Windjammer Adventures 'keeping the dream alive' with weekly cruises

[mercedes]

Arrrr ye ready for some rum swizzles? Starting next month, Johnny Depp and Jimmy Buffett wannabes who mourn the demise of Windjammer Barefoot Cruises have another high-seas option. New York-based Windjammer Adventures, led by former Windjammer captain Neil Carmichael, has purchased the S/V Diamante, a 12-passenger, 101-foot Brigantine schooner that had been based in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands. The ship is currently repositioning to Grenada, where it will launch weekly six-night cruises starting June 28.

"Our motto is 'keeping the dream alive,'" says operations manager Toni Ulmer, a former sales rep for the now-defunct Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. Ulmer says would-be "jammers" can expect a similar rollicking atmosphere, albeit on a smaller scale, from nightly rum punches to "PPP" (pirates, pimps and prostitutes) costume parties plus free kayaks and snorkeling gear. Rates start at $1,300 per person during the low season, June 1-Dec.1; the ship moves from the Grenadines and starts St. Maarten cruises on Dec. 13. Information: windjammeradventures.com or 800-494-6352.