CARIBBEAN `


We are rewarded with a postcard-perfect beach, home to a tiny bar serving gin-infused coconut water straight from the shell


Class vessel, which at just 132 suites feels closer to a superyacht than a cruise ship, was built for diverse environments and will spend much of the year amid the icy regions of the Arctic and Antarctica. It’s hard to imagine as I watch the vessel on the horizon – the inklings of an epic Caribbean sunset starting to form behind it – but, with a 26-strong team of expedition experts, two custom-built submarines, 24 Zodiacs that can accommodate all onboard guests and a complement of double sea kayaks, this ship is every inch the intrepid explorer. We join Seabourn Venture halfway through a repositioning cruise between Newfoundland in Canada and Barbados, as the ship heads toward Antarctica following a successful inaugural season in the Arctic. Boarding in sunny Puerto Rico, we journey east to Jost Van Dyke, a paradisiacal port of call in the pristine British Virgin Islands. From here, cruisers can hop on a short boat ride to nearby Virgin Gorda, the third-largest island in the region and home to what is arguably the destination’s main attraction. The Baths National Park is a veritable playground for exploring thanks to an abundance of giant granite boulders – some of which measure 15 metres in diameter. We venture along a network of narrow trails between the rocks, squeezing through tight crevices, climbing rickety wooden ladders and crouching under boulders. Our hard work is rewarded with secret rock pools; a soaring, sun-dappled cavern; and, at the end of the trail, a postcard-perfect beach, home to a tiny bar serving gin-infused coconut water straight from the shell.


Water toys


FROM TOP: Panorama Veranda Suite on Seabourn Venture; aerial view of Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands; Wintergarden Suite veranda Credit: Shutterstock/tomtomdotcom


The weather takes a turn in Fort-de-France in Martinique, thwarting our efforts to sample the ship’s ample water toys. A kayaking adventure around the headland is aborted due to heavy rain, but not before the ever-perseverant expedition


76 ASPIRE JUNE 2023


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