WINDJAMMER BAREFOOT CRUISES            Travelers' Report
Bahamas, Caribbean, Central America.
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises has been in business for 50 years. Their concept is to be laid back, and these cruises are as casual as you can get this side of au natural, with bathing suits, shorts, t-shirts and barefeet being the norm for the day and many of the evenings. Officers and crew mix with passengers and are on a first name basis. These are not luxurious boats and most cabins are small, but they give a good basic experience of traditional sailing in a tall ship. Each morning the skipper fills you in on the schedule and the highlights of the coming day. You can lend a hand to the crew for boat activities, including taking the helm, or do nothing at all. Informal sessions are held on seamanship, navigation and knot-tying. You can sleep on deck under the stars if you wish. You are allowed aloft on one afternoon with supervision.

AMAZING GRACE                     Passenger Report
Passenger Capacity: 96
Built: 1955, in Scotland; acquired by Windjammer in 1988
Former Names: Pharos
Length: 234 ft.
Beam: 38 ft.
Draft: 17 ft.
Decks: 4
Elevator: None
Officers: British
Staff and Crew: 44, West Indian
Wheelchair Access: No

• Itinerary: The ship (not a sailboat) has 13-day voyages between Grand Bahama and Trinidad, leaving Trinidad on Fridays northbound and Saturdays from Grand Bahamas southbound, island-hopping to meet up with the other Windjammer ships to deliver monthly supplies. Some of her ports are Antigua, Bequia, Conception, Cooper Island, Dominica, Grand Turk, Grenada, Little Inagua, Iles des Saintes, New Providence, Nevis, Palm Island, Plana Cay, Providenciales, Puerto Plata, St. Barts. St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Tobago, Tortola and Virgin Gorda. By combining cruises, a 26-day cruise is available roundtrip from Grand Bahamas.


• Cabins: All cabins have air-conditioning. There are outside and inside cabins. Some have double beds, some have twin beds, some have upper and lower berths. Some have private head and shower and a small refrigerator. Others have a wash basin only, and bath facilities are shared. The owner’s suite has a sitting room, a double bed, a sleeper sofa, TV/VCR, stereo with tape and cd player, microwave oven, small refrigerator, a marble and teak bath with a hot tub, a private deck area and fish tanks that separate the sitting room from the stateroom.


• Dining: There are two seatings for dinner. Some drinks are complimentary, including Bloody Marys in the morning. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style, or lunch may be a picnic on the beach. Complimentary house wine is served with dinner. There are sunset snacks.


• Dress: Casual during the day and at night. Shorts are okay in town, not swim suits. Bring walking shoes for shore; don’t use flip-flops on board. Bring your own beach towel and toiletries, long pants or sun dress for one night. Costume night is one night.


• Facilities and Activities: The Amazing Grace began as a supply ship making deliveries to lighthouse keepers and as a British Navy vessel servicing buoys along the coasts of England and Scotland entertaining the Royal family on weekends. It is the only non-sailing vessel in the Windjammer fleet, still a working cargo ship, this time keeping Windjammer’s sailing fleet supplied, while offering passengers a cruise. There is a jacuzzi, piano room, a library with videos and a smokers’ lounge. There is space on deck for dancing. There is no smoking below decks. No children under age 6 are allowed; children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Snorkeling gear is for rent ($20/week). Most landings are by launch and are dry, but there may be occasional wet landings. There is typical shopping, snorkeling and island tours at various ports. At Antigua there is the drive up to Shirley Heights and wandering about Nelson’s Dockyard. Bequia is a former whaling port with ship models for sale. Conception is a sanctuary for birds and green turtles. Dominica has rainforest hiking trails. On Grand Turk you can tour in a horse or donkey-drawn cart. New Providence and Grand Bahamas have casinos. At Trinidad, you can enjoy the steel drum music -- this is where it was invented. Because the ship supplies all the other Windjammer ships, passengers are given the opportunity to see the various tall ships.


• Typical Rates and Special Deals: Rates per person double occupancy for 13 days range from $1,225 to $1,650 ($2,850 to $3,050 for the owner’s suite), higher on Christmas and New Years sailings. Port charges are $75 for 13 days. There is an air/sea program for persons flying from the US or Canada. There are discounts for former passengers and groups (10 or more passengers). Children under 12 are charged half price if they are with two adults. There are occasional offers of companion at half fare.

• Itinerary: The ship sails the British Virgin Islands, sailing Mondays at noon from Tortola, returning there for disembarkation at 1 p.m. Saturday. One week is to Salt Island, Cooper Island, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke; the alternating week is to Beef Island, Peter Island, Norman Island, Green Cay and Jost Van Dyke. Cruises can be combined.


• Cabins: 18. All cabins have private bath with shower, air-conditioning, tile floors. Cabins are non-smoking. One suite has TV/VCR, cd, waterbed. There is one stateroom designed to share for six. Cabins on Main Deck have upper and lower berths, private head and shower; some inside, some with porthole. A honeymoon cabin has a queen bed, paneling, stained glass windows, private head and shower, small refrigerator, a TV/VCR, and cd player. Another cabin with the same facilities is below Main Deck inside.


• Dining: There are two seatings for dinner. Some drinks are complimentary. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style, or lunch may be a picnic on the beach. Sunset snacks are served.


• Dress: Casual during the day and evening. Shorts may be worn in town, not swim suits. Bring walking shoes; don’t use flip-flops on board. Bring your own beach towel and toiletries, and long pants or sun dress for one or two nights. Costume night is one night.


• Facilities and Activities: The ship is a three-masted barquentine, originally built for the French Navy as a cadet training ship. During World War II it was a decoy, spying for the Allied Forces, and received the Crois de Lorraiane by General Charles de Gaulle for the sinking of two Japanese submarines. After the war she was used to transport cargo along the Baja coast. The ship is casual and laid back with entertainment on your own. Diving equipment is available. The crew offers informal sailing instruction if asked. Guests can participate in activities if they wish. No children under age 6 are allowed; children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult There are no youth activities or special facilities for children. Snorkeling gear is for rent ($20/week). There is no smoking below deck. Singles cruises are held at specified times each year, usually in April and November, with equal numbers of men and women booked for passage. Snorkeling or diving, beach volleyball, swimming, island tours, dancing at local jump-ups and swimming in the caves of Norman Island or Virgin Gorda are all options. Most landings are by launch and are dry, but there may be occasional wet landings.


• Typical Rates and Special Deals: Fares for a six-day cruise range from $775 to $1,275 per person double occupancy, with an extra supplement for Christmas and New Year sailings. Stowaway the night before costs $45. Port charges are $40. There is an air/sea program for persons flying from the US or Canada. Discounts are given to former passengers, groups (10 or more passengers). Children under 12 are charged half price if with two adults. Occasional offers of companion at half fare are given. August and September sailings are 30 percent off.

• Itinerary: The ship sails from Fajardo, Puerto Rico on six-day cruises. One week the ports are Culebra, St. Croix, St. Johns,  Isla Vieques, and Virgin Gorda. The alternating week cruise goes to Culebra, St. Croix, St. Thomas, Jost Van Dyke and St. John’s. The ship returns to Fajardo by dawn on Saturday, making early flights possible.
  
• Cabins: All cabins are outside, are air-conditioned and have either windows or portholes. Cabins on Main Deck have double bed, plus sofa bed or pullman, private head and shower and a window. Lower deck cabins have porthole, private head and shower, some with double bed (some have upper bunk in addition); others with side-by-side single berths, and others with upper and lower berth. There are eight cabins with a single berth. The owner’s suite has a raised double bed, private head and shower, settee, vanity, entertainment center, bar and a picture window you can see out of while in bed. (Except for the high bed, entertainment center and bar, the Admiral Suites on the same deck have more hanging lockers and are less expensive.)


• Dining: Breakfast and lunch are buffet style. Snacks and complimentary rum swizzles are served at 5 pm. Dinner is sit-down, with two entree choices. Dinner wine is complimentary. Food is mostly American and of average quality.


• Dress: Casual during the day and at night. Shorts should be worn in towns, not swim suits. Don’t wear flip-flops on board. Bring your own beach towel and toiletries. A clean shirt is dressy enough for dinner, with most people wearing long pants or a sun dress for captain’s night (the last night). Costume night happens one night.
  Facilities and Activities: This is Windjammer’s newest ship, a four-masted tall ship that formerly sailed for the French government as a meteorological research and exploration vessel. She was converted by Windjammer to a sailing vessel and given a new interior including mahogany storage units and a bar with a carved background and a figurehead at the bowsprit of founder Mike Burke. Passengers can visit the bridge at any time with permission. There is no smoking in the dining room or anywhere below deck. There is no entertainment in the evening except for local island bands brought on board for dancing on two nights. Bring your own music if you want to hear it other nights. A new program: the Junior Jammers Kids Club. It offers during June, July and August treasure hunts, knot-tying lessons, limbo contests and other activities geared toward youngsters over age 6, including special shore excursions. (Children under age 6 are not permitted on Windjammer vessels.) There is a separate program for teenagers. A memory moment: when the ship plays Amazing Grace as she sails out of each harbor. At Vieques in the Spanish Virgin Islands you can go by boat or kayak to a bioluminescent bay where, if there is no moon, you can see waters made phosphorescent by tiny organisms. Vieques and Culebra both are relatively undiscovered, were once a haven for pirates, and have uncrowded white-sand beaches lined with palm trees. Culebra Wildlife Refuge has an important turtle-nesting site. At St. Croix you can snorkel at Buck Island’s underwater preserve, at St. John you can go sea kayaking or take a two-hour guided nature hike. At Virgin Gorda you can go mountain biking, parasailing or deep sea fishing, or go check out the boulders and caves called the Baths or the Sandbox, a little island just a few minutes away by boat. On all the islands you can take an island tour, snorkel, scuba dive or simply lie on the beach. Snorkel gear is available on board for $20 for the week. Scuba divers must be certified and have four previous dives. Divers must be at least 12 years old. Scuba dives range from $40 to $85 per person. The ship anchors out and landings are by launch, dry if you are going to town, wet at beach landings.


• Typical Rates and Special Deals: Fares for the six-day cruise range from $875 to $1,500 per person double occupancy, with higher fares at Christmas and New Years. Fare for the single-berth cabin is $1,150 to $1,500. If you are willing to share, the Ensign Cabins are a better deal with two single beds head-to-head divided by a partial partition for $875-$1,075 per person. There are occasional offers of companion at half fare. August and September sailings are sometimes 30 percent off. Since the ship sails at noon on Monday, passengers are offered Stowaway the night before on the ship with a welcome aboard party and buffet supper for $45. No children under age 6 are allowed; children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. There is an air/sea program for persons flying from the US or Canada. There are discounts for former passengers and groups (10 or more passengers). Children under 12 are charged half price if with a full-fare adult. Port charges - $50.

• Itinerary: The ship sails 13-day cruises between Grenada and Antigua. If there is a fifth Monday in the month the ship sails that day on a six-day roundtrip from Grenada. Ports of call include Bequia, Canouan, Carriacou, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Iles des Saintes, Martinique, Mayreau, Nevis, Palm Island, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Tobago Cays.


• Cabins: 50. Cabins on main deck are outside and have a double bed and have a private head with shower, a small refrigerator, and window. One also has an upper berth. Standard cabins below Main Deck have upper and lower berths and a private head and shower. Two deck cabins have a private sun deck.


• Dining: Breakfast and lunch are buffet style, or lunch may be a picnic on the beach. Sunset snacks are served. Wine is complimentary with dinner, and some drinks are complimentary.


• Dress: Casual during the day and at night. Don’t use flip-flops on board. Bring your own beach towel and toiletries, and long pants or sun dress for one night. Costume night is one night.
  Facilities and Activities: This is a barquentine built for financier E.F. Hutton, who sailed in her for 10 years. In the 1930’s she was sold to shipping magnate George Vettlesen; later she served as a training vessel for Merchant Marine cadets and was in service by Columbia University sailing all over the world gathering facts about the ocean floor. No children under age 6 are allowed; children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. There are no youth activities or special facilities for children. Snorkeling gear is for rent ($20/week). There is no smoking below deck. Bequia has boat building and ship models. Dominica has Trafalgar Falls. Nevis has a snow-capped mountain and an excellent golf course at Four Seasons that boasts the mountain in the background and sometimes goats on the greens. St. Lucia has a drive-up volcano. St. Vincent has a botanical garden. Most landings are by launch and are dry, but there may be occasional wet landings.


• Typical Rates and Special Deals: Fares range from $1,500 to $2,200 for 13-day cruises; from $775 to $1,175 for six-day cruises; seven-day cruises are $850 to $1,150. Stowaway the night before is $45. Port charges are $45 to $65. There is an air/sea program for persons flying from the US or Canada. Discounts are given for former passengers and groups (10 or more passengers). Children under 12 are charged half price if with two adults. Occasional offers are given of companion at half fare. August and September sailings are 30 percent off.

• Itinerary: From St. Maarten the ship visits the Leeward Islands of the French West Indies on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Mondays of the month, and the Windward Islands on the 2nd and 4th Mondays. The Leeward route includes St. Barts, Anguilla, Tintamarre and Saba; the Windward stops include Colombier Beach, St. Barts, St. Eustatius, Nevis and St. Kitts.


• Cabins: 54. There are 12 deck cabins, 40 regular cabins and two suites. All cabins are air-conditioned and have private heads and shower. Cabins on Main Deck have either double bed or upper and lower berths. Outside cabins have porthole. Inside cabins on Main Deck have wider lower berth plus upper berth. There are also three dormitory cabins, each with six bunks and a private head with shower.


• Dining: A dining salon in the stern with panoramic windows has large tables, each depicting one of the islands on the ship’s itinerary. Breakfast is preceded by Bloody Mary’s and pastries at 6:30 a.m. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style, or lunch may be a picnic on the beach. There are sunset snacks and two seatings for dinner. House wines and some drinks are complimentary On some evenings there are bonfire barbecues on the beach.


• Dress: Casual during the day and at night. Don’t wear flip-flops on board. Bring your own beach towel and toiletries, long pants or sun dress for one night. Costume night is one night.


• Facilities and Activities: The ship, a schooner, was one of the last ships of the Portuguese Grand Banks fishing fleet. She was featured in the book “The Quest of the Schooner Argus”. No children under age 6 are allowed; children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult There are no youth activities or special facilities for children. Snorkeling gear is for rent ($20/week). Singles cruises are held several times each year for singles of all ages, with equal numbers of men and women. There is no smoking below deck. Crab races are held during cocktail hour. Be careful if you have allergies -- the ship has a mascot cat on board. On Anguilla there are archeological sites. St. Kitts has the Brimstone Hill fortress and a batik factory. St. Eustatius has many shipwrecks for divers. Tintamarre, only a mile and half long and half a mile wide, has many wild goats and tortoises. Most landings are by launch and are dry, but there may be occasional wet landings. If you are on Saba and buy Saba Spice, be aware that it’s not a spice it’s a strong local rum.


• Typical Rates and Special Deals: Cabins for six-day cruises are from $775 per person double occupancy to $1,175. Fare for dorm cabins is $650. There is the usual extra supplement at Christmas and New Year’s sailings. Stowaway is offered the night before sailing for $45. Port charges are $40. There is an air/sea program for persons flying from the US or Canada. Discounts are given for former passengers and groups. Children under 12 are charged half price if with two adults. Occasional offers are made for companion at half fare. Some August and September sailings are 30 percent off. Singles cruises run from $650 to $1,075.

• Itinerary: The ship sails roundtrip from Grenada on Mondays and returns on Saturday. Ports visited include Carriacou, Palm Island, Bequia, St. Vincent, Mayreau; and on alternate weeks the ship goes to Palm Island, Union Island, Bequia, Canouan, Tobago Cays and St. Vincent.


• Cabins: 50. All cabins have air-conditioning. Some cabins have double lower beds (some with upper also), private head and shower, small refrigerator and window. Others have upper and lower berths with private head and shower and window or porthole. Cabins are non-smoking.


• Dining: There are two seatings for dinner. Meals are family-style, with island specialties. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style, or lunch may be a picnic on the beach. Sunset snacks are served. Some drinks are complimentary.


• Dress: Casual during the day and at night. Don’t wear flip-flops on board. Bring your own beach towel and toiletries, long pants or sun dress for one night. Costume night is one night.


• Facilities and Activities: This three-masted sailing vessel was one of the only armor-plated private yachts in the world. Adolf Hitler is reported to have been aboard during World War II to award the Iron Cross to one of his U-boat commanders. She was confiscated during World War II as a war prize, later acquired by the Vanderbilts. She used to race off Newport Beach, California and was considered one of the fastest sailing ships on the West Coast, at one point getting up to 22 knots under sail. No children under age 6 are allowed; children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult There are no youth activities or special facilities for children. The crew encourages guests to participate in the operation of the ship and offers impromptu sailing instruction. Snorkeling gear is for rent ($20/week). There is no smoking below deck. There are beach parties, snorkeling, scuba, fishing, knot-tying, dancing. Things to see: ship models on Bequia, spices in Grenada, a thousand palm trees on Palm Island, waterfalls and botanical gardens at St. Vincent and a protected national park at the five Tobago Cays. Most landings are by launch and are dry, but there may be occasional wet landings.


• Typical Rates and Special Deals: Cabins for six-day cruises are from $775 per person double occupancy to $1,075. Extra supplements are charged at Christmas and New Year’s sailings. Stowaway the night before sailing is $45. Port charges are $40. There is an air/sea program for persons flying from the US or Canada. Discounts are given for former passengers and groups of 10 or more. Children under 12 are charged half price if with two adults. Occasional offers are given of companion at half fare. August and September sailings are 30 percent off.
  Three new sailing ships are planned, to be delivered beginning in 2000. They will be modern stay-sail schooners, 285 feet long, with a swim platform at the stern and will accommodate 160 passengers. The freighter Ice Port, renamed Rogue, is scheduled to  join the Amazing Grace on two-week Caribbean itineraries.
  
  

• Facilities: This is Windjammer owner Mike Burke’s private sailing yacht. It is berthed in Miami and is available for charter for the day or as a liveaboard for three days, seven days, or longer.