Wednesday March 13, 2013
Tomorrow we land in Fort Lauderdale where we need to go through customs and reboard the ship. We will be keeping the same cabin for the next leg of our journey which will be a 64 day trip across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean. We have spent this evening revisiting and taking pictures of the crew and our many traveling companions. Some interesting experiences have occured over the last week and great changes between the Amazon and the Caribbean are amazing and the best one is a nice gentle sea breeze compared with the humidity of the Amazon.
After leaving Devil's Island the Prinsendam carried us to Bridgetown, Barbados where we docked and was the biggest ship in the port. We had the Star Clipper and the Wind Spirit both genuine sail powered ships with us in the port. The Wind Spirit had once had our captain as its captain. I was impressed with Bridgetown as it was very clean and neat around the port area. I wandered into the terminal building and did some shopping. Interested in the ecology of these islands and also an interest in fabrics and clothing I found a store that sells bamboo made items. "Big Deal" you might think, but finding T-shirts, scarves, shorts, and purses made out of bamboo was new for me. So I had to get a t-shirt. Bamboo is twice as soft as cotton, wicks away the perspiration, doesn't shrink, and is as soft as silk or cashmere. Returning to the ship I took pictures of the 5 masted sailing yacht. The ocean water is a deep turquoise blue so it is easy to take pictures of the underwater fish.
A day in Barbados and then we headed to the French islands of Iles-Les-Saintes and Terre-de-Haut and were tendered into Guadeloupe. There were not a lot of stores open as it was Sunday but it was a fun place to walk around. Guadeloupe has exceptional, clean, white beaches. I stayed on ship and just watched the sail boats in the bay.
The following day we headed to Roadtown, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands where our ship was a baby compared to the Vision of the Seas which was docked right next to us. We had a great sailaway party on the outdoor deck with our Counterpoint band and as much wine, beer and cocktails as one wanted all paid by the captain. Our senior ship out partied the Vision of the Seas as we all danced the YMCA dance and hundreds hung over their balconies wishing they could join us.
I really enjoyed cruising South America as it opened my eyes to cultures and food, weather and animal species that I had never seen. I loved the adventure of never knowing what to expect. We had a number of emergencies ( with us old folks what would you expect), we had A/C problems, no hot water for a few days, seems like everyone got sick at some time during the trip, in our hallway a sprinkler went off and flooded the floor, and the rain in the Amazon was so heavy it flowed inside a door on deck 11 but the crew was great at attending to various clean up situations quickly. Food was great and lots of it. I can now say that I am tired of lobster. The chefs kept us fed with many cultural buffets. Cruising is great for the consumption of fruit as you can eat as much as you like. Food could be had 24 hours. Our exploration team kept us busy with games, lectures, contests and entertainment. There was so much to do on sea days that things I wanted to do or learn conflicted with other things.
One of many special experiences is meeting so many great people. Our dinner companions will be greatly missed and on a small ship the feeling of family is certainly present. I have learned or relearned patience by watching others and I hope that I contributed to their enjoyment of this trip as much as they did to mine. I will miss them all and hope they all arrive home to their families safely. It was a pleasure to have met everyone.
The next chapter will be reported after we leave Fort Lauderdale so stay tuned.
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