January 7, 2005  Email this  Print this
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TRAVEL
Love for Sail
by Sean O’Neill
When Tammie Stotts wanted to take a dip on her weeklong Caribbean cruise, she just dived off the sailboat Mandalay's teakwood deck. You can't do that on an ordinary cruise ship -- at least not without risking a 50-foot drop or landing in the middle of a Pilates class on the deck below. Stotts's yacht vacation two years ago, which she shared with 71 other passengers, fulfilled her seafaring dreams -- unlike an earlier trip on a conventional cruise ship with hundreds aboard. One night she volunteered with a few fellow passengers to raise the sails, as the crew observed its nightly tradition of playing "Amazing Grace." Stotts became friendly with only her dinner mates while she was on her megaship cruise, but she mingled with dozens of shipmates on the 236-foot-long yacht. And, oh yes, she met passenger Brian Mirgon, to whom she became engaged. They plan to honeymoon on a sailing cruise this summer. "To us," says Stotts, "it's heaven."
Even if you don't marry a fellow passenger, a sailing vacation is a special naval engagement. The sea is the main attraction, not just the medium of transportation. With main decks that hug the waterline, sailing yachts offer passengers a front-row view of dolphins surfing the wake. From the deck of a big ocean liner, dolphins' distant dorsal fins look more like fingernails.
Vacations aboard a sailing vessel are comparably priced to traditional cruises. Stotts paid about $1,000 for her voyage, plus $650 for round-trip airfare from her Dallas home to San Juan. Taxes, a bar tab and government-assessed port charges added about $350. In general, weeklong sailing cruises range from $700 to $5,000 per person (including meals), and even more on some luxury lines. Port charges can add $50 to $250 a person.
About three in every 100 cruisegoers opt for laid-back sailing cruises, which lack the whirlwind of activities -- such as cabarets, trapshooting and formal dances--common on behemoth boats. Such cruises put a premium on relaxation and visits to out-of-the-way spots. Although you'll find fewer amenities and activities, sailing cruises usually come baited with free water-sports equipment, such as kayaks and snorkeling gear. And you can add guided tours to local islands for fees that start at $20.
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