Dropping Names And Anchors

Dropping Names And Anchors was Originally Posted on July 13, 2014 by lavarock

What do Duke of Westminster, A. E. Guinness, Aristotle Onassis and me have in common? We have all been on the same Bargentine ship, the first 3 having owned it. The Fantome, as it was called when the Windfammer Cruises owned it, sailed passengers around the Bahamas.

Here is a great video of the ship. The Captain in the video is the same Captain I had.

He is the one with the giant mutton chops and the red scarf. I hear the harbormaster was not happy with the loud recording of “Amazing Grace” played as we hoisted sails and left port.

In our case, we sailed between Nassau and Freeport and I took the wheel as we approached  Bimini. At the time we were under full sail and full diesel. It was quite a ride!

In the video, the lunch on the beach section, I believe that is the island that Disney now owns for their cruises Castaway Cay but was originally called Gorda Cay when we were there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castaway_Cay

The ship was later lost in a hurricane and  Captain and crew went down with the ship, after dropping off passengers and trying to outrun a storm it could not beat.

http://www.fortogden.com/fantommiamiherald.html

This map shows why it was impossible to predict which way a ship should go to outrun the storm.

http://www.georesources.co.uk/mitchmaps.htm

You might note that Fantome was a name for a ghost ship, and it appears she lived up to her name.

The only items found were some small items, part of the staircase and the wheel. I have a photo of myself at the wheel a few years earlier.