St. Lucia
We awoke to find ourselves at the northern tip of St Lucia, with Martinique to the north off our port bow, positioning ourselves for a morning under sail in the lee of this most spectacular of the islands of the Lesser Antilles. At 0800 the crew went to sail stations and, making use of the lee shore, we were able to lower Zodiacs and take a rare opportunity to photograph the ship under sail. The maritime theme continued back on board with a talk on tropical fish identification from Berit, a great help to those taking the snorkeling options frequently offered on this voyage.
During lunch we arrived at one of the most photogenic anchorages in the Caribbean, the small township of Soufriere. Its name – from the French for sulphur – immediately references the volcanic nature of the island's topography, with two volcanic plugs, the Greater and Lesser Piton standing guard over the bay. Our afternoon excursion took us into the collapsed caldera to see (and smell) the bubbling sulphur springs.
In the Botanical Garden, our knowledgeable and informative local guides introduced us to the rich fauna and flora of the island, including once commercially important crops such as cocoa, coffee, nutmeg and mace, cinnamon and cloves. In the case of cocoa, the island now has a reputation for high quality cocoa beans that are much sought after by the best European chocolatiers. Going for the quality end of the market rather than trying to compete with the huge multi-national producers seems to offer a way ahead for the small Caribbean producers in difficult economic times.
After this visit came the Toraille Falls, with a chance to take a plunge in the freshwater pool under the falls. Most invigorating, and a perfect prelude to rum cocktails and Creole snacks at a stunningly located restaurant overlooking the bay, with Sea Cloud II at anchor flanked by the Pitons - a photo opportunity if ever there was one.
Hummingbirds - there are three species on St Lucia - could be seen feeding at close quarters from the balcony. We returned to the ship in late evening sun to prepare for a special Creole Dinner, very Nouvelle Creole as it turned out, but delightful nonetheless.
We awoke to find ourselves at the northern tip of St Lucia, with Martinique to the north off our port bow, positioning ourselves for a morning under sail in the lee of this most spectacular of the islands of the Lesser Antilles. At 0800 the crew went to sail stations and, making use of the lee shore, we were able to lower Zodiacs and take a rare opportunity to photograph the ship under sail. The maritime theme continued back on board with a talk on tropical fish identification from Berit, a great help to those taking the snorkeling options frequently offered on this voyage.
During lunch we arrived at one of the most photogenic anchorages in the Caribbean, the small township of Soufriere. Its name – from the French for sulphur – immediately references the volcanic nature of the island's topography, with two volcanic plugs, the Greater and Lesser Piton standing guard over the bay. Our afternoon excursion took us into the collapsed caldera to see (and smell) the bubbling sulphur springs.
In the Botanical Garden, our knowledgeable and informative local guides introduced us to the rich fauna and flora of the island, including once commercially important crops such as cocoa, coffee, nutmeg and mace, cinnamon and cloves. In the case of cocoa, the island now has a reputation for high quality cocoa beans that are much sought after by the best European chocolatiers. Going for the quality end of the market rather than trying to compete with the huge multi-national producers seems to offer a way ahead for the small Caribbean producers in difficult economic times.
After this visit came the Toraille Falls, with a chance to take a plunge in the freshwater pool under the falls. Most invigorating, and a perfect prelude to rum cocktails and Creole snacks at a stunningly located restaurant overlooking the bay, with Sea Cloud II at anchor flanked by the Pitons - a photo opportunity if ever there was one.
Hummingbirds - there are three species on St Lucia - could be seen feeding at close quarters from the balcony. We returned to the ship in late evening sun to prepare for a special Creole Dinner, very Nouvelle Creole as it turned out, but delightful nonetheless.
