The small city of Soufriere, on the beautiful isle of Saint Lucia, sits at the edge of a massive volcanic caldera. The name of the city means "Sulfur in the Air," as the smell of sulfur dioxide is pungent. We drove to a great overlook adjacent to the UNESCO Pitons, which are two massive volcanic plugs rising to almost 2500 feet above the sea. Along the way we stopped at a small shop which sold the world's most unique catsup, made essentially from bananas and pure cacao. We then visited Diamond Falls Botanical Garden, which hosts a cornucopia of every variety of tropical plants, including ginger, lilies, anthurium, vanilla, cocoa, and cashew. It is said that the Empress Josephine visited the gardens when she stayed at her father’s estate “Mal Maison.” We then went to Butterfly Beach for a great snorkeling adventure. Guests saw octopus, parrot fish, purple wrasse, and fan and brain coral. Tonight, photo instructor Rich Reid ran the slide show of all the photos the guests submitted – a great souvenir of our unforgettable voyage. We completed this great adventure with the fantastic Captain’s Farewell dinner.
1/24/2025
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Sea Cloud
St. George’s, Granada
After an exciting night of music and dancing with our new friends in Bequia, Sea Cloud sailed overnight some 70 nautical miles, to our fifth country in five days: Grenada. We are all delighted to visit so many countries in such a short time, with no need to pull out our passports or proceed through customs. It feels too easy! While some guests took the morning to splash in the waters of scenic Grand Anse Beach, others braved the busy streets of St. George’s. With roughly 35,000 residents, the capital of St. George’s makes up about one-fourth of Grenada’s population. Its colorful homes make for scenic photos, and a sampling of the city’s chocolate, spices, and rum leaves us in good spirits before tendering back to our beloved tall ship. As we were about to take an afternoon siesta, we noticed that the ship was motionless — and our expedition leader Paula announced that guests should join her on the promenade deck for a dip into the open sea. At a depth of 1100 feet, the water was a dream-like blue. Afterward we reluctantly returned to the ship, so we can head north for the final day of our adventure.
