26 ~ Sunday, December 8, 1996 — North Shore News

Sailing the Caribbean a breeze

From page 17

is based in St Maarten and
sails the Virgin Islands.
Spring and fall chey sail the
Atlantic on the rivers of
wind discovered by
Columbus.

Each day I awoke to find
a tropical island bevond my
brass porthole, and in the
dining room a friendly
Filipino. The deck crew were
islanders and Russians, the
latter skilled riggers who
mended sails and scaled tow-
ering masts. Recent lore has
it that during a charter toa
group of nudists the
Russtans were never out of
the rigging.

Passengers could buy a
shore excursion or do their
own exploring, which some-
times included taking, a ten-
der to a quiet beach for a
spot of snorkeling. Scuba
lessons were available on
board Star Clipper and the
dive group disappeared daily
in a string of bubbles.

The more retiring, of us
were happy to hang’ around
the wheelhouse and chat to
the captain, born in his

‘father’s boat in Hamburg,
and to watch in awe and
admiration the 1929 movie
Cape Horn.

We never had waves
crashing over the decks or
the lee rail under water, but’
we did get all 16 sails up and
experience a real four-masted
clipper ship under full sail
(these vessels have done 19
knots). Five of them were
square sails, huge spreads of
dacron that worked the same
way on Roman galleys,
Viking ships or Acapulco
treasure galleons. The three
jibs on the low bowsprit
were racy and leading us to

far horizons, while the giant
fishermen were enormous
sails that kicked the vessel
into overdrive, urging it tor-
ward and kicking u
exhilarating crest of fon foam.
Lending a hand on the
lines was purely voluntary,
and if passenger power had
failed there were winches,
but there was something

Photo David Wishart

therapeutic about going to
work and getting the Star
Clipper under way.

Perhaps the rum tasted
better afterwards, and sleep
certainly came easy, although
it was comforting to tuck in-
knowing that the next day
would bring another palm-
fringed Caribbean island and
not Cape Horn.

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