At Sea in the Eastern Caribbean
Were we drifting, moving, or sailing? Had we stopped? We awoke this morning with a disorienting silence, after having gone to sleep with the moon rising and topsails set out of Barbados. As we came out on decks before breakfast, we felt as if in a dream. Yes, we are sailing—and wow, what sails they are! A moderate northeasterly trade wind was blowing from the northeast as we made out the Windward Islands of Martinique and St. Lucia on the horizon ahead of us. Could this be? It was as if we were in another era, on a hand-sailed tall ship in the eastern Caribbean.
At 0900, most of us convened on the spanker deck to listen to Chief Officer Steve Tarrant give a “play-by-play” explanation of the setting of the remainder of the square sails, bracing the yardarms, climbing the rigging, and hauling the sheets to bring this majestic ship to life. As historian Tom Heffernan proclaimed in his introduction, “On board an authentic square-rigger like Sea Cloud, we are living the history of the Caribbean, not just visiting it.” We were all spellbound by the setting of the sails, and we then gathered on the fo’c’sle as Steve explained the dynamics of sails and sailing.
It is truly amazing that in this day and age, we can still have this magical experience of sailing on an authentic tall ship—an elaborate and coordinated complex of lines, spars, and rigging—and in such a setting as the Windward Islands. The eastern Caribbean was founded on exploration and trade by sailing ships, in a world of cannons, forts, pirates, and barrels of rum. And here in the Windward Islands, we still find the true Caribbean Islands.
After lunch, Tom gave an overview of the history of the Caribbean entitled “Trinkets, Sugar and Slaves: White Gold and The Triangular Trade.” Suddenly the Caribbean went from being a playground of sun, surf, and sand to a fascinating and complex cultural melting pot in the name of the white gold of the 17th and 18th centuries: sugar. The fanatical European tastes for labor-intensive sugarcane brought the slave trade to the New World and established the foundation of the cultures today. And we soon realized that each of the different island nations that we would be visiting had its own story and role as pawns in the great struggle between the colonial European powers.
Tom’s talk provoked thought and discussion that carried through the special afternoon custom-made crepe teatime presented by our baker Mark, and well into the sunset. With the historic volcanic plug of Martinique’s Diamond Rock on our starboard side and St. Lucia’s landmark twin peaks of the Pitons to port, the late afternoon light was magnificent. The only thing that could possibly divert our attention was the deck crew scampering up the rigging to furl the sails in the last light of day, as we all scrambled to get our cameras and practice some of the techniques that Alberto Montaudon, photo instructor, had taught us this morning.
We finished the day with Captain Sergey Komakin’s welcome cocktail party, and an unforgettable Sea Cloud welcome dinner. And it’s only the first day….
