After a long journey for many of us to arrive on the island of Barbados, our first day on Sea Cloud is much welcomed. Through the night we have positioned ourselves near the island of Martinique, where we spent our entire day sailing north towards tomorrow’s destination of Dominica. The winds were light in the early morning, providing a great start to the day as we were able to set nearly all the sails on Sea Cloud.
Expedition Leader Tom O’Brien gave an excellent walkthrough as the sails were being set, covering all the details for those of us who are new to sailing. After Tom’s talk, the expedition staff introduced themselves for the first time of the trip, which was followed by photographic instructor Max Seigal’s introductory talk on photo techniques. By lunchtime, the winds began to pick up and we started changing the sail configurations to accommodate for the changing weather. We all watched in awe as the sailors climbed the rigging to take down the upper sails, some more than 150 feet high from the water’s edge.
We enjoyed our first lunch on board Sea Cloud, an excellent assortment of fresh meats, fish, and vegetables from the local market in Barbados. After lunch, historian Tom Heffernan presented on the history of the islands, which is largely a product of the sugar cane industry that once thrived in the Caribbean. After his talk, we continued our leisurely day sailing on Sea Cloud, enjoying the beautiful sight as the islands of Martinique and St. Lucia came into view. Our sailing day concluded with a beautiful sunset, which lit up the sea and sky above. Our first day on board has certainly been a remarkable introduction to life on board Sea Cloud, and we look forward to many fantastic days to come!
