We all slept soundly with a quiet night at anchor, sea shanties still ringing in our ears after the big night before. Dawn was enchanting and unusually quiet with hardly a breath of wind. It had been dark when we anchored in Chatham Bay last night, a remote bay on the west side of Union Island in the Grenadines, with no road connection to the main towns of the island. Now we could see the beauty of the bay and Union Island’s surrounding hills, and the gorgeous arcuate white sand beach. It was the quintessential Caribbean beach morning, with Zodiacs running back and forth for a leisurely swim or stroll along the beach, and the best snorkeling of the week. With the sun warming up through mid-morning, many of us took shady refuge at Boll Head’s Beach Bar, where Tim and Boll Head mixed Caribbean specialty drinks like Pain Killers and Rum Punches, and a laid back reggae beat set the tone for the morning. It was a Caribbean morning to remember.
Back on board for lunch, we noticed a flurry of activity on the decks, as the sailors were already aloft preparing to set the sails. We were hardly off the anchor when we started setting sails, though the winds were unusually light. When the sailors came to set the spanker during lunch, we knew something was going on, and the expedition leader confirmed that Captain Komakin felt that we could make an attempt at lowering the Zodiacs to take a “circumnavigation” of Sea Cloud while she was under full sail! This is a difficult proposition, as setting the sails means the ship is moving, and that means we are getting off and back on a moving ship with no brakes. But there was hardly any swell, so we lowered the Zodiacs and had an opportunity to go out and see the ship in all of its sailing glory. When the Zodiacs were in front of the ship and we stopped for photos, you could see how fast the ship was approaching, as it bore down on us with the magnificent bowsprit and golden eagle figurehead towering above. It was an unforgettable experience that was the highlight of the voyage for many.
We also enjoyed surprisingly light swell on the open sea run out to Barbados this evening. It made for a very festive evening of champagne and caviar for the Farewell Cocktail Party, and lobster tail for the Farewell Dinner. And everyone was on the lido deck again after dinner to watch the guest slideshow, which is a compilation of photos contributed by all of our guests. It was fun and enlightening to see the different perspectives and images that we all have from the same voyage.
