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Smooth Sailing Small cruising vessels offer vacationers a truly memorable experience that's just a little bit different from ordinary cruises. It began innocently enough. During an editorial committee meeting of The Retired Officer Magazine, we stopped to review a press kit from Windstar sailing cruises. "Hey, I'd go on that trip," I offered, never thinking for a moment they'd take me up on the idea. Two months later, having dragged my jaw up off the floor and checked in with TROA Vacations, I flew to Barbados, where the cruise would begin. My former college roommate, Jocelyn, was all too happy to come along for the ride—er, sail—and we boarded Windstar Cruises' msy Wind Surf for a weeklong adventure at sea in the Caribbean. Sunday—Anchors aweigh Our package included transportation from the airport, and as we approached the harbor, I could see the lights that outlined the Wind Surf's five masts. In an instant, I knew this trip would be different. Perhaps it was because the Wind Surf looked so distinctive. Her elegant lines reminded me of turn-of-the-century sailing vessels. The atmosphere she projected also was different from the mammoth cruise liners, which looked like floating apartment buildings. I came aboard the Wind Surf at 10 p.m., just a couple of hours before the ship set sail. After completing the quick and painless check-in process, I toured the decks. At 617 feet, the Wind Surf is considered a large sailing ship. Compared to other cruising vessels, however, it's considered quite small, and my tour took no time at all. Exhausted after a long day, I headed to the cabin I would share with Jocelyn. All passenger cabins on Windstar vessels are located on the outside of the ship, and each has a porthole. After I settled in, I turned out the lights and opened the curtains covering the porthole. I had an excellent view of the harbor, and I took a moment to appreciate the sight and sound of the surf, which was lapping gently against the ship just a few feet below me. Monday—At ease at sea The cruise began with a day at sea. By the time I leisurely grazed my way through the continental breakfast buffet, all the deck chairs were taken. It seemed an opportune time to get the lay of the land—um, ship. The Wind Surf, which recently was refitted, can hold up to 308 passengers and 163 crew members. I had been onboard less than 24 hours, but as I traversed the decks, I saw familiar faces—the honeymooning couple, the dedicated sun worshipper, and the experienced cruiser. A midmorning lifeboat drill brought visions of the Titanic to mind, but I calculated the likelihood of encountering icebergs in the Caribbean to be remote. Afterward, I ate an untroubled lunch at the Veranda café. In the afternoon, I prowled around and checked out the ship's numerous amenities, which included three bars, two saltwater pools, and a fitness center. Although I admittedly avoided the latter during my time on the Wind Surf, Jocelyn made regular use of the exercise facilities—to each her own. I finally settled down in a deck chair with a novel, stopping only to watch the sun set over the sparkling waters of the Caribbean. Then I went down to the cabin to dress for dinner. Every Windstar ship promises "casual elegance," and the dress code is relaxed with no formal evenings. Seating in the restaurant also is relaxed with no specified seating arrangements or assigned tables. Passengers show up when they're ready to eat and join other passengers, if they choose. Jocelyn and I requested a table for two during our first evening aboard so we could suss out the scene before we started socializing. Renowned Chef Joachim Splichal of the Patina Group in Los Angeles creates most of the menus. There also is a Sail Light menu, developed by Jeanne Jones, author of Homestyle Cooking Made Healthy. The lighter options on this menu were tempting, and I ordered lamb shish kebab with Turkish roasted eggplant for my first dinner at sea. Unlike on a larger cruise ship, where hundreds of meals are prepared in advance, dinner on the Wind Surf is prepared to order. According to the executive chef, none of the meals is prepared in advance, yet with the help of six other chefs, approximately 300 entrées were served in 45 minutes.
Tuesday—Nevis and dinner with the captain Jocelyn and I wanted to get an early start at our first port of call. In lieu of an alarm, we opted to have room service wake us up with breakfast, which was served in our cabin. The experience was so pleasant—and so decadent—we had room service wake us with breakfast every morning. Today, we would dock at Nevis, which is located in the northern part of the Leeward Islands. As we stepped off the tender onto the dock, we immediately noticed one advantage to cruising on a small sailing ship: Rather than swamping the streets, our fellow passengers quickly dispersed into town. Occasionally, we caught glimpses of the Wind Surf at anchor as we wandered around the island. Even with her sails furled, she was an impressive sight, and we took several photos of "our" ship. Watching the ship prepare to leave port that afternoon was even more impressive, and we observed the massive sails unfurl one by one. The sails are computer-operated from the bridge, so instead of a frenzy of ropes and winches, the sails unreeled simply, almost magically, scarcely making a sound. That evening, Jocelyn and I were invited to dine at the captain's table. Capt. Richard Bridge, who was a good storyteller, told us he had been with Windstar for three years, but like most sailors, he developed a love for the sea at an early age. Bridge started sailing when he was just 5 years old. When he was 9, he told his mother he wanted to go to sea. Later, as an adult, he tried working in an office. He lasted only five days before happily resuming his seafaring life. The rest of our dinner companions at the captain's table were equally interesting, and the conversation covered all bases. To my left were a businessman and his wife who were frequent Windstar travelers. To my right was a graduate-student-by-day/musician-by-night who was on his first sailing cruise, with his fiancée, her mother, and her stepfather. Soon, it was time to order. Although the surf and turf looked tempting, I was feeling adventurous, so I requested the grilled ahi tuna with ginger-pink peppercorn sauce. Wednesday—Crewing in St. Martin The Wind Surf docked at St. Martin, also known as Sint Maarten. The French and the Dutch each govern half of this island, which lies 150 miles southeast of Puerto Rico. Most cruise ships dock at Phillipsburg on the Dutch half of the island. The crew of the Wind Surf, however, likes to do things a little bit differently, and we debarked at Marigot on the French side. After a couple days of unstructured entertainment, Jocelyn and I elected to participate in a shore excursion. Our choices ranged from an art tour to a chance to "crew" aboard a yacht that once was a contender in the America's Cup. We chose the latter. I returned to the ship feeling invigorated and noticed many of my fellow passengers also seemed very energetic. The average age of a passenger on a Windstar cruise is 52—slightly younger than the industry average. Averages, however, don't tell the true tale, and the passengers on our ship were 20-somethings, 80-somethings, and every-something in between. There weren't many young children aboard. The small ships owned by Windstar don't carry enough passengers to merit creating activities geared toward children. Adolescents, however, will find plenty to entertain them. The ships also can be difficult to navigate for those who have limited mobility. Some levels on the ship were only accessible by stairs, and although recently modified, the gangplank still could present a challenge. Wednesday evening Jocelyn and I faced a difficult choice. The Wind Surf would remain in port until 1 a.m., which afforded us time to experience St. Martin's nightlife. We also could partake in the ship's Caribbean-theme night, which featured a buffet dinner and musical entertainment provided by the Filipino and Indonesian crew. Jocelyn and I decided to stay aboard, and we shared dinner with a Kentucky dermatologist and his wife as well as a couple from Toronto. The Canadian couple had taken several Windstar cruises, and they impressed us with tales of bartenders who remembered their drink of choice from year to year. Inspired by their stories, we headed aft to the Compass Rose bar after dinner and checked out our fellow passengers' dance moves. Thursday —Unwinding in St. Barthélemy (St. Barts) Thursday brought us to St. Barts. By this time, we'd grown accustomed to the excellent meals aboard ship, so we decided to sample the local cuisine at a café along the waterfront. After lunch, we briefly wandered around the port. I cut my stroll short because I had an appointment at the WindSpa back on the Wind Surf. The 10,000-square-foot WindSpa offers a full range of services, including aerobics classes, massages, facials, body wraps, haircuts, and manicures. Passengers can even sign up for a "massage under the stars," on deck in the evening. After a lot of hemming and hawing, I signed up for a facial and a half-body massage I hoped would soothe my muscles, which were aching from crewing the day before. Ninety minutes later, I was a blissful puddle of flesh. Smelling faintly of strawberries from the "rejuvenating mask," I wandered back to our cabin and snagged a book so I could nap—I mean read—on deck until sunset. I also snagged one of the tempting apple fritters that were served with afternoon tea in the Compass Rose bar. At dinner that night, Jocelyn and I decided to dine dangerously, and we asked the host to seat us at a table for six. Two lively seniors from Texas joined us, along with an entertaining couple from North Carolina. For dinner, I had a pleasantly spicy cold pea soup and salmon en papillote—another Sail Light option that happily didn't taste as if it was good for me. After dinner, I stopped to check my e-mail at Wind Surf's Internet café. Ten terminals use satellite technology to provide full Web access, including a direct link with America Online, which is available 24 hours a day. Although at 75 cents a minute it's a bit more expensive than the Internet terminals we found in port, you can't beat the convenience. The terminals also were equipped with digital cameras, which enabled passengers to send 15- to 20-second videos to their loved ones. My e-mail withdrawal assuaged, I went to the Wind Surf's library, where I could take my pick from a surprisingly wide range of films on videotape. We got our popcorn courtesy of room service. Friday—Hitting the beach at Terre de Haut The Wind Surf anchored at Terre de Haut, one of the Isles des Saintes. The island, which is only five square miles, is another destination you'd surely miss if you cruised on a larger vessel. Still very relaxed from Thursday's massage, I dragged Jocelyn to Pont Pierre, a tranquil beach recommended in the bulletin we received each evening that described the coming day's attractions. We spent a lazy day reading on the beach and occasionally paddling in the calm waters of the bay. We returned to the Wind Surf just in time to enjoy a buffet of caviar and blinis in the Wind Surf Lounge, a large interior space with a dance floor surrounded by comfy couches. In the evening, the lounge offered drinks and a chance to try your hand at gambling. At dinner, I abandoned the Sail Light menu and opted for the French onion soup and filet mignon. It was a struggle, but I managed to put away every bite because I just couldn't bear to let any of it go uneaten. After dinner, I went to the Compass Rose, which was filled with the now-familiar faces of passengers and crew members. After six days aboard ship, everyone felt like an old friend, and I shared a drink with the Canadian couple I'd met Wednesday night. Saturday—"Catting" around St. Lucia Although Saturday's activities included a shoreside beach barbecue for passengers, I joined a dozen or so others for a catamaran tour of St. Lucia, one of the Windward Islands. The Wind Surf has two hosts who organize all the shore excursions and social events aboard ship. This excursion was a new addition to the lineup, but you wouldn't have known it from the service, and the trip went smoothly. Saturday evening, eight of us who'd become friends during the voyage met for our final dinner together. We drank wine, took photos of each other with the waiter, and celebrated (and maybe mourned) our last day aboard. Jocelyn had been heading up to the foredeck to look at the stars every night after dinner, and this time I went with her. We ran into friends around every corner, including a fellow passenger we met while crewing on Wednesday. Also present was a couple who watched the sails go up from the same spot every evening, and they gave Jocelyn some good tips on how to capture the raising of the sails on film.
Sunday—A sea of memories All passengers have to go through customs before they can leave the ship, which can take some time. Others had early flights. As a result, most passengers—including Jocelyn and me—needed to get up at "O-dark-30." Half asleep, we debarked the Wind Surf and climbed aboard the bus that would take us back to the airport. I turned back and took one last look at the now-familiar outline of the Wind Surf, which was silhouetted against the morning sky, and remembered how I felt when I first saw the ship. My instincts had been correct. The Wind Surf had provided me with a different sort of adventure, one I will always remember. |
