At sea & St. Kitts
An orange sun burst out behind a bank of clouds to the east as Sea Cloud II sailed north from Guadeloupe with the islands of Antigua off on the horizon to the starboard side and Montserrat to port. The arid rock of Redonda and the distinctive peak of Nevis emerged from the morning haze to the north. The volcanic cone of Soufriere Hills on Montserrat was the focus of attention as the clouds lifted and we could see the many vents of the volcano gassing. Spread around the peak was the lifeless sweep of the pyroclastic flows made up of ash and volcanic debris that had swept down the sides of the volcano during repeated eruptions since its reawakening in July of 1995.
The ship took a close pass near to the steep cliffs of Redonda so that guests could see frigate birds, brown boobies and white tailed tropic birds circle above this eroded volcanic plug where there was once a phosphate mine in the early 20th century.
In contrast, as we steered northwards, where to starboard was the lush green peak of Nevis with St. Kitts beyond it off the bow. As we sailed along, Lennox Honychurch presented his slide lecture in the lounge on “The First Peoples”, the Amerindians who came in canoes from the Orinoco region of South America to settle these islands. Fittingly we then sailed into the harbour of Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts, which was the first colony to be established by the English in these waters among the indigenous Carib/Kalinago people. Landing in Zodiacs we began our exploration of the island by going through the town and then driving along the west coast to Old Road, the site of the English settlers’ landing place and site of one of the prehistoric petroglyphs or rock carvings done by the indigenous people for religious purposes.
Further up the road, at the ruined remains of Wingfield Plantation, Lennox gave us a brief outline of how sugar was processed in the heyday of the plantation era. A short ride across a forested ravine took us to a gorgeous botanic garden, the centrepiece of which is a huge and ancient Samaan tree reputed to be some 350 years old. The reconstructed plantation house in the garden is the centre for batik production on the island and guests took time off to purchase a variety of colourful designs that were worn at cocktails and dinners throughout the rest of the trip. Our last stop was the historic fortress of Brimstone Hill, a massive garrison built by the British from 1690 to the 1790s. On the way through Middle Island, our guides pointed out the graves of Sir Thomas Warner, founder of the English colony and Samuel Jefferson, grandfather of the US president Thomas Jefferson. Once at Brimstone Hill, Lennox took us through the museum at Fort George, the central citadel of the garrison, from where we got spectacular views across St. Kitts and beyond to the islands of Saba, St. Eustatius and St.Maarten to the north and east. Then it was back to Basseterre and Sea Cloud II which soon weighed anchor and steered northwards as the sun set, sailing towards our next destination at the Prickly Pear islands off Anguilla.
