Today we visited a new country, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and we were welcomed into its waters by dolphins and brown boobies. In the morning we learned from historian Maria Intxaustegi about the arrival of the Spanish to “the other side of the pond,” and with photo instructor Cindy Manning we practiced picture editing and sharing.
After lunch we dropped anchor in Admiralty Bay, in front of the 7-square-miles “Island of the Clouds,” or Becouya in Arawak language. We visited the Sargeant Brothers Model Boat Shop. Here, craftsmen spend their days carving and building replicas of vessels they’ve seen in Port Elizabeth. They work with the same gumwood that the Caribs used to build the canoes that brought them centuries ago from the Orinoco region into the lesser Antilles. We were welcomed by Timothy, one of the five original brothers, and expert craftsman Benson. Then some guests walked along Belmont’s boardwalk to Jack’s Bar, while others took Zodiacs. Jack’s is the idyllic place to have it all: a fantastic green spot at the edge of a cliff, pristine waters with reef fish (Cindy found several lobsters!), lazy chairs, soft sand, and the best cocktails in the Lesser Antilles. The very favorite: The Island in the Clouds, just like the island’s name!
