At Sea to Dominica
The sun rose at 6:40 and I could see at dawn looking astern the hulking mountains Nevis looming 20 miles away in the distance. We sailed slowly overnight. The sea was surprisingly flat and calm today and as Tom O’Brien mentioned, it is an exceedingly rare event to be becalmed in the Caribbean. The westerly breeze is typically as predictable as the bright Caribbean sun. Although we were at sea there was never a dull moment. Captain Karlsson called to have all the sails set from the Sky Sails on the main mast to the Mizzen Lower Gaff on the Mizzen mast, including all the foscle jibs. The latter are so called because they are the before the “castle,” the bridge being the castle. Hence the abbreviated form “foscle.” The captain was trying to squeeze the every bit of breeze from the wind. Despite all his galiant efforts we only managed at one point to make .5 knots per hour as we sailed east and south to Dominica.
Many went on the bridge and engine tours, which were scheduled today. The main engines, looked after by a crew of six, on the Sea Cloud II are 1,300KW/HP each and they drive the 9ft in diameter propeller. We make our own water, about 60 tons per day, by desalinating sea water and employing the latest in reverse osmosis technology. The waste on the Sea Cloud II meets the strictest of environmental standards and it is comforting to know that all on board are keen on making the trips as “green” as possible. The entirety of the six large rooms which make up the engine room are all controlled by a state of the art computer room. We had three scheduled talks today: At 10AM. Tom Heffernan gave an historic overview of the sugar trade and slavery and showed how the entire fabric of the Caribbean was indebted to this demeaning trade in human beings. Tom O’Brien gave an informative talk from “stem to stern” on the lines and sails of a square-rigger and at 5PM Berit gave a beautifully illustrated slide presentation of the fish of the coral reef.
Tonight we had a bar-b-cue dinner al fresco on the Lido Deck. Eating gourmet food under the stars in a gentle breeze in 75 degrees is as civilized a human behavior as any I can think of at the moment. The sun began to set as we sailed by Guadalupe on our port side. I went to bed with a delightful sense of fulfillment.
The sun rose at 6:40 and I could see at dawn looking astern the hulking mountains Nevis looming 20 miles away in the distance. We sailed slowly overnight. The sea was surprisingly flat and calm today and as Tom O’Brien mentioned, it is an exceedingly rare event to be becalmed in the Caribbean. The westerly breeze is typically as predictable as the bright Caribbean sun. Although we were at sea there was never a dull moment. Captain Karlsson called to have all the sails set from the Sky Sails on the main mast to the Mizzen Lower Gaff on the Mizzen mast, including all the foscle jibs. The latter are so called because they are the before the “castle,” the bridge being the castle. Hence the abbreviated form “foscle.” The captain was trying to squeeze the every bit of breeze from the wind. Despite all his galiant efforts we only managed at one point to make .5 knots per hour as we sailed east and south to Dominica.
Many went on the bridge and engine tours, which were scheduled today. The main engines, looked after by a crew of six, on the Sea Cloud II are 1,300KW/HP each and they drive the 9ft in diameter propeller. We make our own water, about 60 tons per day, by desalinating sea water and employing the latest in reverse osmosis technology. The waste on the Sea Cloud II meets the strictest of environmental standards and it is comforting to know that all on board are keen on making the trips as “green” as possible. The entirety of the six large rooms which make up the engine room are all controlled by a state of the art computer room. We had three scheduled talks today: At 10AM. Tom Heffernan gave an historic overview of the sugar trade and slavery and showed how the entire fabric of the Caribbean was indebted to this demeaning trade in human beings. Tom O’Brien gave an informative talk from “stem to stern” on the lines and sails of a square-rigger and at 5PM Berit gave a beautifully illustrated slide presentation of the fish of the coral reef.
Tonight we had a bar-b-cue dinner al fresco on the Lido Deck. Eating gourmet food under the stars in a gentle breeze in 75 degrees is as civilized a human behavior as any I can think of at the moment. The sun began to set as we sailed by Guadalupe on our port side. I went to bed with a delightful sense of fulfillment.
