Saba’s Sea and Learn Foundation kicked off its 20th-anniversary program on Sunday with an expedition to the Saba Bank sinkholes in the morning, followed by an opening night at Liam’s Cuisine.

Marine scientist Erica Moulton gave a presentation about her foundation Center for Open Explora­tion C4OE. It was entitled, “Why We Explore the Deep Ocean”. Moulton first visited Saba in 2021 as an invited expert for Sea and Learn Founda­tion. She quickly fell in love with the island, particularly the local drink Saba Spice and the story of its creation. Wanting to give back to Saba through C4OE, she chose to make a beer for the Sea and Learn Foundation as a way to support its sus­tainability and give expo­sure to Saba.

Sea and Learn Founda­tion chose the beer’s name, “Saba Cloud Top”, because it represented the clouds that hover almost constantly above Mount Scenery, which is also considered the iconic symbol of Saba. Malachy Multimedia pro­vided the design of the alu­minium can. The graphics were inspired by a mural created by former Saba resident Joan C. Bourque.
Geo Aqua Watch, a non­profit organization that focuses on monitoring water quality, contributed to the beer’s production, as did the label company Bay Tech Label.
For this project, Moulton also partnered with Bastet Brewing, which advocates for the environment and creates beers and ciders inspired by fermentation tra­ditions from countries and cultures around the world. Saban Vernon Hassell sponsored the delivery of the beer from Florida to Saba.

Saba Cloud Top was introduced to the island at a formal tasting event organized by the Saba Tourism Bureau on September 25. Samples will be avail­able at each presentation night throughout Sea and Learn’s month-long pro­gramme in October. Additionally, Saba’s restaurants are promoting and selling the beer.

Sea and Learn’s program brings scientists from around the world to Saba’s shores. Marine biologist and sci­ence communicator Na­than Robinson will give a presentation on how tech­nology can be used to pro­tect sea turtles at Ocean Club at 5:30 pm Tuesday. Apart from giving pre­sentations, the visiting scientist will participate in activities with Saba’s community until the closing event on Friday, October 27.

Over the past two de­cades, the Sea and Learn program has been sup­ported by Prins Bernhard Culture Fund and the pub­lic entity of Saba.

Persons can visit www. seaandlearn.org for more information.

The Daily Herald.