Embarkation St. John’s Antigua
The arrival at V.C. Byrd Airport was the first introduction to Caribbean life. It is colorful and filled with equally colorfully dressed people. Immediately outside the airport precinct is the Stamford Development Corp and the magnificent new cricket grounds, the site of the March 2007 World Cup. The West Indies have some of the best cricket teams in the world and the people in the Antilles are as passionate about cricket as Americans are football or baseball. It is the national pastime.
Neolithic people first settled the island of Antigua approximately four thousand years ago. Archaeological sites have been accurately dated from the Second Millennium BC. We have good evidence of Arawack Indians settling the islands about 35 BC and the more warlike Caribs followed them. Both tribes including also the Tainos originate in the Orinoco River basin of South America. Columbus was the first European to land in Antigua and named the island after an important Spanish Cathedral, “Santa Maria la Antigua.” The aboriginal name for the island is Wadadli. The first large scale European presence was from the English who emigrated here from the neighboring island of St. Kitts in 1632 with an eye to developing the sugar industry. This industry came to dominate Antiguan culture since the island is comparatively flat, has good soils and drainage and obviously the right climate for sugar cane. The sugar industry gave out in the late 1960’s.
We embarked at the Deep Harbor quayside at 4PM. We were greeted by our cabin stewards and then shepherded to the Lido Deck for a welcome champagne drink and to watch the sunset. The beauty and the grace of the Sea Cloud II is immediately apparent to all as I heard a number of “oohs and aahs.” There was a briefing on general shipboard information and Tom O’Brien, our expedition leader, explained life aboard the Sea Cloud II, the finest hand sailed bark on the sea today. The other staff members also introduced themselves. We sailed out of picturesque harbor at 7 and had lovely views of the capital of Antigua. Dinner was served at 7:30 and after dinner many of us retuned to the Lido deck to enjoy conversation and the piano music of Peter Czifra.
We have all had a long day and the first night aboard we all slept soundly as we sailed for our first destination, the island of Anguilla.
The arrival at V.C. Byrd Airport was the first introduction to Caribbean life. It is colorful and filled with equally colorfully dressed people. Immediately outside the airport precinct is the Stamford Development Corp and the magnificent new cricket grounds, the site of the March 2007 World Cup. The West Indies have some of the best cricket teams in the world and the people in the Antilles are as passionate about cricket as Americans are football or baseball. It is the national pastime.
Neolithic people first settled the island of Antigua approximately four thousand years ago. Archaeological sites have been accurately dated from the Second Millennium BC. We have good evidence of Arawack Indians settling the islands about 35 BC and the more warlike Caribs followed them. Both tribes including also the Tainos originate in the Orinoco River basin of South America. Columbus was the first European to land in Antigua and named the island after an important Spanish Cathedral, “Santa Maria la Antigua.” The aboriginal name for the island is Wadadli. The first large scale European presence was from the English who emigrated here from the neighboring island of St. Kitts in 1632 with an eye to developing the sugar industry. This industry came to dominate Antiguan culture since the island is comparatively flat, has good soils and drainage and obviously the right climate for sugar cane. The sugar industry gave out in the late 1960’s.
We embarked at the Deep Harbor quayside at 4PM. We were greeted by our cabin stewards and then shepherded to the Lido Deck for a welcome champagne drink and to watch the sunset. The beauty and the grace of the Sea Cloud II is immediately apparent to all as I heard a number of “oohs and aahs.” There was a briefing on general shipboard information and Tom O’Brien, our expedition leader, explained life aboard the Sea Cloud II, the finest hand sailed bark on the sea today. The other staff members also introduced themselves. We sailed out of picturesque harbor at 7 and had lovely views of the capital of Antigua. Dinner was served at 7:30 and after dinner many of us retuned to the Lido deck to enjoy conversation and the piano music of Peter Czifra.
We have all had a long day and the first night aboard we all slept soundly as we sailed for our first destination, the island of Anguilla.
