At Sea
Today was the Winter Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere… the shortest day of the year. This means the sun rose to its lowest relative height in the sky of the entire year. This was also the first day of winter, although it had little impact on us here in the tropical Caribbean region. Even so, the sun rose at 06:32 and set at 17:35, giving us 11 full hours of daylight!
Right after breakfast, the crew hit the rigging and unfurled the sails as Captain Karlsson gave an explanation as events happened. The sails were set very quickly, but since we had fairly gusty wind conditions, not all the sails were set. I n spite of this, the Sea Cloud II still managed to make 10 knots for quite a while. We spent the entire day making our way southwards sailing past Dominica, Martinique, and St. Lucia. It proved a perfect day to relax and recoup from our recent hectic travels getting to the ship.
At mid-morning, Lennox Honychurch gave us an explanation of the geological origins, geography, and geopolitical makeup of the Lesser Antilles. During Afternoon Tea, we twice spotted the huge splash of a breaching whale which we assumed was a humpback. We then settled in for a very informative powerpoint presentation by Mike Greenfelder on the Caribbean coral reefs.
By late afternoon, we furled the sails so we could motor overnight to put the ship in a good position for more sailing tomorrow morning when we hope to make a visit in the Grenadines. To top off a wonderful, relaxing day, the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party was attended on the Lido Deck, followed by our official Welcome Dinner.
Today was the Winter Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere… the shortest day of the year. This means the sun rose to its lowest relative height in the sky of the entire year. This was also the first day of winter, although it had little impact on us here in the tropical Caribbean region. Even so, the sun rose at 06:32 and set at 17:35, giving us 11 full hours of daylight!
Right after breakfast, the crew hit the rigging and unfurled the sails as Captain Karlsson gave an explanation as events happened. The sails were set very quickly, but since we had fairly gusty wind conditions, not all the sails were set. I n spite of this, the Sea Cloud II still managed to make 10 knots for quite a while. We spent the entire day making our way southwards sailing past Dominica, Martinique, and St. Lucia. It proved a perfect day to relax and recoup from our recent hectic travels getting to the ship.
At mid-morning, Lennox Honychurch gave us an explanation of the geological origins, geography, and geopolitical makeup of the Lesser Antilles. During Afternoon Tea, we twice spotted the huge splash of a breaching whale which we assumed was a humpback. We then settled in for a very informative powerpoint presentation by Mike Greenfelder on the Caribbean coral reefs.
By late afternoon, we furled the sails so we could motor overnight to put the ship in a good position for more sailing tomorrow morning when we hope to make a visit in the Grenadines. To top off a wonderful, relaxing day, the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party was attended on the Lido Deck, followed by our official Welcome Dinner.
