“The anchor heaves, the ship swings free, the sails swell full. To sea, to sea!” — from “Sailors Song” by Thomas Lovell Beddoes
“Please pass the rum.” — Jim Reeves
My feet were splayed across the warm, sleek wooden deck, the wind in my hair and the sounds of “Amazing Grace” still ringing in my ears.
High above, the huge white sails billowed and filled as we sailed out of legendary Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. The chill bumps on my arms had nothing to do with the warm salt spray that flew from the bow as we crested the waves and headed into blue water.
This, I understood immediately, wasn’t just a vacation.
This was an adventure.
This was the sea of Blackbeard the pirate, of young Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver. This was “16 men on a dead man’s chest” and buried treasure.
I felt like a boy again.
We had booked passage for a week on the Flying Cloud, a 208-foot, three-masted “privateer” that gave me a thrill just to look at: her sleek lines, her polished wood decks and her towering masts.
Built in 1935 for the French navy, she had served as a cadet training ship and during World War II had posed as a decoy, spying for the Allied forces. She carried a crew of 28, up to 75 passengers and a vast supply of Tortola’s famed spiced rum. We would not go thirsty.
Flying Cloud is one of seven ships — six sailing vessels and one steamship — in the Windjammer Barefoot Cruises fleet. We would sail throughout the BVIs, determining our itinerary by weather and the whim of Capt. Adrian Goldsborough.
The weather, when we sailed in late April, was perfect. Adrian, with typical British wit, humor and grace, was even better.
The man didn’t put on a pair of shoes all week. Can you say that about your cruise ship captain?
There are a few similarities between a Windjammer Barefoot Cruise and the normal Caribbean cruise; dress is not one of them. There are no formal nights on a Windjammer cruise, so forget the tux and bag the high heels. Bring some shorts, T-shirts, swimsuits and sandals, and lots of suntan lotion. The most common mistake is overpacking.
Our destination was wherever the winds took us in the BVIs — just east of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — but each ship in the fleet has a back yard to sail in.
The Fantome cruises the Mexican ports in the Caribbean. The Mandalay’s territory is the Windward and Leeward Islands. The Polynesia sails in the French West Indies, and the Yankee Clipper works the Grenadines. The flagship of the fleet, the steamer Amazing Grace, books 13-day cruises in the Bahamas and Caribbean.
The fleet’s newest refitted member is the huge, 294-foot, 120-passenger Legacy, which began sailing the U.S. and British Virgin Islands in December.
One of the most common questions about a Barefoot Cruise is this: How much work do you have to do?
Answer: None, if you don’t want to, and likely very little, even if you do.
It was fun to help the crew haul the ropes that hoisted the sails each morning while the ship’s loudspeaker played the cruise line’s theme song, “Amazing Grace,” and I’ll never hear it in quite the same way again.
You’ll want to save your energy for hoisting the frequent rum swizzles that the stewards insist on pouring into your cup when you’re not looking. I did mention that there was rum on board, didn’t I?
Your Windjammer Barefoot Cruise, in fact, begins with rum swizzles if you arrive, as most of us did, for the “stowaway night” the evening before setting sail. I recommend it.
There are various routes to get to Tortola, but eventually you find yourself on a ferry out of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. You’ll need your passport to get through British customs, of course, and then your tour bus is pulling up in front of Pusser’s, Tortola’s famed general store/restaurant/British pub. Before you know it, you’re sitting on the front porch, sipping the local icy rum specialty, waiting for the Flying Cloud’s tender to arrive and take you aboard.
There’s a party that night — heck, there’s a party every night — but this one includes a steel band from the islands, the requisite limbo contest and plenty of food and rum swizzles, of course. There’s an open bar on the main deck serving your favorites too.
Unlike the big cruise ships, you get to know your fellow passengers pretty quickly on a Windjammer cruise.
Unless you’re the lucky couple in the honeymoon cabin, accommodations are tiny but endurable. You’ll want to take turns between the bottom and top bunks. Because the air-conditioning vent is at floor level, the top bunk tends to get a little warm, but you’re welcome to take your pillow and blanket topside and sprawl out on one of the suntanning mats.
I even spent one night snoring blissfully away in the widow’s net while we were anchored in a cove off one of the islands.
Bathrooms also are an adventure. Let me just say that you can literally “sit, shower and shave” all at the same time, if that’s your desire.
The day starts at 6 a.m. — if you want it to — with Bloody Marys, “sticky buns” and fresh fruit in the salon. We soon learned that, to Capt. Adrian, “sticky buns” covered the gamut of pastries, from doughnuts to Danish. A hot breakfast was served at 8, and the coffee urn was fresh and hot 24 hours a day.
After breakfast each day Adrian convenes “storytime,” during which he tells everyone where the ship will be sailing that day, what you’ll be doing in the afternoon — usually snorkeling, sunbathing on a gorgeous beach or scuba diving, for those who are qualified — and where he intends anchoring for the night.
Lunch is either on the beach or on board. Evening snacks and the ever-present rum swizzles are served on the main deck at 5 p.m., and dinner is in two shifts in the salon, starting at 7. Each evening we had a choice of entrees, and the food, with your choice of wine, is excellent. You won’t go hungry.
This is a cruise for those looking to throttle back and relax. The featured attraction: the beautiful white sand beaches. The islands themselves are poor, dry and with few distinguishing features. The occasional on-shore tours are offered, but there’s nothing special there except for The Baths at Virgin Gorda. This is an extraordinary formation of toppled boulders creating a grotto of caves and crystal clear pools.
Pack light but don’t forget your spirit of adventure. Remember, this isn’t your ordinary vacation.
DETAILS ON A WINDJAMMER CRUISE
Cruise rates vary between ships, itineraries and seasons. A deck cabin on the Flying Cloud between Nov. 1 and May 30 is $975 per person, double occupancy; a standard cabin is $875 per person, double. There are no single cabins on this ship, but for those traveling alone the cruise line will find a suitable roommate and charge the per-person, double-occupancy rate.
Cruise rate includes berth, all meals, complimentary drinks at certain times of the day and entertainment.
There are shore excursions that come at reasonable prices, as does snorkeling gear. You can bring your own, too, if you wish.
Everything is informal, so don’t overpack. Swimsuits, shorts and T-shirts are the order of the day and night. No dressing up for dinner unless you decide to go ashore, and even that’s usually casual. Bring your own beach towel.
Each ship has its own Sea Chest ship’s store, with Windjammer clothing, T-shirts and other souvenirs.
“Stowaway Nights,” allowing you to board and spend an evening on the ship before sailing, include dinner, rum swizzles and a steel band party, and cost just $45 per person.
Contact your travel agent or phone Windjammer Barefoot Cruises at 800-327-2601 for a brochure or to book your cruise.
