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Punta Arenas, Chile

March 14, 2020 – Punta Arenas – last day of liberty

2020 South America cruise

The captain comes on the PA system this morning at 8AM to tell us our cruise will be ending when we arrive in Santiago. Holland America has decided to suspend operations worldwide for 30 days. Needless to say, all the passengers are upset, depressed, and rather anxious about what comes next.

I go on my excursion this morning, which is a standard city tour, including: the Plaza de Armas Muñoz Gamero which includes a statue of Magellan, Cerro de la Cruz viewpoint of the city and the Strait of Magellan, and Maggiorino Borgatello museum. Our last stop is Museo Nao Victoria, which has life-size replicas of three historic ships: HMS Beagle (Darwin’s ship), Nao Victoria (Magellan’s ship), and Goleta Ancud (a Chilean exploration and colonization vessel).

The captain makes another report this afternoon at 4pm, telling us that Argentina has closed their ports to cruise ships, so our scheduled stop in Ushuaia tomorrow won’t be happening. He outlined an enhanced scenic cruising schedule to fill in the time before our next port-of-call, Puerto Mont on the west coast of Chile. I adjourn to the Explorations Lounge, to consider all this ominous news today.

Free wi-fi and worldwide telephone calling is now available to all passengers so they can keep in touch with their families and friends, make any needed arrangements, and keep up on the world news.

I go to the main dining room and have a lovely prime rib dinner, and after go to see Planet Earth II in concert, a BBC Earth movie. I enjoy this well-done documentary, but the sound is far too loud.

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St. Lucia

Dec 13, 2018 – Marigot Bay & Soufrière, St. Lucia

2018 Caribbean Sail Cruise

This morning, our first port-of-call is Marigot Bay, which is basically a yacht harbour. I don’t find this port too interesting, so I take the next tender back to the ship. After a couple of hours, we raise anchor and proceed to Soufrière, our second port for today on St. Lucia, arriving after lunch.

Map of St. Lucia
Our two ports-of-call in St. Lucia

I’m on the Soufriere Morne Choval Horse Ride excursion this afternoon, which is a lovely way to spend an afternoon on St. Lucia. There are only four of us on the excursion, and it’s only a five minute drive up the hill out of town to the Morne Coubaril Estate Reserve. We spend a little over an hour riding around the estate, and then we have some snacks and drinks after the ride. They have some nice things for sale in their shop, and they also offer zip-lining, estate tours, and horseback riding to the volcano and beach.

We have an opportunity to photograph the Royal Clipper from the tenders while she is under full sail departing Soufrière at sunset (see banner image above). Now I know how passengers take those terrific photos of the ship! I also observe the Green Flash from the launch, and for the first time manage to take some photos of it, although they aren’t great.

After we are underway, the Captain’s Dinner is served in the dining room this evening: Chateaubriand, baked Alaska (just Neapolitan ice cream with cherry sauce), and bubbly to toast with. The Captain comes around to each table to toast and chat with us in person – a very nice touch!

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Dominica

Dec 12, 2018 – Cabrits, Dominica

2018 Caribbean Sail Cruise

I have breakfast with two women who are travel friends, and arrange to go ashore with them to look around Cabrits. We are on the first tender just before Noon. As it turns out, we are in a National Park, which charges US$5 each for admission to the trails and facilities, however none of us are interested in hiking in the tropical heat.

We talk to a couple of taxi drivers who approach us, and eventually retain Patrickson Wallace. Our original plan was to wander around the nearby small town, but there really isn’t much there. He offers to take us on a short tour for a reasonable fare in US$, which we agree to, providing he returns us to the tender dock by 4PM at the latest. We drive north across the island through the tropical rainforest, passing through many small communities and the Indian River, one of 365 rivers on Dominica. There is damage from Hurricane Maria apparent everywhere, even inland.

The north coast of Dominica is particularly beautiful, so we stop at viewpoints along the way before arriving at Pointe Baptiste Estate chocolate factory in Calibishie. This quaint establishment is off the beaten path, but it turns out to be a treasure for the three of us, who appreciate the tour given by a Dominican woman.

She shows us the cocoa fruit, how they ferment and air dry the cocoa beans, grind and combine the cocoa with the other ingredients, and finally make the result into chocolate bars. Each of us buy two chocolate bars of various flavours and give the woman a small tip as well.

Patrickson drives us back along the same scenic route. It turns out to be a very nice tour which we all enjoy, and we are back at the tender dock by about 3:30PM. We pay him the agreed-to fare and also give him a tip for his “building fund” for house repairs, as we say our goodbyes.

Patrickson Wallace – email
Live Edge Tours and Taxi, 1519 Pembroke St., Portsmouth, Dominica
+1 (767) 235-5346 or +1 (767) 445-5346

Once I’m back on board the ship and get cleaned up, I take my MacBook Pro up to the Tropical Bar and have a beer as I work on my photos and journal. For the first time on this cruise, I take advantage of the afternoon snack served at 5PM in the Tropical Bar, since I had no lunch today. Despite normally ordering cappuccinos, today I finish off with two cups of brewed coffee, which tastes pretty good too!

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Ile des Saintes

Dec 11, 2018 – Terre de Haut, Ile des Saintes

2018 Caribbean Sail Cruise

Ile des Saintes is a tiny bit of France that happens to be in the Caribbean. There are fast passenger ferries zooming into the harbour at Terre de Haut as the Royal Clipper sets anchor.

There are no excursions on this small French island today, and the beach for our use was supposed to be a pebble beach with a wet landing – not ideal. After the captain checks it out he discovers it has too much weed, so he arranges for a much better beach which has a dock (dry landing), full service hotel, and great swimming and snorkelling from a beautiful sand beach! (See banner image above.)

I’m on the first tender to the beach, and spend the whole morning relaxing in a beach chair, swimming and snorkelling. There are reefs at both ends of the beach, where I take some pretty good underwater video and photos. I return to the ship for a late lunch, a shower, and an afternoon nap. This is the life!

Harbour waterfront, Terre de Haute, Ile des Saintes

I take the launch into the little town in the afternoon when it cools down a bit. It’s a cute place and another French department, so there are some pretty fancy shops on the main street aimed at high-end travellers. I take a few photos, but I’m on the next tender back to the ship. We are treated to a beautiful sunset as we leave the harbour, bound for the island of Dominica tomorrow.

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Antigua

December 10, 2018 – Falmouth Harbour, Antigua

2018 Caribbean Sail Cruise

I am up early this morning to take the tender at 9:15AM for my Segway tour. We are met at the dock by a driver who takes us across the island to the largest city of St. Johns, where we hook up with the Segway tour company. They spend quite a bit of time instructing our small group on how to operate the machines safely, since we are all newbies.

Then we are off, following our tour guide as she talks to us with radio earphones, keeping us on track, safe, and describing the sights. Our first stop is at the Minister of Tourism’s estate on top of a ridge, where we can take photos while overlooking the beautiful harbours, coastline, and an abandoned sugar mill.

We next stop at beautiful Runaway Beach (see banner image above) for a refreshment break. Before the new airport was built, small passenger aircraft would land on the hard sand on this beach. Fort James is our next stop – an abandoned fort with lots of cannons still on the rock walls overlooking the harbour. We scoot along Fort James Beach, and then back to the starting point.

Map of Segway exploration route near St. James
Segway exploration route near St. Johns

Our driver takes us back across the island to Falmouth Harbour, where our ship’s staff are staging a barbeque lunch on the local beach. I stop to have some lunch, but take the next tender back to the ship and then relax with a beer while on deck overlooking the beautiful harbour. A steel band comes aboard in the early evening to play Caribbean beats before the ship sails out of the harbour.

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St. Barts

Dec 9, 2018 – Gustavia, Saint-Barthélemy

2018 Caribbean Sail Cruise

I get up late and spend my morning spotting Caribbean islands and sea birds (Frigates and Boobys) as the Royal Clipper slowly approaches St. Barts. First is Sint Maartin/St. Martin, then striking Mount Scenery on the island of Saba, and finally the northern islands of St. Barts itself. We anchor near Grande Vigie in Gustavia harbour by 11AM. The 3-masted clipper Stad Amsterdam is anchored in the outer harbour near us. There are the usual complement of super-yachts docked at the marinas in the harbour (see banner image above).

My afternoon excursion today is aboard a charter sailboat, and includes sailing to the leeward side of the island, with a stop at a beach and cove for swimming not too far from Gustavia. I go for a swim in the lovely warm water, and walk the beautiful uncrowded beach. There are snacks and beer served after our swim, as we sail around the windy point back into Gustavia harbour. All-in-all, a sublime and relaxing day!

Sailing excursion route to swimming beach

Saint-Barthélemy is a department of France, and like all of the other French Caribbean islands, it is an expensive place to visit or to live on. That said, all these French islands are also noticeably better off than the other Caribbean islands colonized by other European nations.

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Day at sea – to St. Barts

Dec 8, 2018 – Day at sea – Dominican Republic to Saint-Barthélemy

2018 Caribbean Sail Cruise

A day at sea between ports, passing by Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands

I sleep in yet again this morning to 8:45AM, but it doesn’t matter since today is a sea day. After getting cleaned up a bit, I wander down to the dining room for breakfast: ordering a cappuccino to start, have some fruit, yogurt, pastries and a pancake.

The captain gives an interesting presentation this morning titled “Everything”, which covers the questions posed to him from passengers over the last few days: sailing ship configurations, navigation and GPS, and the physics of how to sail ships with sails. Amazingly, he has written a PhD on using Super-cavitation for fast underwater propulsion – a subject I knew nothing about!

Our course is 090 due east with a stiff wind on our nose, so no sails are set today. We pass by Puerto Rico this afternoon, so I turn off my cellular data roaming, since I don’t have a roaming plan for the US, only for the other Caribbean islands.

Lunch is served on deck from the Tropical Bar. It was quite a spread…it took the staff an hour to haul everything up from the kitchen to serve to us. They work hard, and for long hours! My cabin steward tells me he gets some time off in the afternoon.

I attend a presentation given by a passenger this afternoon which profiles his working life aboard the Union Castle Line on the Royal Mail route between London and South Africa. It was somewhat interesting to see glimpses of life at sea in the 1950s and 60s for the passengers.

The wind is strong and it’s also hot outside this afternoon, so I stay in the Piano Bar working on my journal and photos while sipping a cappuccino. Later in the afternoon the clouds come in, making it more pleasant outside as the sun sets.

I join a table for eight for dinner this evening: five from the UK and two from Canada (Sidney, BC, but former Brits). I have a bunch of Internet time to use, so this evening I work on my photos and manage to post a new album to Facebook.

Royal Clipper
39 photos
The Royal Clipper at the Montego Bay dock
The Royal Clipper at the Montego Bay dock
The stern wheel, booms and masts
The stern wheel, booms and masts
Unfurling one of the four staysails
Unfurling one of the four staysails
Celebrating the departure with champagne
Celebrating the departure with champagne
Atrium Piano bar
Atrium Piano bar
The piano at the top of the multi-level atrium and the restaurant at the bottom
The piano at the top of the multi-level atrium and the restaurant at the bottom
Crew working the lines and staysail
Crew working the lines and staysail
Officer and crew on the stern as the ship leaves port
Officer and crew on the stern as the ship leaves port
Crew working the main console to rig the ship for full sail
Crew working the main console to rig the ship for full sail
Crew rigging the ship for full sail
Crew rigging the ship for full sail
The ship rigged for full sail
The ship rigged for full sail
Passengers climbing the rigging
Passengers climbing the rigging
Looking astern from the crows nest
Looking astern from the crows nest
Looking forward from the crows nest
Looking forward from the crows nest
Joe in the crows nest
Joe in the crows nest
People on the bow net
People on the bow net
Sun glinting off the bow wave
Sun glinting off the bow wave
Sunset over the Caribbean framed by the stern wheel
Sunset over the Caribbean framed by the stern wheel
Lines & jib on the bow
Lines & jib on the bow
Captain Sergey Tunikov and pilot manouver the Royal Clipper into the dock
Captain Sergey Tunikov and pilot manouver the Royal Clipper into the dock
Sunset lighting the Royal Clipper's sails as she leaves the harbour
Sunset lighting the Royal Clipper’s sails as she leaves the harbour
Sunset lighting the Royal Clipper's sails as she leaves the harb
Sunset lighting the Royal Clipper’s sails as she leaves the harb
Sunset lighting the Royal Clipper's sails as she leaves the harb
Sunset lighting the Royal Clipper’s sails as she leaves the harb
Sunset from the stern as the Royal Clipper leave the harbour
Sunset from the stern as the Royal Clipper leave the harbour
Captain Sergey Tunikov talking about how to sail a ship
Captain Sergey Tunikov talking about how to sail a ship
My cabin #207- panoramic
My cabin #207- panoramic
My cabin #207- panoramic
My cabin #207- panoramic
The foredeck of the Royal Clipper and Gustavia harbour
The foredeck of the Royal Clipper and Gustavia harbour
Marina deployed from the Royal Clipper
Marina deployed from the Royal Clipper
Passengers hoisting the sails with the Cruise Director urging them on
Passengers hoisting the sails with the Cruise Director urging them on
The helmsman on the wheel as Captain Sergey Tunikov directs from the bridge
The helmsman on the wheel as Captain Sergey Tunikov directs from the bridge
Royal Clipper leaving the harbour at sunset
Royal Clipper leaving the harbour at sunset
Crewman mending the sails with a sewing machine
Crewman mending the sails with a sewing machine
Crewman mending the sails with a sewing machine
Crewman mending the sails with a sewing machine
The Royal Clipper weighing anchor & under sail as she departs Soufriere at sunset
The Royal Clipper weighing anchor & under sail as she departs Soufriere at sunset
Crew standing on the bow sprit of the Royal Clipper under sail as she departs Soufriere at sunset
Crew standing on the bow sprit of the Royal Clipper under sail as she departs Soufriere at sunset
The crew on the bow sprit as the Royal Clipper departing at sunset under full sale with Gros Piton behind
The crew on the bow sprit as the Royal Clipper departing at sunset under full sale with Gros Piton behind
Chef Glenn carving the roast suckling pig for lunch
Chef Glenn carving the roast suckling pig for lunch
The Royal Clipper masts lit at sunset while at anchor in the harbour
The Royal Clipper masts lit at sunset while at anchor in the harbour
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Dominican Republic

Dec 7, 2018 – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

2018 Caribbean Sail Cruise

I sleep in again this morning, but leave my cabin by 8:45AM to have a cappuccino and some breakfast. The ship is sailing along the coastline of the Dominican Republic for quite a while until she pulls into the port of Santo Domingo at noon. I’m on deck while the ship is being cleared by customs and immigration, and ask Camilla, the Tour Director if there are any spaces left on today’s city/walking tour. She indicates there are two spots left, so I take one, even though I’ve arranged to walk the town with my friends as well.

My friends and I are some of the first to disembark the ship, finding our way across the busy street in front of the cruise terminal, and climbing the stairs up into the historic colonial zone. The local kids have been let out of school to have their lunch outside, so I get some cute photos of them. We walk around the nearby old cathedral (Catedral Primada de America), but I soon peel off from my friends and return to the ship. Walking around in the heat of the day is not my idea of fun!

I have some lunch in the dining room and then grab my camera bag before debarking again to board the small tour bus for this afternoon’s walking excursion. Our first stop is across the river from where the ship is docked to see and photograph the Christopher Columbus monument and lighthouse. His remains are in this massive concrete monument, but we don’t go in. He landed at this location in the New World, representing the King of Spain. By most accounts, he was the first European to reach the Caribbean.

We then drive back into the colonial zone and are dropped off at the cathedral. Our guide gives us a narrated tour of the many interesting and historic buildings in the colonial zone: Catedral Primada de America, the Alcazar de Colon, the National Pantheon, and the National Monument commemorating national heroes.

We continue walking down the Calle las Damas a favourite haunt of the Vicerene Maria de Toledo, niece of the King of Spain and wife to Diego, son of Christopher Columbus. Apparently she used to walk there on her way to Mass with the other ladies of the court, hence the name Calle las Damas (Ladies Street).

As we cross the Plaza España, there is a giant Coca Cola Christmas tree display setup on the plaza in front of the impressively reconstructed house of Diego Colon (Columbus), who was a viceroy for the Spanish colony. It is fascinating to learn how the viceroy and his family lived, and to see the beautiful artifacts placed in the various rooms where they were originally.

It starts to pour rain just as we re-board the tour bus, and are taken along the first part of the city’s Malacon near the port, to the Presidential Palace (a photo stop I didn’t take advantage of), and drive through Chinatown on our return to the cruise terminal. We arrive about 15 minutes before the gangway is pulled up, so I’m glad I took the organized tour since the ship is guaranteed to wait for you! Thanks to our very good tour guide, I certainly have lots of interesting information about the city’s history, and better understand the country’s context in the Caribbean.

Sunset lighting the Royal Clipper’s sails as she leaves the harbour

I watch a beautiful sunset as our ship leaves port, bound for St. Barts. We have a sea day tomorrow, which I am glad of. I have dinner with three men in their 70s who are best friends, and who travel together once or twice each year without their wives. They are wine connoisseurs who are working their way through the ship’s wine list, to the great pleasure of the wine steward!

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Day at sea – out of Jamaica

Dec 6, 2018 – Port Antonio, Jamaica to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic aboard the Royal Clipper

2018 Caribbean Sail Cruise

Map of a day at sea between Port Antonio, Jamaica and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
A day at sea between Port Antonio, Jamaica and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

I sleep in until 8:30AM this morning since this is a sea day, and go to the Piano Bar for pastries and a cappuccino. It’s much quieter in this area than the main dining room, where the feeding frenzy is well underway.

I decide to climb the rigging to the crows nest this morning, so I get my GoPro action cam ready with a head strap, leave all my other stuff in the cabin except my room card, and head forward. The sports crew are there to put on a harness, clip you onto the safety line, and give instructions. Getting to the passengers’ crows nest involves climbing a rope ladder to the mid-point of the second forward mast, where there is another sports crew person up there to help unclip and for safety. Two or three passengers at a time are in the crows nest, since it is quite a big platform.

After climbing down, I’m thirsty, so I go to the nearby bar on deck for a couple of good-tasting German Flensburger draught beers. I have a chat with the German guy who was ahead of me in the climb, and a couple of Brits. I also go forward and spend some time on the bow net watching the bow wave dancing in the sun glint (see banner image above).

At lunch I sit with a couple from Thunder Bay (Ontario, Canada). We talk about our travels in southern Africa, and South Africa in particular. The food aboard the ship is very good, and they offer lots of variety, including vegetarian. Drinks are reasonably priced – 3.50€ for a glass of Flensburger draught beer, which is about CAD$4.25 Smoking is allowed in designated spots outside only, which is fine with me. Close to half the passengers are German, but the English-speaking Americans, Canadians, and Brits are the biggest combined group, with French-speakers being a small third group.

Sunset over the Caribbean framed by the stern wheel

I go to the top deck forward near the bridge to observe the sunset, and see the Green Flash. What I observed might be better described as a green glow, since there was some cloud on the horizon partially obscuring the Sun. I captured it on video with my iPhone.

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Port Antonio, Jamaica

Dec 5, 2018 – Port Antonio, Jamaica

2018 Caribbean Sail Cruise

I sleep in until 8AM, get dressed and go to the dining room for breakfast. I have a cappuccino with some pastries, fruit, and a spoonful of scrambled eggs. The ship arrives in Port Antonio on schedule at 10AM. There’s a pretty serious crunch as the ship makes contact with the concrete pier in the stern. The crew make some repairs while we’re docked.

I find this sailing ship is a photographer’s dream if you look up at the fantastic rigging and sails, and it is also a nightmare, because there are lines and masts everywhere obstructing clear views overboard!

I am on the shore excursion Highlights of Port Antonio. First stop in our minibus is to view Trident Castle, a German-built modern castle located on a beautiful cove, which mainly caters to weddings. We don’t go into the castle, but instead carry on to the Jamaica Palace Hotel, which is our first stop. It is a very striking hotel, and has surprisingly reasonable room rates starting at US$120/night. We are given a Rum Punch welcome drink, and a tour of the extensive grounds including their art gallery.

Jamaica Palace Hotel plaza and villas

Along the way, we learn about the resident crocodiles in Springs area, and how the national fruit Aki opens naturally and is eaten with salt fish (the national dish). We make a stop at the Blue Lagoon, which I find underwhelming. Trident Castle, Jamaica Palace Hotel, and Blue Lagoon are all touted as being used as locations for movies.

Frenchman’s Cove, beach, and freshwater stream

Our last stop is Frenchman’s Cove, where there is a private beach for us to lounge on and swim from. There is a freshwater stream beside the beach flowing into a saltwater cove – both of which are very pretty. Unfortunately, the water in both is quite cold, so I don’t bother trying to swim or snorkel, instead preferring to sit on the beach in the shade of a palm tree. The beach is not crowded, and we have a couple of hours here to enjoy ourselves before returning to the ship.

All 44 sails are set as we leave Port Antonio and then they are taken down again once the Sun sets and the ship is underway. Being a square-rigged sailing ship, the Royal Clipper needs a following wind to actually proceed under sail. The southeast winds we are encountering are virtually on the nose of the ship, hence the reason for the sails being taken down when the ship is underway, although the stay sails are often left up to improve the ship’s stability.

At dinner this evening, I’m seated with a Texan couple who are both real characters. She submitted a request for one of the desserts appearing on the menu this evening – Floating Island with prune. I ordered it, and found it tastes good, with thin custard on the bottom, merengue, and a dollop of pureed prune on top.