Category Archives: Uncategorized

15 February 2016
Bridgetown, Barbados: Rum and Spirits

February 15, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

There are about 1,800 Rum Shops (you can call them bars if you prefer) and about 500 churches on the island of Barbados. So, one way or another, the spirit is with many of the islanders and visitors.

We went for a visit to St. Nicholas Abbey, one of the reminders of the once-immense wealth of the British sugar mill and plantation owners of the island. It was never an abbey, just a great house, and well-preserved as a glimpse into the past.

George Washington, commander-in-chief of American forces in revolt against the British and later the first President of the United States was born to a well-off family in the Virginia Colony in 1731 or 1732.

But before the revolution, in 1749, George’s half-brother Lawrence fell ill with a cough. By 1751 the illness was tuberculosis.

Several unsuccessful trips to the hot springs at Berkeley, Virginia and the prospect of another winter at Mount Vernon pushed Lawrence to explore other options.

He was advised to go to Barbados, which had a reputation for treating lung diseases. Lawrence asked his 19-year-old brother, George, to accompany him.

On November 2, 1751, the Washington brothers arrived in Bridgetown.

It was, we believe, the first time George Washington had ventured more than 200 miles from his place of birth. And, also, the only time he ever visited a foreign country.

In traveling from the not-very-successful Virginia Colony to Barbados, Washington was going from an undeveloped country to a cosmopolitan place.

When the Washingtons visited, Bridgetown was one of the largest cities in the British Atlantic and Barbados one of its most profitable colonies, made rich–at least for the owners–by sugar plantations farmed by slaves and indentured servants.

It was in Barbados, according to his diary, that George saw his first fort, attended his first theatrical performance, and spent time in the first sizeable city in his life.

He also learned about forts and other military defenses.

The brothers stayed only six weeks. Lawrence did not recover; he died a year later of tuberculosis back in Virginia.

A remembrance of British colonial past in Bridgetown.

We were here in Barbados a week ago; you can read a bit about the English history of the island in my post for February 8.

Although it is Carnival time in most of the Caribbean, here in Barbados, the big party is the Crop Over festival, a reborn remembrance of the sugar plantation history of the island.

Crop Over, held for most of the month of July into early August, features the island’s homegrown calypso and soca music for the year.

For music-lovers, of which we have several hundred on board ship for this cruise, you may well have heard of one particular singer born in Barbados.

Rihanna, born in 1988, grew up in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgetown and sold clothes with her father in a stall on the street.

Her hits have included “Good Girl Gone Bad” and “Umbrella.”

Whatever your knowledge of her work may be, Rihanna has sold more than 41 million albums and 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time.

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Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

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14 February 2016
Roseau, Dominica

February 14, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We’re returned to the very green, volcanic island of Dominica, one of the more interesting and less-developed islands of the Lesser Antilles.

I wrote a bit about Dominica in a post on February 7.

On the current cruise, we are celebrating music. Dominica is most certainly off-off-off-Broadway, but like many of the islands of the Caribbean it makes its own important contribution to the background sounds and rhythms of the region.

Among the musical styles is Cadence-lypso, locally grown and now popular on Dominica and the nearby French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe.

The other local music is called bouyon, which is a mashup of calypso, reggae, soca, zouk, and a bit of rock and roll.

And like other French and French-influenced islands, local folk dance incorporates a flirtatious version of the quadrille, usually accompanied by a musical ensemble called a jing ping band. A jing ping usually consists of a boumboum (boom pipe), syak or gwaj (scraper-rattle), tambal or tanbou (tambourine), and accordion.

A really hep group might add a double bass or a banjo.

As a result of its history—just out of the mainstream battles of the Caribbean and hemmed in by sheer mountains—Dominica possesses what is probably the most pristine wilderness in the Caribbean.

The first people were the Ortoroids, about whom we know very little. We believe they came to Dominica and some other islands about 3100 BC, and were gone by about 400 BC.

The Arawaks moved in about 800 years later, roughly 400 A.D. and then came the Caribs—also known as the Kalinago about 1400 A.D.—just ahead of the European invasion.

Island by island, the Carib populations were killed, enslaved, or driven off. One of the few places where they were able to take refuge was this island we now know as Dominica.

The island was not considered a high priority for the Europeans and they mostly left it alone in the first century of colonization.

Dominica was the last of the significant Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the natives. As a result, Dominica has one of the few remaining groups of Carib or Kalinago people, a population of about three thousand.

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If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

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13 February 2016
Gustavia, Saint Barts

February 13, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

The tiny island of Saint Bart’s is an overseas collectivity, part of France but not fully ruled by the mother country.

It is, though, included in the European Union, and the official currency is the Euro.

That has worked out pretty well for the locals, as Saint Bart’s has become one of the essential party islands of the yachting and jet set. in the company of places like Saint-Tropez, Monte Carlo, and Nantucket.

There are lots of places to spend your Euros. The local merchants are also fully fluent in MasterCard, Visa, and American Express.

You will find all of the usual suspects for jewelry, clothing, and nicknacks. What you’re not likely to find are bargains.

Alas, we are just missing Carnaval on Saint Bart’s, which ran from February 7 to 10. It’s not a huge event, but the island’s unusual mix of cultures makes it a lot of fun; we’ve been here for the burning of Vaval, a straw man who represents–depending on who is doing the telling and how much wine has been consumed–moments to be forgotten from the previous year, or sins to be avoided (or sought) in the coming one.

We are arriving in Saint Barts on Silver Wind, which is one of the most luxurious ships afloat. We are, though, not alone.

There are megayachts in the harbor: some of the most magnificent and costly in the world. We have seen floating real estate owned by (among others) Russian oligarchs, Middle Eastern sheikhs, and American car dealership owners.

If you want to see some of them in a hurry, the 2016 Bucket Regatta is scheduled to take place March 17 to March 20. The first Bucket regatta was organized in Nantucket in August 1986.

There are fourteen significant beaches on the island, all free to the public. Nude bathing is prohibited, but your eyes may tell you otherwise. For better or for worse.

We tend to hide out at Shell Beach, within walking distance of town. There are more than enough bistros between the beach and the tender landing if one happens to develop a thirst.

We’re visiting Saint Bart’s three times this season, first on February 3 and again on February 13. I’ll be posting more commentary and photos about Tortola on those days, and you can check back for more details.

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12 February 2016
San Juan, Puerto Rico

February 12, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Welcome aboard.

We’re sailing out of bustling San Juan tonight down the length of the Leeward Islands of the West Indies, and a bit below.

The Leeward Islands (pronounced LEW-word by most mariners, and LEE-word by landlubbers) are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. The group starts east of Puerto Rico and reach south to Dominica, and also mark the arbitrary line where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean.

Below Dominica, the Lesser Antilles continue into the Windward Islands. We will dip below Dominica to call at two of these islands, St. Lucia and Antigua, before returning to San Juan.

In the West Indies, the prevailing winds–known as the trade winds–blow from the northeast to the southwest. The windward islands were those closer to the direction of the winds.

Our ship, the appropriately named Silver Wind, sets out first for Gustavia on the French island of Saint Bart’s and after then to Roseau in Dominica (not to be confused with the much-larger Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola.)

After then to former British colonies of St. Lucia, Antigua, and Tortola.

I’ll be posting from each of our ports of call. Here’s our plan:

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11 February 2016
Road Town, Tortola

February 11, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We’re back in Tortola, the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, which is a very relative term.

There are about 60 islands and rocks in the B.V.I., about 15 of them inhabited, and the total population is about 28,000 with nearly all on Tortola. We have come to the dock near the capital city of Road Town.

As recently as the last ice age of about 15,000 years ago, the sea level was 300 feet lower. No cruise ship was needed: you could walk to Puerto Rico.

Today, the British Virgin Islands stand as peaks of a drowned mountain range.

The first European sighting of the Virgin Islands was by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. He gave them the fanciful name Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Vírgenes (Saint Ursula and her 11,000 Virgins), after the 5th century legend of the martyr Saint Ursula.

And the particular island we have come to visit was named Santa Ana.

Dutch colonists who came later renamed it Ter Tholen, after a coastal island that is part of the Netherlands.

When the British took over, the name evolved to Tortola, which happens to mean “Turtle Dove” in Spanish.

We are visiting Tortola three times this season. We came first on February 2, and will be back again on February 18. I’ll be posting more commentary and photos about Tortola on those days, and you can check back for more details.

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10 February 2016
Saint John’s, Antigua

February 10, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Antigua is a mix of all things Caribbean, with a splash of celebrity and a tinge of scandal.

Slavery, sugar, young Lord Nelson, superstars in remote palaces, and an American import who played a version of Bernie Madoff’s game on some very undeserving islanders.

Antigua means old or ancient in Spanish, and that was the name bestowed upon the island by Christopher Columbus in 1493. He had in mind an icon in Seville Cathedral: Santa Maria de la Antigua (Saint Mary the Ancient.)

We will return to Antigua on February 17, and I invite you read that blog for more details.

English Harbor from the viewpoint at Shirley Heights, above. And part of Nelson’s Dockyard.

Antigua is the largest of the Leeward Islands, about 108 square miles or 281 square kilometers, and it has some of the most interesting terrain amongst Caribbean islands: hills and valleys and deep bays.

It is the more substantial of a two-island nation, and Saint Johns is the capital of the nation of Antigua and Barbuda.

The first permanent European settlement was in 1632. The colonists were led by Sir Christopher Codrington, an Englishman from Bristol in South Gloucestershire.

Codrington began development of a major sugar plantation, an operation continued by his son and grandson. The sugar crop was so successful that other planters switched from tobacco to sugar cane.

Growing, harvesting, and processing the cane was very labor intensive. At first, colonists tried to use natives as forced labor. Unfortunately, most succumbed to imported European diseases or malnutrition.

And so began the wholesale importation of African slaves, tens of thousands of them. The Africans had the misfortune of adapting well to the new environment.

By the mid-18th century the island had more than 150 windmills to run the machinery to process the cane. Today almost 100 of the stone towers are still standing, many converted to use as houses, restaurants, and shops.

Their picturesque remains only hint at the sad story of tens of thousands of slaves who once worked the fields and the processing mills.

And sadly, many hundreds or thousands of their descendants were among those who lost much of their life savings in an elaborate financial scheme orchestrated by American Robert Allen Stanford, who was arrested in 2009 and is currently a guest of the U.S. federal government at a resort in Florida from which he is unable to check out.

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9 February 2016
Castries, Saint Lucia: Ping-pong

February 9, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Like much of the Caribbean, it is easy to look at Saint Lucia and see only a pretty, green island fringed by sandy beaches and lorded over by some unusual geological formations.

But it is also a place with a bit of history, an independent nation now part of the British Commonwealth that in its first 150 years of recorded history ping-ponged back and forth between England and France 14 times.

It has an English heritage now, but holds on to French influence in many place names: Soufrière, Castries, Piton, Gros Islet, and Vieux Fort. There’s also a French-based patois spoken by many islanders.

It went back and forth between admirers so many times that some early historians puckishly called it the “Helen of the West Indies.”

Helen of Troy on an English island with a French background and a name based on a Sicilian saint.

Saint Lucia today is probably best known for its distinctive geological landmarks: the Pitons.

There are only two Pitons on Saint Lucia, and they are almost impossible to miss. They can be seen from almost everywhere on the island.

They’re on the flag, one of the more handsome standards I’ve seen. And they’re on the local beer, which naturally moves the Pitons onto billboards and t-shirts, and carnival floats.

The Pitons are volcanic plugs, remnants of huge collapsed stratovolcanoes, created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano.

These particular vents are believed to be dormant and over time the surrounding hill has eroded away, leaving only the plug.

Gros Piton is 771 meters (2,530 feet) above sea level, and about 3 kilometers or 2 miles in diameter at its base. Petit Piton is 743 meters, (2,438 feet) tall, and just one kilometer or two-thirds of a mile in diameter.

Below the pitons is the Soufrière caldera. Nearby you’ll find the Sulphur Springs at Qualibou, an active geothermal field with sulphurous fumaroles (steam vents), hot mud pools, and hot springs.

And below the island is a tectonic plate, a subduction zone, which extends about 700 kilometers or 450 miles through the Lesser Antilles. This is the source of the volcanic origin of most of the Caribbean.

We will be returning to Saint Lucia on February 16, and I welcome you to consult that day’s blog entry for more details.

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If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

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Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

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8 February 2016
Bridgetown, Barbados: Tea and Cricket

February 8, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Barbados, along with Jamaica, is one of the most English-like islands in the Caribbean.

That stands to reason, since its first permanent settlers arrived from England in 1627 and to some extent never left although the population today are mostly descendants of African slaves or indentured servants from India.

Bathsheba Beach on the east side of the island, among the more dramatic pieces of coast in the Caribbean

We will be returning to Barbados on February 15, and I invite you to visit my blog posting for that day which will concentrate on the music of the island, and a bit about George Washington, who slept here for a few weeks.

From the arrival of the first English settlers in 1627 until independence in 1966, Barbados was under uninterrupted English and later British governance and was the only Caribbean island that did not change hands during the colonial period.

Queen Elizabeth II is still the constitutional monarch.

And so on Barbados they love their cricket and their rum, often combining the both under the Caribbean sun.

And you can enjoy a cuppa tea in places like Greenwich, Chancery Lane, Newbury, Hastings, or Marlowe.

Aboard the Atlantis submarine, which offers a glimpse under the sea offshore of Barbados.

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If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

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7 February 2016
Roseau, Dominica

February 7, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We’re docked at Roseau, the not-all-that-handsome capital of the island nation of Dominica. (Not to be confused, although it often is, with the Dominican Republic, the comparatively huge country that occupies about half of the island called Hispaniola near Jamaica and Cuba.)

Dominica sits midway along the Eastern Caribbean archipelago, just a few miles from the French islands of Martinique to the south and Guadeloupe to the north.

It holds a relatively small population of about 72,000 people spread over about 290 square miles or 750 square kilometers.

It’s a volcanic island, very green, with tropical forest covering two-thirds of the land. There are relatively few beaches, and they are not blessed with acres of pillowy white sand.

There’s a lot of rain, which means many waterfalls, rivers, and lakes.

And to their credit, the people of the Commonwealth of Dominica have decided that much of their future lies in eco-tourism. There are a lot of parallels to Costa Rica, and that is a meritorious comparison.

We’re going to be returning to Dominica on 14 February, and I’ll have some comments about the music of the island in the blog I will post that day.

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————-

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

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6 February 2016
Gustavia, Saint Barts: Swedish France, encore une fois

February 6, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We’re back in Saint Barts, encore une fois, one more time. (And we’ll be here again in a week.)

Not complaining, mind you: the island is tres charmant (very charming) although the shops and bistrots are tres cher (quite expensive).

Saint Barts lies immediately southeast of Saint Martin and Anguilla, northeast of Saba and St Eustatius, and north of St Kitts.

The island is quite small, only 8 square miles or 21 square kilometers, with 8,500 inhabitants.

More than half of full-time residents are white, some of them distant relatives of the French colonizers and others more recent arrivals from France. Less than half are of African descent or mixed blood. The Swedish influence, which came after the original French settlement, all but disappeared after the French returned in 1878.

Until 2007, Saint Barths was a French commune and part of Guadeloupe, which is an overseas région and overseas département of France.

Islanders voted to break their ties with Guadeloupe and form a separate overseas collectivity or COM that took effect in both Saint Barts and nearby Saint Martin.

Saint Barts is thus part of France but not fully ruled by the mother country.

It is, though, included in the European Union, and the official currency is the Euro.

In my post for our next visit, on February 13, I’ll explore some of the extreme examples of the expenditure of Euros and Dollars on the island.

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5 February 2016
San Juan, Puerto Rico: Heading South

February 5, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Welcome aboard to guests joining us here in Puerto Rico. And arrivederci to those heading home.

We head out of bustling San Juan tonight for a week-long loop down to Barbados and back, down the length of the Leeward Islands of the West Indies.

Below Dominica, the Lesser Antilles continue into the Windward Islands. We will dip below Dominica to call at two of these islands, St. Lucia and Antigua, before returning to San Juan.

In the West Indies, the prevailing winds–known as the trade winds–blow from the northeast to the southwest. The windward islands were those closer to the direction of the winds.

After then to former British colonies of St. Lucia, Antigua, and Tortola.

I’ll be posting from each of our ports of call. Here’s our plan:

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4 February 2016
Gustavia, Saint Barts: France and Sweden in a Small Place

February 4, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Saint Barts is tres, tres French…in a Swedish kind of way.

That’s right: Swedish. That’s why the capital town and port is called Gustavia, as in King Gustav III of Sweden.

Its European history began, as much of this region did, with Christopher Columbus, sailing for the Spanish. On his second voyage to what he called the West Indies, Columbus sailed past—not landing—at an island he named Saint Bartholomew, one of the twelve Apostles.

The Spanish did not linger; they concentrated much more on places that might hold silver or gold or other treasure they could expropriate relatively easily.

The Carib Indians were still in control on the island, and were still there in 1648 when the French were on the prowl in the Caribbean and staked a claim.

They Gallicized the Spanish name to Saint Barthélemy.

It was not, though, one of the most important French possessions. They focused instead on other more significant holdings: New France which stretched from Quebec all the way down to New Orleans on the American mainland from roughly 1534 to 1763 and in the Caribbean their more profitable possessions of Martinique and Guadeloupe.

The French also had other islands: Saint Kitts for a while, Saint Martin, and a few others.

In 1784, as France tottered toward Revolution, the French crown gave Saint Barts to Sweden in exchange for the right to engage in trade with the developing port of Gothenburg in the Baltic.

The Swedes wanted a foothold in the Americas as a place to sell iron ore and products. That brought Swedish governors and Swedish merchants and Swedish slave traders to the Caribbean.

Some of the products sold by the Swedes included the hardware of slavery: chains and anklets and weapons.

The Swedes sold the place back to the French in 1878, and the place began an inexorable march toward a party place in the Caribbean, a role it very successfully holds onto today.

Although Saint Bart’s still has significant elements of African culture, mostly in the remote villages away from Gustavia, it is now very French and a place where a party may break out at almost any moment. There’s not much left of the Swedish presence, although most street signs are marked in French and Swedish.

To our guests leaving us tomorrow in San Juan, we wish arrivederci: until we see you again.

We’re going to be visiting Saint Bart’s three times this season, coming back again on February 6 and again on February 13. I’ll be posting more commentary and photos about Tortola on those days, and you can check back for more details.

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3 February 2016
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten: Both Sides Now

February 3, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

One island, two nations: we’re visiting the Dutch capital of Philipsburg (where they officially call the island Sint-Maarten.) There are no border guards a few miles away where the French side of Saint-Martin begins.

There are also four dominant cultural heritages: African, French, British, and Dutch. And a whole lot of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans who come to the island aboard jumbo cruise ships and jumbo jets.

Unlike Hispaniola, where the Dominican Republic and third-world Haiti are at nearly opposite ends of the economic spectrum, on Sint-Maarten/Saint-Martin both sides are relatively prosperous because of thriving tourism.

The dock at Philipsburg can accommodate at least six very large cruise ships including the most mega of the megaships. The entire population of the islands–both sides now–is about 75,000 and in the heart of the tourist season there could be 30,000 guests and 12,000 or so crew heading ashore for the day.

The harbormaster has to manage the arrival and departure times of the ships like an air traffic controller.

(There’s also a port on the French side, at Marigot, but ships must lie at anchor and send guests in by tender boat, and the seas can be quite unpredictable. The island is small enough at about 34 square miles to allow visits to both sides quite easily, and so most cruise ships opt for the convenience of tying up to the dock in Philipsburg.)

Though he claimed it as Spanish territory, Columbus did not land on the island and the Spanish did not consider it a high priority for settlement.

On the other hand, both the French and the Dutch wanted the island.

The French saw it as a stepping stone in the Caribbean, part of their goal to colonize the islands between Trinidad and Bermuda.

The Dutch took a broader view, seeing Sint Maarten as a halfway point between their colonies in New Amsterdam (you may know the place today as New York City) and Brazil.

In a rare instance of diplomacy, the French and the Dutch signed the Treaty of Concordia in 1648 and divided the island into two sections. That’s not to say there weren’t occasional conflicts between the two sides, plus a bit of interference by the Spanish.

But in modern times the island has held on to its Dutch-French mix. There are, though, some real differences between the Dutch and French side.

The shops and the restaurants on one side or the other are not the same. The Dutch side is bustling, with large resorts and chain stores. The French side is more laid-back, with exclusive shops and pricey bistros.

Philipsburg can be a bit of a madhouse when cruise megaships are in town. Marigot much less so.

There are beaches and resorts all around, and each has its own character; the Dutch side has a few casinos, if that’s where you want to spend your Guilders or Dollars or Euros.

Our goal each time we come to the island is to try and find a place where we can still glimpse some hints of what remains of the local culture.

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If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

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2 February 2016
Road Town, Tortola BVI: A Small Place with Big Plans

February 2, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, which sounds very impressive.

Except that none of the islands are very large or have all that many people. Tis a pity, though, since they are very nice places.

Tortola is the largest of the British Virgin Islands, about 60 islands and rocks about 100 kilometers or 60 miles east of Puerto Rico. About 15 of the islands are inhabited.

Mountainous Tortola, formed by volcanic activity, is about 20 kilometers or 12 miles long, and 5 kilometers or 3 miles wide. Minor earthquakes are common.

The islands—in total—have a population of about 28,000. Of that number, about 23,000 live on Tortola, many near the capital city of Road Town, which is where we arrived on Silver Wind.

The port has undergone rapid growth in the past few years, with the installation of a large new dock, capable of handling some of the biggest ships afloat. In fact, some cruise lines have begun moving away from nearby Saint Martin in favor of Tortola. It’s a matter–in terms of crowds–of a temporary respite, I expect.

Silver Wind at anchor off Road Town

A pair of monster ships at the new pier

The other significant islands are Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost van Dyke. And then there are the lesser islands include Norman, Peter, Salt, Cooper, and Beef; some historians (and tourist bureaus) maintain that pirates like Blackbeard, Bluebeard, and Sir Francis Drake visited one or another of them.

Some would have you believe there is buried treasure here, too. For a small fee, they might even sell you a map.

More than thirty years ago, my wife and I visited the outlying islands. On Salt Island we found a tiny settlement, mostly made up of one extended family.

They had no interest in or need of our money or trinkets. But they deeply desired to have some of the glossy color magazines we had with us, with pictures of places that must have seemed like the moon to them. We gladly gave them the magazines; I sometimes wonder what dreams and wants we may have introduced, for better or worse.

We’re going to be visiting Tortola three times this season, coming back again on February 11 and again on February 18. I’ll be posting more commentary and photos about Tortola on those days, and you can check back for more details.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

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1 February 2016
Samana, Dominican Republic: A One-sided Story

February 1, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Hispaniola is the second largest island in the Caribbean. Three-quarters the size of Cuba, it has about twice the population.

That make it the most populous island in the Americas, the tenth or twelfth most populous island in the world. About 20 million people live on the island, roughly the same as Mindinao in The Philippines, Madagascar, or Sri Lanka.

It has the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central America and the ninth largest economy in Latin America.

On the mostly lush and well-situated island of Hispaniola are two sovereign nations: the Dominican Republic, about 19,000 square miles or 48,000 square kilometers,

And Haiti, about half as large at 11,000 square miles or 28,000 square kilometers.

As I mentioned in my welcome to this cruise in my post of 29 January…and I discussed in more detail in my lecture aboard ship…the island of Hispaniola is fertile ground for anthropological, political, economic, religious, and just about any other form of social science analysis and argument.

The Dominican Republic has the most successful economy in the Caribbean and is on the cusp of first world status. While its neighbor Haiti is among the world’s poorest countries, and the poorest anywhere in the Americas, beset by corruption, lack of health care and education, and poor infrastructure.

We called at the tourist enclave of Samana, a fine port in a still-developing part of the island.

For most of its history, up until its independence from Haiti in 1844, the country was known as Santo Domingo—the name of its present capital. Both were named after the nation’s patron saint, Saint Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order in the 12^th century.

On this visit we went for a hike off the tourist path to see St. Peter’s Evangelical Church.

This church was brought from America in the early 19th century by freed and escaped slaves who were invited to resettle on Hispaniola by the government which was the first in the new world to throw off their slave holders. There was also aid by American abolitionists who sought a place to resettle African slaves.

About 6,000 came to Hispaniola; most did not stay, but a community of descendants live in and around Samana.

Los Haitises National Park is on the southern side of Samana Bay, about 15 kilometers or 10 miles from Samana. This is a protected virgin forest, accessible primarily by boat from Samana, with little road access.

Haitis means highland or mountain range in the Taino language, although the hills aren’t that tall: about 20 to 40 meters or 100 to 130 feet.

You’ll find many sea caverns, some with ancient pictographs and petroglyphs. The area was formed in the Miocene epoch, about 23 to 5 million years ago.

Included within the park is San Lorenzo Bay with numerous islets and mangroves.

The Cayo de los Pájaros, or Bird Key, is populated by frigate birds and pelicans. It is located near the enticingly named Boca del Infierno, or Mouth of Hell.

And the spectacular waterfall, El Limon, was used for the opening scenes of the original Jurassic Park movie.

We are arriving in the Dominican Republic during the humpback whale season, from January to March.

Now, please: no guarantees. These are live creatures and they do not consult the calendar…or the Silversea itinerary…before deciding whether to make an appearance. But we have good chance.

The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. Adults range in length from 12 to 16 meters, or 39 to 52 feet and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms or 79,000 pounds on average.

That’s about the size of a tourist bus, with some added weight…and no tourists aboard.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

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31 January 2016
Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

January 31, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

The Turks & Caicos, one of the relatively untouched corners of the Caribbean: eight main islands and more than 229 smaller ones—some barely large enough to pitch a beach umbrella.

The two groups—the Turks and the Caicos—sit just north of Hispaniola (home of Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and east of Cuba.

The population of about 31,500 live on eight main islands: in the Turks, the Caicos, and the mostly privately held outlying or boutique Islands.

The primary natural resources are in the water: spiny lobster, conch, and other shellfish. Not much grows on the land, except for tourist attractions.

It has a bit of history as a refuge for pirates and friends including Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read.

And later as refuge for astronauts–the waters offshore were used as the landing zone for many of the early American space launches.

Now, let’s pause for a moment and consider this pressing question: What in the world does a Caribbean island have to do with Turkey?

Not much, actually, except for one thing: amongst the relatively sparse vegetation in the islands is the slightly suggestive Melocactus intortus cactus.

It has a distinctive red cap, which at least to one long-forgotten visitor suggested a Turkish fez. Hence the name “Turks.”

Grand Turk has prospered in the last decade since a cruise dock was installed and mostly paid for by the mega-monster Carnival Corporation; that company also deigns to rent docking space to some other lines from time to time.

At the end of the quay is an air-conditioned shopping mall with all the usual suspects: liquor, jewelry, perfume, and t-shirts.

There is a large lagoon-like swimming pool; you can rent a private poolside cabana with waiter service. And the largest Margaritaville restaurant and bar in the Caribbean, part of the amazing global empire built around the American singer Jimmy Buffett.

There is, though, one very nice attraction right at the dock.

Go through the air-conditioned mall, enter into the shopping center, and head left or right to reach Governor’s Beach. It is one of the most convenient beaches at any cruise dock in the Caribbean…and it offers a fine view…of our ship.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

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29 January 2016
Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Turnaround to the Eastern Caribbean

January 29, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Welcome aboard. We’re heading out on a cruise that samples almost every one of the many imported and native cultures of the eastern Caribbean: British, Spanish, Swedish, French, Dutch, and American.

Some of the residents of the Key West Aquarium in Florida

From Fort Lauderdale, we sail to Grand Turk island in the British territory of Turks and Caicos.

Next, we’re on to the tourist enclave of Samana in the Dominican Republic, on the Spanish side of the island of Hispaniola, a place that also holds the much-less-developed nation of Haiti. I’ll talk a bit about theories why two nations on the same island are so different in my lecture aboard ship.

From Samana, Silver Wind heads to Road Town on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. This is another playground of the Caribbean, with an interesting hodgepodge of history and arrivistes.

Next is Philipsburg, Sint-Maarten, the Dutch capital of the island that is shared with the French (who call their half St-Martin.)

Then on to Gustavia on the oh-so-tony island of Saint-Barthélemy, known to most as Saint Bart’s, and to many as one of the essential stopovers on the social global circuit: Saint Bart’s, San Tropez, Monte Carlo, Nantucket. The name of the capital and port, Gustavia, is a reminder of the one-time presence of the Swedish on the island; today it is tres, tres French.

And then we conclude at San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a very Spanish culture within the political and cultural bounds of an American territory.

Here’s our plan:

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27-28 January 2016
Key West, Florida: The Sun Also Sets

January 28, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Key West island, at the tip of the Florida Keys archipelago in the Straits of Florida, is a small place with an oversized place in American culture.

It is closer to Cuba (94 miles) than it is to Miami, about 129 miles away.

The Spanish established their colony in Florida. They named the little island at the bottom of the archipelago, Cayo Hueso, Spanish for “bone cay.” The cay, the low island, was littered with the bones of natives, who used it as a communal graveyard.

During the American Civil War, Florida seceded and joined the Confederate States. However, Key West remained in Union hands because of the U.S. Naval base there.

Major industries in the early 19th century included fishing, salt production, and salvage of the many shipwrecks offshore. About 1860, the salvage industry made Key West the largest and richest city in Florida, and the wealthiest town per capita in the U.S.

The town was noted for the unusually high concentration of fine furniture and chandeliers that locals used in their homes after salvaging them from wrecks.

The Caribbean is still littered with the wrecks of galleons and other vessels, and Key West is still a center for treasure hunters.

Sculpture by Seward Johnson at the old Customs House in Key West

At the beginning of World War II the Navy increased its presence greatly; at its peak employing 15,000 military personnel and 3,400 civilians. The base included Naval Air Station Key West, a training facility for pilots.

The area next to Fort Taylor became a submarine pen and was used for the Fleet Sonar School.

And it was here that President Harry S. Truman chose to make his Winter White House. He used the commandant’s home on 11 visits to Key West, a total of 175 days.

The Truman Little White House in Key West

Later, Dwight D. Eisenhower stayed in Key West recuperating from a heart attack. And in November 1962, John F. Kennedy visited Key West a month after the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Presidents Clinton and Carter also made visits in their post-presidency.

Ernest Hemingway is said to have written part of A Farewell to Arms while living above the showroom of a Ford dealership at 314 Simonton Street. And it was here Hemingway was introduced to deep-sea fishing.

During his stay he wrote or worked on Death in the Afternoon, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber. He used Depression-era Key West as one of the locations in To Have and Have Not—his only novel with scenes in the United States.

Tennessee Williams became a regular visitor in 1941 and is said to have written the first draft of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1947 at the La Concha Hotel. He bought a house in 1949 and listed Key West as his primary residence until his death in 1983.

A selection of watering holes in Key West, including the second incarnation of Sloppy Joe’s, a favorite of Ernest Hemingway

Today, they do not need much—or any—excuse for a party in Key West.

This is, after all, a place where every night hundreds of tourists and many locals gather at Mallory Square to watch the same thing that happened roughly 24 hours ago: the setting of the sun.

Sunset at Mallory Square, which comes complete with jugglers, fire-eaters, swird-swallowers, and tourists.

But there are a few special celebrations each year, including Conch Republic Independence Day, several Gay Pride events, and one festival that seems to combine all others: the Key West Fantasy Fest.

It is held for ten days leading up and including Halloween at the end of October. The 2015 event had the theme, “All Hallows Intergalactic Freak Show,” which seems to me to be pretty much the theme every year.

To our guests leaving in Fort Lauderdale, I wish you arrivederci: until we meet again.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

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25 January 2016
George Town, Grand Cayman: You Can Bank on It

January 25, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We put down our anchor offshore of George Town, capital and largest city of the modestly named Grand Cayman Island, the largest of the three Cayman Islands.

The island is about 22 miles or 35 kilometers long, with its widest point 8 miles or 13 kilometers.

Of the three populated islands in the chain Grand Cayman represents more than three-quarters of the territory’s land mass and nearly all of its 56,000 people.

About 75 miles or 121 kilometers to the northeast is Little Cayman, and a bit further in that direction is Cayman Brac; between the two “sister islands” are about 2,000 residents.

The Cayman Islands are the peaks of a massive underwater ridge, known as the Cayman Ridge, which flanks the Cayman Trough, 6,000 meters or 20,000 feet deep, which lies 6 kilometers or 4 miles to the south.

All three islands were formed by large coral heads covering submerged ice age peaks.

The first European spotting of the islands was by that most obvious of suspects: Christopher Columbus, in 1503.

By 1530, all three of the islands were called the Caimanas, derived from the Carib word for the marine crocodile that once was common.

The Cayman Islands today are a British Overseas Territory, somewhere between a colony and an independent nation. They are on a U.N. list of the last non-self-governing territories.

We arrived on National Heroes Day, a very British celebration of local dignitaries, presided over by Queen Elizabeth II’s representative, the appointed governor of the island territory.

National Heroes Day on Grand Cayman.

A glimpse of old Cayman, in the shadow of one of the office towers holding lawyers, accountants, bankers, and the paperwork for 100,000 or so companies from around the world.

In terms of numbers of jobs, the economy is based around tourism.

But there is also a somewhat hidden economy which you can glimpse in the skyline and some of the nameplates on buildings: well-known banks and accounting firms.

The Cayman Islands is one of the world’s leading offshore financial havens for wealthy individuals, businesses, and investment firms.

In fact, the Caymans have more registered businesses than people. There are about 600 banks and trust companies, and by one count branches or affiliates of 43 of the 50 largest banks in the world.

And about 100,000 corporations and financial entities, twice the number of people in the territory.

Precise figures are hard to come by, but many experts believe the Cayman Islands are the fifth-largest banking center in the world, with something on the order of $1.5 trillion, that’s trillion with a “T” in banking liabilities.

Financial services represent something on the order of 55 percent of the total economy, 36 percent of all employment, and 40 percent of all government revenue.

The authorities have faced challenges from international regulatory groups, flirting with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) blacklist for a while.

There is no direct taxation on residents and Cayman Islands companies. There are no taxes on corporate profits, capital gains, or personal income. There are no estate or death inheritance taxes payable on Cayman Islands real estate or other assets held in the Cayman Islands.

The government charges flat licensing fees on financial institutions that operate in the islands and there are work permit fees on foreign labor.

And then there is a duty levied against most imported goods, in the range of 22 to 25 percent; even higher on high-priced automobiles, of which you will see more than a few.

Back to tourism, though: and so, while passenger counts in the Caribbean have been increasing every year recently, they have leveled off or declined in Grand Cayman.

One reason is the lack of a dock large enough for major ships.

The government of Grand Cayman Island has proposed to build a $250 million berthing facility that would provide docking and direct shore access to as many as four cruise ships at once. Four huge ships, that is.

But the island’s own Department of Environment has said that construction and dredging for the port would damage about 15 acres of reefs and animal habitat and damage another 15 acres.

And the turbulence stirred up by thrusters and propellers of the ships coming all the way into the harbor would bring additional damage.

On a purely financial basis, having the dock would allow many more guests to come ashore directly and spend money in the gift shops and restaurants…but some say the damage would take away some of the principal reasons tourists come to George Town: to snorkel, swim, or otherwise enjoy the pristine waters.

Local newspapers have carried comments from some of the mega-cruise line companies (not Silverseas), saying, “If you build it we will come; if you don’t we will not come.”

In October 2015, the Cayman government said it intended to push through on plans for a dock.

In the mean time, our small luxury ship will use our tender boats bring us to shore. That’s apparently not pleasing to the owners and passengers of the megaships, which sounds rather grand to me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

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23 January 2016
Roatán Island, Honduras: In the Depths

January 23, 2016 Corey Sandler

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Roatán Island is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras; the group stands about 30 to 50 miles off the coast.

It is, in many ways, one of the shining hopes of an otherwise grim nation beset by violence and other troubles mostly related to the northward traffic in drugs from South America to the market in the United States.

Roatán stands far enough offshore to be out of the way and also isolated enough to allow for the cultivation of what the Hondurans hope will flourish as a small version of Costa Rica, a green and relatively safe paradise.

Roatán is close to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest such natural reef in the Caribbean Sea, and indeed the second largest in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Off the island, parts of the ocean floor are carpeted with stars.

The mainland of Honduras is bordered to the west by a small neck of land that gives Guatemala its only port on the Caribbean at Puerto Barrios. To the southwest is El Salvador, and to the southeast Nicaragua.

A tough neighborhood, across history and even now.

Honduras spans an area of about 112,492 square kilometers or 43,400 square miles: a relatively small country about the size of Cuba or Iceland, or the American state of Ohio.

In that area is a population exceeding 8 million, with about a quarter of that number in and around the nation’s capital, the answer to a trivia question: Tegucigalpa.

Honduras is not wealthy, although it is rich in natural resources: Minerals like gold, silver, copper, lead, antimony, coffee, tropical fruit, sugar cane, a bit of coal, and fish and shrimp.

The place we now call Trujillo was the first place Columbus touched on the Central American mainland. Prior to that, on his four voyages, he had only landed on islands and at the top of South America.

He never landed on the mainland of North America.

Columbus named the place “Punta de Caxinas”. Caxinas is a port in northern Portugal, above Porto.

And Columbus named the deep waters of the area the Golfo de Honduras, the Gulf of the Depths.

In 1524, shortly after the conquest of Mexico by Hernán Cortés. the first city of Honduras–Triunfo de la Cruz–was founded near where modern Trujillo stands.

It was used briefly as a port to send silver and gold back to Spain

About 50 to 60 percent of the population is considered below the poverty line. On the plus side, the economy has grown 3 or 4 percent in each of recent years, which is good, although the increases were building from a very low level.

In the late nineteenth century, Honduras became one of the Banana Republics” dominated by United States-based fruit companies granted substantial land and privileges.

Thousands of workers came to the north coast to work in the banana plantations and the other industries that grew up around the export industry.

The industry was dominated at first by the Cuyamel Fruit Company, then the United Fruit Company, and others. Labor difficulties in Honduras led to American military or police actions seven times between 1903 and 1925.

The fruit companies also encouraged immigration of workers from the English-speaking Caribbean, notably Jamaica and Belize, who introduced an African-descended, English speaking and largely Protestant population into the country.

And about that term, “Banana Republic?”

The American author William Sydney Porter—better known today under his pen name of O. Henry—spent about a year living in Honduras, primarily in Trujillo.

About 1904, he wrote a series of short stories set in “Coralio” in the fictional Central American country of “Anchuria”, based on Trujillo. And in those stories, collected in his book “Of Cabbages and Kings,” he coined the term “Banana Republic.”

Around the World with Corey Sandler

Category Archives: Uncategorized

15 February 2016
Bridgetown, Barbados: Rum and Spirits

14 February 2016
Roseau, Dominica

13 February 2016
Gustavia, Saint Barts

12 February 2016
San Juan, Puerto Rico

11 February 2016
Road Town, Tortola

10 February 2016
Saint John’s, Antigua

9 February 2016
Castries, Saint Lucia: Ping-pong

8 February 2016
Bridgetown, Barbados: Tea and Cricket

7 February 2016
Roseau, Dominica

6 February 2016
Gustavia, Saint Barts: Swedish France, encore une fois

5 February 2016
San Juan, Puerto Rico: Heading South

4 February 2016
Gustavia, Saint Barts: France and Sweden in a Small Place

3 February 2016
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten: Both Sides Now

2 February 2016
Road Town, Tortola BVI: A Small Place with Big Plans

1 February 2016
Samana, Dominican Republic: A One-sided Story

31 January 2016
Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

29 January 2016
Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Turnaround to the Eastern Caribbean

27-28 January 2016
Key West, Florida: The Sun Also Sets

25 January 2016
George Town, Grand Cayman: You Can Bank on It

23 January 2016
Roatán Island, Honduras: In the Depths

Cruise Photos and Stories by Corey Sandler