Bequia, the Grenadines
We were anchored through the night just off the quiet town of Port Elizabeth on the island of Bequia in the country of Saint Vincent’s and the Grenadines. Just after breakfast we began our trip to the island. Some of us went off to Jack’s Bar and to swim at the local beach. Most of us went across the island, in the local vehicles (pick-up trucks serving as vans), to the Turtle Refuge run by Brother King. This extraordinary former fisherman decided many years ago to dedicate his life to save the turtles of this area, the very creatures that he and his friend had hunted in the past. In his tanks were turtles from the earliest ages to roughly five years, after which Brother King turns them back into the wild. The program has been extremely successful.
The crew set up a triangular zodiac service that went from ship to town to beach, and all morning we were able to visit the town for shopping and sightseeing, go off for a swim on the beach, or return to the ship at our leisure. The town was charming with an excellent book store and clothing shops. This, Tom O’Brien told us, was his favorite town on this trip. Among the highlights were the Rastafarian vegetable market and the museum and workshop for model ships. The white sand beach and blue waters were crowned by Jack’s Bar where we had complimentary drinks.
We set sail, sadly our final sail of this trip, for Barbados. Lunch was the usual excellent spread. We were able to see the setting of the sails, a true spectacle. In the afternoon there were tea and coffee, and Ron Suny gave his lecture, bringing the history of the Caribbean up to the twentieth century. Ron placed the history of the islands in the context of modernity, the creation of European empires, the slave trade, the foundations of the global capitalist economy, and the legitimization of the new social system with ideas of race. In this second installment, he talked about emancipation of the slaves, the American role in Caribbean politics, and the move from empire to new nation-states.
The day concluded with Capitan Pfenninger’s cocktail party and Gala Dinner. Those of us who had spent most of the voyage in shorts and loud shirts took this occasion to dress a bit more formally. Our final evening was mixed with great satisfaction, joyful memories of new friends and places, and a tinge of sadness about leaving Sea Cloud II.
We were anchored through the night just off the quiet town of Port Elizabeth on the island of Bequia in the country of Saint Vincent’s and the Grenadines. Just after breakfast we began our trip to the island. Some of us went off to Jack’s Bar and to swim at the local beach. Most of us went across the island, in the local vehicles (pick-up trucks serving as vans), to the Turtle Refuge run by Brother King. This extraordinary former fisherman decided many years ago to dedicate his life to save the turtles of this area, the very creatures that he and his friend had hunted in the past. In his tanks were turtles from the earliest ages to roughly five years, after which Brother King turns them back into the wild. The program has been extremely successful.
The crew set up a triangular zodiac service that went from ship to town to beach, and all morning we were able to visit the town for shopping and sightseeing, go off for a swim on the beach, or return to the ship at our leisure. The town was charming with an excellent book store and clothing shops. This, Tom O’Brien told us, was his favorite town on this trip. Among the highlights were the Rastafarian vegetable market and the museum and workshop for model ships. The white sand beach and blue waters were crowned by Jack’s Bar where we had complimentary drinks.
We set sail, sadly our final sail of this trip, for Barbados. Lunch was the usual excellent spread. We were able to see the setting of the sails, a true spectacle. In the afternoon there were tea and coffee, and Ron Suny gave his lecture, bringing the history of the Caribbean up to the twentieth century. Ron placed the history of the islands in the context of modernity, the creation of European empires, the slave trade, the foundations of the global capitalist economy, and the legitimization of the new social system with ideas of race. In this second installment, he talked about emancipation of the slaves, the American role in Caribbean politics, and the move from empire to new nation-states.
The day concluded with Capitan Pfenninger’s cocktail party and Gala Dinner. Those of us who had spent most of the voyage in shorts and loud shirts took this occasion to dress a bit more formally. Our final evening was mixed with great satisfaction, joyful memories of new friends and places, and a tinge of sadness about leaving Sea Cloud II.
