Rastafarian markets along the way. Others took the chance to stroll along the Belmont Boardwalk to capture photos of the harbor’s colorful buildings and boats. We met at the end of the day on Jack’s Beach, an idyllic sandy stretch overlooking Sea Cloud as the sun set behind her.
