Prickly Pear Cays, Anguilla
Christmas day was far from a white one, unless one counted the thin veneer of volcanic ash covering the decks and rigging of the Sea Cloud II after passing downwind from the active volcano of Montserrat the previous evening, the glow of the lava visible from our safe position. Or maybe we could count the sparkling white sand that made up the paradisiacal beach that we spent our afternoon on? None of us were complaining however, as a beautiful sunny Caribbean day embraced us with warmth, enticing us into the turquoise waters of our own private islet for the day.
The cays are formed of limestone, deposited over the eons by the agency of minute creatures – the coral polyps – and then uplifted as the edge of the Caribbean tectonic plate was pushed up by the subduction of the South American plate underneath it. We were swimming and snorkeling in a bay sheltered from the open sea by the reef itself, and on donning masks and snorkels provided by our crew, we could observe a large number of different tropical fish species, swimming amongst the scattered coral heads. We also saw many beautiful gorgonians, or sea fans, gracefully bending backwards and forwards with the water currents – a very distinctive feature of Caribbean marine ecosystems.
After enjoying our afternoon on the long, wild beach to the full we returned to our ship to find that wind conditions were perfect to make a fascinating sailing manoeuvre – sailing off anchor, and then through a beautiful sunset.
But our Christmas was not over yet, as the wonderful Sea Cloud II crew had prepared a Christmas treat: angels came down from the rigging, and then sang Christmas songs before inviting us down for a spectacular gala dinner with the ship’s officers in the dining room.
Christmas day was far from a white one, unless one counted the thin veneer of volcanic ash covering the decks and rigging of the Sea Cloud II after passing downwind from the active volcano of Montserrat the previous evening, the glow of the lava visible from our safe position. Or maybe we could count the sparkling white sand that made up the paradisiacal beach that we spent our afternoon on? None of us were complaining however, as a beautiful sunny Caribbean day embraced us with warmth, enticing us into the turquoise waters of our own private islet for the day.
The cays are formed of limestone, deposited over the eons by the agency of minute creatures – the coral polyps – and then uplifted as the edge of the Caribbean tectonic plate was pushed up by the subduction of the South American plate underneath it. We were swimming and snorkeling in a bay sheltered from the open sea by the reef itself, and on donning masks and snorkels provided by our crew, we could observe a large number of different tropical fish species, swimming amongst the scattered coral heads. We also saw many beautiful gorgonians, or sea fans, gracefully bending backwards and forwards with the water currents – a very distinctive feature of Caribbean marine ecosystems.
After enjoying our afternoon on the long, wild beach to the full we returned to our ship to find that wind conditions were perfect to make a fascinating sailing manoeuvre – sailing off anchor, and then through a beautiful sunset.
But our Christmas was not over yet, as the wonderful Sea Cloud II crew had prepared a Christmas treat: angels came down from the rigging, and then sang Christmas songs before inviting us down for a spectacular gala dinner with the ship’s officers in the dining room.
