La Blanquilla, Venezuela
A morning at sea is always something to look forward to, especially so when it is spent under sail. At 0900, the crew hit the rig and the wonder and enchantment of square-rig sailing exercised its hold over all of those on deck. As usual we had a full program: an illustrated presentation on coral reef ecology in which our naturalist, Berit Solstad, emphasized the desperate condition of Caribbean coral was followed by a lively discussion on the Lido Deck on climate change.
With discussion continuing over lunch, we approached our idyllic destination for an afternoon swimming and snorkeling stop, La Blanquilla. As its name suggests, this Venezuelan island is famous for its white sandy beaches, and ours seemed as near to pristine perfection as is possible to imagine. Some 72 square miles in extent, this limestone island is shaped like an arrowhead. A low-lying island, no part of its surface rises over 50 feet. The island is famous for wall diving, a section of the coast having a sheer drop about 65 feet from the shore that plummets down more than 3000 feet. Rare black corals occur in this vicinity. From the beach where our Zodiacs made the landing, the ornithologically-inclined sighted a pair of Crested Caracara and set off in search of ruby-topaz hummingbirds and yellow-shouldered parrots. Others snorkeled, swam or generally relaxed, the latter activity aided by the arrival of the Sea Cloud II bar staff with ample supplies, including a Green Banana cocktail that had been specially commissioned for the occasion of the ship's first visit to this island paradise.
A morning at sea is always something to look forward to, especially so when it is spent under sail. At 0900, the crew hit the rig and the wonder and enchantment of square-rig sailing exercised its hold over all of those on deck. As usual we had a full program: an illustrated presentation on coral reef ecology in which our naturalist, Berit Solstad, emphasized the desperate condition of Caribbean coral was followed by a lively discussion on the Lido Deck on climate change.
With discussion continuing over lunch, we approached our idyllic destination for an afternoon swimming and snorkeling stop, La Blanquilla. As its name suggests, this Venezuelan island is famous for its white sandy beaches, and ours seemed as near to pristine perfection as is possible to imagine. Some 72 square miles in extent, this limestone island is shaped like an arrowhead. A low-lying island, no part of its surface rises over 50 feet. The island is famous for wall diving, a section of the coast having a sheer drop about 65 feet from the shore that plummets down more than 3000 feet. Rare black corals occur in this vicinity. From the beach where our Zodiacs made the landing, the ornithologically-inclined sighted a pair of Crested Caracara and set off in search of ruby-topaz hummingbirds and yellow-shouldered parrots. Others snorkeled, swam or generally relaxed, the latter activity aided by the arrival of the Sea Cloud II bar staff with ample supplies, including a Green Banana cocktail that had been specially commissioned for the occasion of the ship's first visit to this island paradise.
