Day 6 March 8, 2015 Iles des Saintes, Guadalupe
Today’s island is in direct contrast with Dominica whose name means Day of the Lord. Most of the Windward Islands were named by Columbus. He gave each island the saint’s name that corresponded to the date the island was discovered. So today, we are literally in France and what a difference. It was clean and the standard of living was superior to Dominica. Today’s island is called Iles des Saintes. You can figure out that name, I am sure.
After lunch in talking to the Sea Cloud’s chef, he explained that France sends a ship of supplies to the French island of Guadalupe and from there supplies are ferried to the smaller French island such as the one we visited today. No wonder there is no comparison to the independent islands of the Caribbean.
We visited two parts of Iles des Saintes, Terre d’en Bas – the low land, and Terre d’en Haut – the high land. The village in the middle is called, Bourg meaning town. Our historian, Tom Hefferman is from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He is a professor of ancient languages. He told us that what the place lacks in beautiful nomenclature, it makes up for in scenic splendor. He was certainly correct.
After lunch the 18 member mast crew climbed the mast, lowered all 30 of the sails, and we are now under full sail at 6 knots per hour. There are 32,000 square feet of sail, 4 masts with the tallest being 178 feet tall. The ship is 357 feet long and has a max beam of 49 feet. It is really hard to comprehend that this was a private sailing yacht for 2 people and their guests. There are close to 50 passengers on board and we never feel crowded and can always find a private area on the deck if we want to be alone and enjoy a glass of wine or an after dinner Courvoisier.
Later this afternoon they are giving a lecture on the history of the Sea Cloud and the couples staying in the 10 original cabins were asked if we would mind opening them up for the other passengers to see. We obviously agreed because it impossible to accurately describe the total decadence of our cabin. The fixtures in the bathroom are real gold, there are his and hers wood paneled walk in closets and a real marble charcoal burning fireplace. Of course the fireplace is not used anymore, but has led lights installed that give the impression of a charcoal burning fire. The ship will have a Champagne Reception during the tour and will clean the cabin before and after the tour in addition to this morning’s normal cabin service and tonight’s turn down service.
. “We live in a world full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharlal Nehru
More to follow from the Sea Cloud
Tom & Holly