I would have to say that two of the best vacations I ever had when I was single was with the Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. I cruised with them twice. The first time was aboard the S.V. Fantome and the second time was aboard the S.V. Polynesia(the Poly).
The Fantome sadly sank a few years ago during a Hurricane in the western Caribbean with about 30 crew members aboard. She was the flagship of their small but beautiful fleet. She was 282' long with a sparkling white and blue hull and four masts that proudly showed off her 13 sails when underway. Originally built for the Duke of Westminster. She was purchased by Aristotle Onassis as a gift for Princess Grace and Prince Ranier. Fully refurbished she was ready for her life in the Caribbean. The Fantome accommodated 126 passengers who would set sail for adventure.
The captain for the Fantome was Wynn Jones who looked and acted the part of a rogue sailor. Long straggly,blond hair and a pair of sideburns commonly referred to as pork chops.With his English accent he could have played a part in any one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
When we left our port of call ,Nassau that July of 1981,there were at least 3 other cruise ships docked. They were the real cruise ships. Huge ships catering to hundreds, probably thousands of travelers who wanted nothing to do with a small sailboat. Ah, but this small sailboat was only for the hearty and adventurous vacationer. As we (the crew and passengers) prepared the Fantome to leave port, the Captain turned up the ships stereo full blast as we hoisted the sails to Amazing Grace. What a sight it was . Literally hundreds of the cruise ship passengers clung to the handrails to watch us get underway. A flashback to the day when sails not steam ruled the oceans.
To this day I have always remembered the feeling that song evoked as we left port and headed out to sea. There were four Bahamas Out Islands awaiting this adventurous crew and we'll have more on that tomorrow.
So wonderful to hear of another adventurous vacationer trip aboard the Fantome! I sailed on her in 1982 or 1983?? I also remember the feeling of those bagpipes belting out Amazing Grace! It was awesome. I also remember first seeing the Fantome docked in Miami alongside those “ traditional “ cruises ships, I thought to myself, “ I’m going on that “Pirate Ship”. I had never heard of the barefoot cruises, but when invited to go I was excited! Excitement is an understatement!!! I had the time of my life! I loved Captain Wynn Jones also.
ReplyDeleteMy then to be wife and I sailed on the S.V.Fantome in the summer of 1983. It was a great experience but not without some adventure.During the middle of the night a crew member had his appendix rupture and the ship was under full sail and motor to get to a hospital through the night. We awoke to fire alarms going off and ran to the deck, the smoke from the engines had been pulled inside the cabins and set off the alarms.Early in the morning they hoisted him to one of the ships small boats and took him ashore.
ReplyDeleteI am right now looking at photos of the ship and Captain Jones as I digitize my slides. Many fond memories of that trip. Amazing Grace was always moving as you set sail! I was sad to learn the ship was lost at sea with her crew trying to outrun a storm in 1998.
Did a cruise on the Fantome in the early '80s. Had fun trolling off the stern, but after about 3 hookups, Captain Wynn had me stop. I did end up catching a good size Jack Crevalle one evening after about 3 rum and cokes. Had to climb down the rope ladder while drunk and lift what was about a 25 pound fish with one finger while holding my ultralight tackle rod in my teeth and climbing back up the rope ladder. The fish was able to be a side dish for most of the fellow sailors the following evening. I was assigned the title of CFO (Chief Fishing Officer) for the rest of the trip, which was inscribed on my cruise certificate and signed by Captain Wynn.
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