WINDJAMMER MANDALAY

The “jammers” keep coming back

It was a long travel day; we got to the ship in Antigua at 11:00 PM, ravished the food waiting for us, and fell into bed. The next morning our first thought is that the ship is really beautiful with teak decks and carefully maintained amber-colored mahogany woodwork throughout.

Mandalay is the Queen of the Windjammer Barefoot Cruises fleet, a 236-foot barquentine built in 1923 for financier E.F. Hutton and christened Hussar. In the 1930’s she was sold to shipping magnate George Vettlesen who re-christened her Vema. Later she was put into service by Columbia University sailing over 1 1/4 million miles worldwide. Evidence gathered on her voyages confirmed the theory of the continental drift. Now with cruise passengers she has 72 berths and a crew of 28. 

After breakfast we have our first Story Time, a daily on-deck forum for Captain Neil Carmichael to tell a few jokes and tell us about the day’s schedule. He lets us know that the only predictable
thing is unpredictability … none of the itinerary is etched in stone, but will be determined 24 hours at a time.

 After a tour of Antigua, lunch and a safety drill, we set sail for Nevis. 

It is something special to see the massive sheets of canvas unfurled and hoisted up the masts. All the passengers join in the hoisting job as if in a tug-of-war. The song Amazing Grace set to bagpipes is played over the loudspeakers as each sail goes up. There are nine massive sails. This ritual is followed on all the Windjammer ships I am told.

Then we are surrounded by ominous black clouds. The skies burst open and people run for cover from the rain. We use the available time to review coming shore excursions. There are plenty of varied activities available to cater to our diverse group of passengers. In Nevis there will be massage, a tour of quaint inns there, a nature hike highlighting natural remedies found in the rainforest, a mountain bike experience, and a snorkeling safari. The Stingray Swim is cancelled due to lack of interest after the recent death of Steve Irwin.

There is a briefing for the scuba divers on board. Diving is done in a new in-house program as well as in dives with outside operators and there is an introduction-to-scuba course in which you can dive without certification. With the new combination program, there can be as many dives scheduled as people want. Windjammer is very strict about their liability and you may need a doctor’s release statement to dive. Be sure to check your diving medical release forms sent ahead of the cruise.

The next morning we wake-up anchored off Nevis, having sailed all night. We have story time with the captain right after breakfast. If he is ever out of a job as a sea captain he can apply for stand-up comic! 

We take a launch into town and some of us walk around town to find an Internet café. It is too early in the cruise to have stopped worrying about things back at home. We will easily find internet access at most of our island stops. After island explorations, we head back to the ship for a quick lunch, then go back to shore for a walk to the beach and a stop at the Sunshines Bar, home of the Killer Bee cocktail. The bar is adjacent to Nevis 4 Seasons Resort and we take a tour of the resort before settling in to Sunshines. Thus goes our almost daily ritual of town or tour in the morning and a beach in the afternoon. Then back to the ship for Snax and Swizzles followed by dinner.

Tonight after a buffet dinner the sails go up to start us on our way to Isles de Saintes. We awaken to a sunny day at Isles de Saintes and after breakfast hike up a steep road to see Fort Napoleon, the site of a fierce battle between the British and French in the 1800’s. In the afternoon we take the tender to a small secluded beach for a snorkel and swim. Tenders continue to run into town in the evening to accommodate people who want to have dinner ashore.

Our next stop is Dominica and we have been promised the best diving and snorkeling of the trip. Both divers and snorkelers have the chance to visit a site called Champagne where streams of bubbles percolate up from the ocean floor, apparently as the result of volcanic activity, and there are the remains of a 19^th century shipwreck. Overall, the snorkeling and diving is not as good as we had hoped for. There was reef damage as a result of recent hurricanes as well as the damage being seen in so many locations from environmental disregard. Hopefully, these reefs will return over time.

Other options on Dominica -- a rainforest aerial tram with gorge swim, a whale and dolphin-watching trip, or river tubing. Tonight is a barbecue on deck and everyone is encouraged to wear bright tropical clothing.

The optional shore excursions each cost between $25 and $95 per person per excursion so set a budget ahead of time or risk a big surprise at the end of the trip when you get the bill.

The next day finds us in Martinique which is a French island, quite developed, and with a lot of shopping opportunities. The streets are very busy and noisy, but we escape it all to the beach in the afternoon. At night is the Pirates, Pimps, and Prostitutes costume contest and all passengers are encouraged to dress as something that begins with “P”. I go as a Photographer.

St. Lucia offers a snorkel safari, a waterfall mountain bike trip, a rainforest canopy tour, a helicopter ride over the island, a 4-wheel drive adventure, or an all-day hike up Gros Piton, at 700 ft. the major landmark of St. Lucia. Windjammer’s Yankee Clipper is docked is St. Lucia, and we are able to board her to have a look. She is similar to Mandalay but smaller, holding only 65 passengers compared with the 72 on Mandalay. A ship built for “Pirates of the Caribbean” passes us on a day cruise and fires her cannons at us. We return the fire when she returns.

The next day finds us in St. Vincent where one can make the 6-hour roundtrip trek to the edge of the crater of a 4,000 ft. high live volcano, take a jeep safari to a waterfall or a speed boat island adventure to see lava rock beds, go dolphin and whale-watching, or visit the Pirates of the Caribbean movie set. We take a 3-hour island tour with a visit to a fort and the botanical gardens that date back to the 1700’s. It’s Sunday so the town is very quiet. Tonight we watch “Pirates of the Caribbean” on the top deck complete with popcorn.

Next is Bequia, a quaint and sleepy little island with only 5,000 residents. A laundry pick-up boat comes to pick-up our personal laundry and will return it this afternoon. Bequia offers a sightseeing trip to a turtle sanctuary, a trip to “Moonhole”, an experimental colony of cliff dwellings using the natural architecture of the land, and another snorkel safari. In the afternoon it’s back to the beach. Tonight we have a saxophone and keyboard combo on board for happy hour.

We sail all morning and arrive in Tobago Cays, a wildlife sanctuary, so it is
beach only. Later in the day we make our way to Mayreau where we hook up again with Yankee Clipper for a beach barbecue together. We share stories with the other passengers. Before dinner several guests gather on the aft deck for the sunset, something that has become a regular habit. Everyone whispers as the sun finally drops below the horizon.

As I talk to people on the cruise I learn about the remarkable loyalty of people to Windjammer cruises. On our two-week cruise 90% of the passengers on board had sailed with Windjammer in the past and many had sailed numerous times. One person was on his 18^th voyage. The repeat passengers call themselves “Jammers” and even have their own website. (www.jammerbabe.com)  Most said what they like best is the informality. One passenger noted it’s like adult summer camp. I see what he means the day we are in the same port as Windjammer’s Polynesia when a guest has brought a water balloon launcher to bombard the Polynesia. After being bombarded with water balloons, three passengers aboard Polynesia offer us a traditional mooning in return.

Food on board Mandalay is plentiful. Early risers are greeted with Sticky Buns and complimentary Bloody Marys. That is followed by a full-service sit-down breakfast that is transformed into a buffet for late risers. Lunch is always buffet style. At 5 PM is “snax and swizzles” happy hour each day with hot and cold appetizers and complimentary Rum Swizzles. Dinners are either buffet or sit down with two menu options, a fish usually being one of the choices. Wine with dinner is complimentary. One happy hour is transformed into a wine and cheese party where the passengers have provided wine bought in town. There are two barbecue nights.

Carriacou is today’s stop and it is a usual town in the morning and beach in the afternoon day. The beach is a small spit of sand about the length and width of two football fields and the snorkeling was pretty good. Tonight is a barbecue on the beach shared with guests of the Yankee Clipper, with fish, chicken and ribs which are delicious.  

Grenada is our final stop and offers a visit to a spice farm with a swim at a waterfall, or a hike to a series of waterfalls where you slide from waterfall to waterfall. We tour the fish and vegetable market. Grenada is famous for spices and we buy a supply in the market. The market is really hopping on Saturdays or when a big cruise ship docks. That night is a flambé dessert and a steel drum band and farewells until our next cruise.

In looking back, all the islands are as much the same as they are different. The reason to go on such a long two-week journey visiting so many islands is about giving yourself a chance to really unwind. With a 7-day cruise the first couple of days are spent getting acclimated, then there are only a few of days of fun before you start thinking about going home again.

      -- Scott Linde

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