Anguilla
Sun rose this morning over the island of St. Bart’s at 6:20. The temperature was 82 degrees Fahrenheit with a gentle breeze. We anchored off of Cove Bay Anguilla at 8AM in a dazzling azure sea. Anguilla is an island formed from coral and is not volcanic as are many of the other Lesser Antilles. The volcanic mountains on St. Martin are a little more than a mile away and the contrast between the two islands could not be more extreme. Anguilla is the northernmost of Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles and has some of the finest beaches in the entire Caribbean. It was given its name by Columbus who named it Anguilla or the “Eel” because of its long low sinuous shape. The island is only 35 square miles in length and nowhere more than three miles wide and in profile it is quite low. The pre Columbian Arawack population called the island “Malliouhana.” The population is about 8 thousand but it is visited by more than 60 thousand, which underscores the importance of tourism as the major industry in these islands. Anguilla unlike its neighbors St. Kitts and Nevis, with whom it formerly comprised an administrative unit, refused to break away from England and today remains a British Crown Colony. Anguilla is remarkably arid as is readily apparent from the cacti and euphorbia and aloes that dot the island. This is likely because it has no mountains to catch the moisture-laden clouds. For many years the principal industries were lobster fishing, salt production and agriculture. Today tourism and off shore banking are major revenue producers.
We had our safety drill at 9:30 and learned how to prepare for any emergencies. The crew of the Sea Cloud II is well skilled and practices these drills frequently. We boarded Zodiacs at 10 and had a wonderful morning snorkeling and swimming on the virtually deserted beach at Cove Bay. We had the staff at Smokey’s (the local beach club) set out beach lounges and umbrellas and most of us enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing Caribbean day. After lunch the sails were unfurled and Tom O’Brien and Captain Karlsson introduced us to the complex world of sails on a square-rigger. The Sea Cloud II was deliberately designed when sailing cargo vessels were at their peak in the 1870’s. We are indeed sailing an historical recreation of these vessels from 130 years ago. After tea Tom Heffernan gave a lecture on the Languages of the Caribbean entitled “Present at the Creation: The Birth of Caribbean Creoles.” Tonight we were treated to Lido Deck bar-b-cue, the lovely piano music of Peter Czifra and the Captain introduced his staff. I went to bed exhilarated after an energetic and fulfilling day.
Sun rose this morning over the island of St. Bart’s at 6:20. The temperature was 82 degrees Fahrenheit with a gentle breeze. We anchored off of Cove Bay Anguilla at 8AM in a dazzling azure sea. Anguilla is an island formed from coral and is not volcanic as are many of the other Lesser Antilles. The volcanic mountains on St. Martin are a little more than a mile away and the contrast between the two islands could not be more extreme. Anguilla is the northernmost of Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles and has some of the finest beaches in the entire Caribbean. It was given its name by Columbus who named it Anguilla or the “Eel” because of its long low sinuous shape. The island is only 35 square miles in length and nowhere more than three miles wide and in profile it is quite low. The pre Columbian Arawack population called the island “Malliouhana.” The population is about 8 thousand but it is visited by more than 60 thousand, which underscores the importance of tourism as the major industry in these islands. Anguilla unlike its neighbors St. Kitts and Nevis, with whom it formerly comprised an administrative unit, refused to break away from England and today remains a British Crown Colony. Anguilla is remarkably arid as is readily apparent from the cacti and euphorbia and aloes that dot the island. This is likely because it has no mountains to catch the moisture-laden clouds. For many years the principal industries were lobster fishing, salt production and agriculture. Today tourism and off shore banking are major revenue producers.
We had our safety drill at 9:30 and learned how to prepare for any emergencies. The crew of the Sea Cloud II is well skilled and practices these drills frequently. We boarded Zodiacs at 10 and had a wonderful morning snorkeling and swimming on the virtually deserted beach at Cove Bay. We had the staff at Smokey’s (the local beach club) set out beach lounges and umbrellas and most of us enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing Caribbean day. After lunch the sails were unfurled and Tom O’Brien and Captain Karlsson introduced us to the complex world of sails on a square-rigger. The Sea Cloud II was deliberately designed when sailing cargo vessels were at their peak in the 1870’s. We are indeed sailing an historical recreation of these vessels from 130 years ago. After tea Tom Heffernan gave a lecture on the Languages of the Caribbean entitled “Present at the Creation: The Birth of Caribbean Creoles.” Tonight we were treated to Lido Deck bar-b-cue, the lovely piano music of Peter Czifra and the Captain introduced his staff. I went to bed exhilarated after an energetic and fulfilling day.
