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  Cute and historic, Annapolis is an easy daytrip from Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Yet it had been more than 15 years since I had visited this sea-faring Navy-loving town, known among sailors for its prime access to the Chesapeake Bay.

Today I’m posting some photos of the Diamant, so people considering an Island Windjammers cruise can see what the boat looks like. The ship is 101 feet long and has six staterooms for passengers. There are quarters for six crew members as well. There are three public areas where people can hang...

I didn’t want to finish my Island Windjammers blog write-ups without mentioning the Diamant’s chef, Philbert, and the meals that he prepared from his small galley kitchen. A native of Gouyave, Grenada, Philbert was one of the more personable crew members aboard the ship. He worked as an...

As I mentioned in my first post about my Island Windjammers cruise, one of my favorite activities on the boat was flinging myself into the water from an old-fashioned rope swing attached to the side of the boat. I was the first to go Tarzan – but others soon jumped in. The crew would even do it, once...

I just got off my Island Windjammers cruise on the Diamant – and honestly, I’m feeling a bit bereft. And it’s not just the unrestored equilibrium in my inner ear that has me off-kilter. The cruise had its high points and its low points (which I’ll detail later), but like any truly...

My internet access has been sketchy at best for the past few days (and will continue to be so throughout the week). I’m on the Diamant, a 101-foot schooner operated by Island Windjammers, on an assignment for CruiseCritic.com.

Pass up the chance to see wild Flippers in action? I almost did last week. The Sanibel Thriller, a high speed catamaran boat tour of Sanibel and Captiva islands on Florida’s Gulf Coast didn’t appeal to me at first. For one, the weather was cold. And two, it cost $38 per adult for two...

Think Florida is all warmth and sunshine? Not this week. After a rainy day for the Outback Bowl yesterday, Tampa area temperatures dipped into the 30s, with wind chills in the 20s at night.   As I explored Ybor City and Channelside today, I was warm enough with a sweater coat, long-sleeve shirt and...

Leisure travel may have taken a hit in 2009, but sports tourism – where fans take to the road to follow their teams or go to special events such as college bowl games or spring training – is still booming. Scott McCartney of the Wall Street Journal’s Middle Seat had an excellent article...