Travel On the first day, we anchored off Anguilla, a 25-kilometre, eel-shaped island surrounded by beaches, islets, coves and coral reefs. Our options? We could board a tender to bring us ashore to explore an upscale resort, or we could participate in a plethora of complimentary water sports – Sunfish sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, paddle boarding and swimming. TheStar Flyer’s sports department spread out the equipment on the beach. The sea seduced us, so we opted for snorkelling, quickly donning masks, snorkels and fins provided by the ship. We glided through bathtub-warm water to the reef, where iridescent blue tangs wove between fingers of coral. An armada of yellow-and-blackstriped sergeant majors hovered at our fingertips. Schools of fish, the colour of burnished pewter, scattered before us and then regrouped to investigate the strangers in their midst. So enthralled were we with the spiky black sea urchins, the tiny neon fish and other creatures, that we overstayed our visit and emerged as wrinkled as prunes. Back on board, the first mate conducted a navigation lesson. We learned about bracing the yards, trimming the spanker and other nautical terms. Finally, the names and purposes of all those ropes (lines and sheets), jibs and mizzens made sense! Set sails!” ordered the captain. “All hands on deck!” shouted the chief mate. Within minutes, crew members were pulling lines and manning capstans. The chief mate then called out: “All passengers on sheets!” A queue materialized instantly. He assigned us to various sails and shouted: “Upper topgallant sheets! Heave away! Standby to tack! Take them away now!” Helping the crew hoist the sails was one of the highlights of our tall ship cruise. Bathtub-warm water Hoisting the sails The captain invited passengers into the bridge and answered their questions about navigating tall ships. Although we were travelling at a speed of 14 knots, the ship was only slightly tilted. “We try to hold any heeling over to less than 12° to keep the dishes on the dining room tables,” he explained. “ Anguilla beach Tropical fish and reef near Anguilla Snorkelling in bathtub-warm water 24 | www.snowbirds.org
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