Into the Caribbean Sea

After nearly six thousand nautical miles of Atlantic Ocean, we sailed into the Caribbean Sea at nine this morning, crossing between St. Vincent and St.Lucia. The sea state has calmed considerably, and the wind is now blowing in from the east. Sailing up the string of Leeward Islands we have Martinique, Dominica, Gaudeloupe, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St.Christopher, St.Estatatius, Saba, St.Croix, and then finally St.Thomas which is two hundred and seventy miles from us.

A rich maritime history of conquer and defeat, pirates and rogues, lost treasures and secret hideaways. The Spanish with their gallions full of gold pilfered from South America on route back to Spain was very much sought after. If you were commissioned by the Queen of England, you were a legal plundered. If you were a privateer, you were a pirate. The Queen was probably the biggest pirate of them all. Thieves being hunted down by thieves. I guess Pirates of the Caribbean paints as good a picture as any. Echoes from the past still sounds here if you listen carefully.

And in this lawless paradise, a lot of these islands were named after saints. As if to atone for the atrocities that were committed on them. Superstitious bunch they were. Just as I typed this, a few dolphins came racing around. Inbetween the islands the wind funnels through stronger, making the sea choppy for a while, and curving the wind direction. We are fifty miles west of Martinique and Dominica, and still feel the effects of the islands on the wind and sea state. An hour or so later, things calm down again, and we go from a beam reach to a broad reach which is more comfortable. We adjust the sails accordingly.

We will be arriving at St.Thomas on Friday, and hopefully we'll be able to get a quick covid test and stay for a day or two. Looking forward to hopefully witnessing the lunar eclipse tonight. The skies are clear. Last night the moon was extra bright, and nearly blinding from the reflection off the water.

I will let you know tomorrow if we had any lunar action here. Wishing you pleasant day, and catch up with you again in the morning.

Paul




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