Travel Holiday
October 1, 2000
Tuxedos? Are you kidding? On this ship, you don't even need shoes.

In a remote corner of the Caribbean, the rum punch and cheap beers
flow in the star-filled night. Captain Matt wanders the open decks
of his wooden barkentine, the Mandalay, working the crowd, posing
for pictures in his ruffled shirt and eye patch, and making sure
the crossdressers, pirates, and other rogues dance and make merry.

The Windjammer Mandalay's weekly costume party isn't the captain's
farewell, but just another day at sea for the quirky crowd attracted
to Windjammer's irreverent brand of cruising. Far wilder, humbler
(and cheaper) than the genteel sailing experiences offered by Star
Clippers and Windstar Cruises, the 72-passenger Mandalay is also
worlds away from the resort-style megaships that clog the main routes
of the Caribbean. The ship steers clear of such popular ports as
Nassau and St. Thomas, instead anchoring off-shore of lesser-known
islands and in tiny yacht harbors. From June to November, the Mandalay
does five-nighters between Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela, and Grenada,
visiting Isla Chimana Segunda, La Blanquilla island, Isla Margarita,
Los Testigos islands, and Grenada, for $900 per person, plus air.

With her three towering masts, yards of sails, and wooden decks
and paneling, the Mandalay is a real ship, powered by sail as often
as engine. At sea, passengers can take a turn at the wheel, help
pull up the sails, or sleep out on deck. The ship attracts an adventure-loving
group who shun plush cabins, fancy food, and traditional cruise
trappings like casinos. The energetic passengers are unusually diverse
(from 20-something honeymooners to single seniors) and unpretentious,
mingling barefoot on deck and jumping off the side to swim.

Rum is siphoned from a wooden barrel on deck, and the free punch
at the daily happy hour gets the evening started. One night, there's
the costume party; on two others, a local band is brought on board.
Mostly, though, passengers entertain themselves, chatting with new
friends and downing drinks.

The Mandalay's tiny wood-paneled cabins and cafeteria-caliber food
are, well, humble. Cabins have portholes, bunk beds, air-conditioning,
closet-like bathroom/ shower combos, and not much else. Meals, served
in the open-air dining room at the clang of a bell, include breakfast
omelettes, lobster pizza for lunch, and prime rib for dinner, washed
down with free cheap wine. Just be sure a hangover doesn't keep
you in bedóthe day's hardcore activities require as much energy
as the evening's parties. Excursions like horseback riding and river
rafting are designed to keep you on your toes. But what if you just
want to flop on the beach? Don't worry, Captain Matt won't make
you walk the plank.