It was no coincidence that we selected our anchorage near Cape Santa Maria – this locale brims with historical significance as the third island stumbled upon by Christopher Columbus during his legendary 1492 expedition, which ultimately led to the revelation of America. Legend has it that in his journal, Columbus waxed poetic about Long Island, hailing it as the most exquisite land he had ever laid eyes upon. Just a jaunty two miles north of Cape Santa Maria stands the Columbus Monument, a testament to Columbus’s fateful landing on Long Island’s shores. Our journey to reach it was no walk in the park – traversing through the untamed forest from the beach near our anchorage to the monument proved to be quite the adventure. Alas, unlike Stocking Island, there were no well-trodden hiking trails here; we had to channel our inner pioneers, akin to the intrepid crew of Columbus’s trusty ship, the Santa Maria. Ahoy, adventure awaits!
Sand beach with anchored SV OceanologRock formationsFun with fan coralOne of the developments on the shoreTernsRelaxing under palm leaves umbrella.Beach walkRelaxing in turquoise watersRefreshing swimmingCTD cast near Cape Santa MariaA plot of CTD cast’s data: well-mixed shallow waters( T=26.28+/-0.04degC; S=37.01+/-0.01) with near 100% oxygen saturation, very clear (backscatter attenuation 0.001 1/m) with a quite interesting distribution of Chl a and fDOM – very low concentrations at the surface with increase near the bottom, probably, sourced by nearby seaweed field. Our dinghy’s landingSalt deposits on shore rocksTrees heading to the oceanCactusOceanolog with St.Piter’s Cape in the background Walking through the tropical forestMonument commemorating Cristopher Columbus’s landingColumbus MonumentMonumental shadowsCape NewtonBlossoming acaciaPoison treeUnder silver palmWalking between beach rocksSunset walking on a beachAnother beautiful sunset
