Mitchell Brooke's Home Page
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises
Musings
Windjammer Index
Photos
Windjammer Links
Polynesia April '98
Photography
Texas
New Mexico, USA
New York
Windjammer Photos
Links
Send a Message
txjammer@flash.net
Check These Web Sites
Windjammer Fan Club Bulletin Board
Windjammer Fan ClubWeb Ring
This report is not about a specific trip. What I've done is give some information
about each of the ports-of-call I've visited. I've been on four cruises
aboard the Polynesia and have been to most of the islands she calls on.
I've not been to Montserrat or Statia. The former is no longer an option
and I've never heard of anyone going to the latter, although it's listed
in Windjammer literature as a stop for the Poly. I've never been on the
main island of Anguilla, but I have visited Prickly Pear Cays and Sandy
Island.
At the end I'll give some general information about the Polynesia. I hope
this will give the person contemplating a Windjammer Cruise the information
they need to decide if the Polynesia is the ship for them.
In the future I will try to write reports about specific trips, but for
now here are my impressions of Windjammer's S/V Polynesia.
St. Martin/Sint Maarten
This is where it all begins. This Island is half French and half Dutch,
thus the two spellings. The Polynesia is anchored in Great Bay just off
the town of Phillipsburg, on the Dutch side. If you arrive on Sunday for
the Stowaway Party, you can board the Polynesia anytime after 5:00 PM. If
you arrive before then, you can leave your luggage with a Poly crew member
at the pier and walk around Phillipsburg. Sundays are pretty slow. Most
of the shops are closed unless a large cruise ship is in. The Poly's 126
passengers don't make enough impact to warrant them opening. The Greenhouse
Restaurant on the east side of Phillipsburg is the main meeting place for
early-arriving Windjammers. Rick's Sports Bar, just off the pier and left
on Front Street, is also a popular meeting place but it's closed on Sundays
except during football season. There are also several Casinos in Phillipsburg.
On Monday morning there is plenty of time to shop the numerous duty-free
shops in Phillipsburg. There are also two excursions arranged by the Activities
Mate. (Sign up for these as soon as you can Sunday night.) One excursion
is an Island tour. I've not done this, so I won't comment except to say
that it is a good opportunity to see the French side of the island if your
time is limited before and after the cruise.
The other is the 12 Meter Regatta. There are three America's Cup boats moored
in Phillipsburg that take passengers on a race. No one is really a passenger
though. Each person is assigned a job based on his or her experience (or
lack thereof-no sailing experience is necessary.) The crew gives a quick
lesson in sailing, followed by a real race. This is the most expensive excursion
of the week (about $75) but it is in my opinion the best.
After a quick safety drill, the Polynesia sails at noon for a selection
of these islands (though not necessarily in this order)
on St. Martin: Tintemarre
This island is actually part of French St. Martin. It's only about a half
mile square. You can explore it in about 45 minutes. Before the hurricane,
there was a little snack stand. Now there are just a few goats and and the
foundation of what was once a snack stand. But the beach is perfect but
there's no shade. The Polynesia has tent-like shelters for passengers though.
They also bring a bar and lunch ashore. The only drawback is that the beach
can get very crowded when day-excursions from St. Martin come. They don't
usually stay long though.
[back to top]
St. Barths
St. Barths is a very wealthy resort getaway for the rich and famous. (David
Letterman has been spotted there by Windjammers.) There are no excursions
planned there. Most people rent Suzuki Samurais or mini-Mokes and tour the
Island.
Some of the best beaches are on St. Barths. St. Jean is built up with restaurants,
bars and shops; very French Riveraesque. Most of the other beaches have
no facilities, so you have to take your own food, water, beer, soda, wine,
sunscreen etc. (If you gotta go... you gotta go in the Caribbean, if you
know what I mean.) The nicest of these deserted beaches is Saline. It is
unofficially clothing optional. I was reluctant to go because of this. However,
when I finally went, I found that there were plenty of clothed people as
well. Those in the buff tend to stay to either side of the beach, while
the swim suited American tourists stay in the middle. It's not like a nudist
resort where you're expected to go nekkid, but the option is there if you
wish. As long as you don't stare or go around taking pictures, everyone
pretty much minds their own business.
On St. Barth's you should leave time for a drive around the Island. You
can do it in less than an hour. The roads are pretty good (by Caribbean
standards.) There is also some good duty-free shopping in the town of Gustavia.
In the evening there is usually a band at Le Select, the local bar. Legend
has it that Jimmy Buffett wrote "Cheeseburger in Paradise" about
this place. There are other places that claim that honor, though. The Poly
usually runs launches until 11:00 PM so that the passengers can join in
the fun at Le Select. The captain will tell you Le Select has a live band
that night. What they call "a live band" in the Caribbean is what
we in Texas call karioke, except only one guy gets to sing. The evening
is fun though, and the ride back to the ship is really nice.
[back to top]
St. Kitts
Almost everything on a Windjammer itinerary is up in the air. The captain
decides which stops to make depending on weather, passenger temperment,
rendezvous with Amazing Grace and his personal fancy. However you can almost
always count on the Polynesia stopping at St. Kitts because this is where
she gets her fresh water supply. St. Kitts has several beaches of which
I've been to none. The word last time was that the hurricane had ruined
most of them and they weren't worth the trip. Ask around though, the situtaion
may have changed. St. Kitts is agressively courting the cruise ship trade
and is surely making efforts to make the beaches as attractive to tourists
as possible.
The main town of Basseterre is great for shopping, or I should say it was.
Bassterre had nice shops for clothing and local crafts and was also a good
place to pick up everyday necessities. Since my last trip, construction
of a large pier has been completed. This pier can accommodate large cruise
ships (foo-foo ships.) The focus of Basseterre's merchandising may shift
to more mainstream touristy stuff because of this.
Do not miss the island tour on St. Kitts. There are two sites here that
are breathtaking. Brimstone Hill is an old fort. It's well preserved and
has a nice visitors center with displays explaining the history of the fort.
The view from the top of the fort is breathtaking. Looking west across the
Caribbean you can see the Saba and Statia. Looking east is a beautifull
valley. The Caribel Batik factory is in an old plantation. The grounds are
meticulously kept with a huge fan palm in the gardens. Batik is a method
of decorating cloth by dripping a pattern in wax and dying the fabric. When
the wax is removed it leaves a colorful pattern. At the factory there's
a woman demonstrating the process as well as a large selection of shirts,
skirts, dresses, shorts, and wall hangings. There are outlets in Bassterre
and in Charlestown, Nevis but the factory has the best selection.
[ back to top ]
Nevis
Nevis is a small volcanic island just southeast if St. Kitts. The warm
air and moisture from the ocean create a perpetual cloud cover over Nevis
peak. As a result Nevis appears to be snow capped. There are two excursions
on Nevis. Both are worthwhile but you can only do one of them in a day.
The first is an island plantation tour. Several of the sugar plantations
on Nevis have been turned into Bed and Breakfast guest houses. They are
open to the public and have beautiful gardens and buildings. The other excursion
is the rain forest walk. It is led by a gentleman who came to Nevis with
the Peace Corp and returned later to run this tour. He is very knowlegable
about the vegitation on the island .The tour is not too strenuous and refreshments
are provided . Both tours will return you to the town of Charleston or to
Pinney's Beach. The beach is a good place for lunch at Sunshine's "restaurant"
(actually just a shack). Sunshines's is famous for the Killer Bee, a dark
and potent liquid with shaved nutmeg on top. It is usually wise to drink
no more than two Killer Bees. Pinney's Beach is also a popular place for
Polynesia's beach party. Bar B Q ribs and baked beans highlight this fete.
And if Sunshine's generator holds out, there' s live music and dancing.
[ back to top ]
Saba
A small island, with no beaches. Why would Polynesia go to this island?
Well, it has the best diving in the Eastern Caribbean for one thing. I don't
dive though, so again the island tour is the thing to do. There is only
one road on this island and it connects all the towns. I hate the word "quaint"
but I know no other way to describe the towns of The Bottom and Windwardside.
The only shopping is for handmade lace and Saba Spice, a spiced rum that
is available for sample at every little shop. Polynesia has an agreement
with a small hotel on the island to let passengers use its pool. The Poly
crew also serves lunch at this rendezvous. One trip the Poly sailed around
to the West side of the island where we were allowed to swim off the side
of the ship.
[ back to top ]
Other Islands
The other island I've visited on Polynesia have sustained hurricane
damage and are not visited any more. Prickly Pear Cays and Sandy Island
are similar to Tintemare. If the Poly went there, it was a beach day. PPC
has excellent snorkeling and Sandy Island was often the site of the Poly
beach party.
Part 2, On Board the Polynesia
[ back to top | MUSINGS
| HOME]