St. Kitts
We spent our morning exploring the island of St. Christopher, known also as St. Kitts. Until recently much of the island grew sugar, and many sugar mill ruins can be found on the island. Beyond the former sugar fields lay steep, green mountains covered in rainforest.
Our minibuses left Basseterre and drove north along the shore. Most of us visited Brimstone Hill, a huge fortress built atop an old volcanic cone. Within the highest part of the multi-level fortification, there are now museum exhibits. And looking northwards, there are commanding views towards the volcanic islands of St. Eustatius and Saba.
A small group of us explored St. Kitts’ rainforest. Upon entering the forest, light was dim, kept out by the dense canopy of foliage above. Thick, woody vines called lianas looped over the forest floor, then reached up to the light far above, where they produced leaves. Spines covered some of the tree trunks – defense from an ancient herbivore? A giant fig tree had tall buttress roots that snaked over boulders and the forest floor, giving the huge tree a solid base on thin soil. At a rocky ledge, so many roots crept over the drop off that, from below, there appeared to be a ‘root waterfall.’ Streams had crystal clear water and crayfish, and the water’s sounds were music to our ears. We were dampened by rainforest showers, and then saw sun rays glisten on sparkling spider webs. As water dripped from canopy leaves, someone observed, “It looks like diamonds are falling from the sky.” It was, indeed, magical.
We all visited Caribelle Batik and the beautiful gardens at Romney Manor, then returned to have lunch on the ship. The ship repositioned to Ballast Bay, where the swim platform was lowered. We swam in the warm water alongside Sea Cloud II, while crewmembers climbed the rigging to unfurl the square sails. It was quite a rare view to watch crew working aloft from true ‘sea level!’ As we ascended the ladder and reached the swim platform, we were each greeted with a thick towel and a glass of champagne. Mmmmmm . . .
For tea time Nils the baker prepared fresh waffles, with toppings of ice cream and fruit sauce. As we enjoyed this delicious snack, nearly all square sails were set in preparation for a full night of sailing.
We spent our morning exploring the island of St. Christopher, known also as St. Kitts. Until recently much of the island grew sugar, and many sugar mill ruins can be found on the island. Beyond the former sugar fields lay steep, green mountains covered in rainforest.
Our minibuses left Basseterre and drove north along the shore. Most of us visited Brimstone Hill, a huge fortress built atop an old volcanic cone. Within the highest part of the multi-level fortification, there are now museum exhibits. And looking northwards, there are commanding views towards the volcanic islands of St. Eustatius and Saba.
A small group of us explored St. Kitts’ rainforest. Upon entering the forest, light was dim, kept out by the dense canopy of foliage above. Thick, woody vines called lianas looped over the forest floor, then reached up to the light far above, where they produced leaves. Spines covered some of the tree trunks – defense from an ancient herbivore? A giant fig tree had tall buttress roots that snaked over boulders and the forest floor, giving the huge tree a solid base on thin soil. At a rocky ledge, so many roots crept over the drop off that, from below, there appeared to be a ‘root waterfall.’ Streams had crystal clear water and crayfish, and the water’s sounds were music to our ears. We were dampened by rainforest showers, and then saw sun rays glisten on sparkling spider webs. As water dripped from canopy leaves, someone observed, “It looks like diamonds are falling from the sky.” It was, indeed, magical.
We all visited Caribelle Batik and the beautiful gardens at Romney Manor, then returned to have lunch on the ship. The ship repositioned to Ballast Bay, where the swim platform was lowered. We swam in the warm water alongside Sea Cloud II, while crewmembers climbed the rigging to unfurl the square sails. It was quite a rare view to watch crew working aloft from true ‘sea level!’ As we ascended the ladder and reached the swim platform, we were each greeted with a thick towel and a glass of champagne. Mmmmmm . . .
For tea time Nils the baker prepared fresh waffles, with toppings of ice cream and fruit sauce. As we enjoyed this delicious snack, nearly all square sails were set in preparation for a full night of sailing.
