Between sailing through the magnificent San Juan Islands just off of Washington State and British Co

It's been an exciting year of Live Voyage Reports here on From the Deck Chair , so why stop now? At the end of the month, I will be embarking on a brand-new adventure, just an hour from my homebase in Vancouver, Canada: a four-night Wine Cruise through the San Juan Islands from Bellingham, Washington aboard the Schooner Zodiac .
Between sailing through the magnificent San Juan Islands just off of Washington State and British Columbia, guests vacation packages to orlando florida will have the ability to come ashore each day to tour vineyards and experience tastings at local wineries, in addition to ambling through some of the quaint seaside towns that line these islands.
But this isn't your average cruise: the Zodiac is a working schooner, and guests are invited to participate in the actual sailing of the vessel: hauling sail, standing watch, learning about the ship's navigation in the chart room, and even taking control of the helm.
Built in 1924 and lovingly restored to her original splendour, the Zodiac measures 127 feet long stem to stern, with a sparred length of 160 feet. Her 16 foot draft is as deep as many modern cruise ships measuring more than four times her size, and she can cut through the water at an impressive top speed of 13.4 knots. Her sails rise to a height of 127 feet, commanding attention wherever they go.
Here's where things get fun: the Zodiac can accommodate 26 guests, vacation packages to orlando florida the majority of which sleep in common bunks located in the ship's Lounge. These bunks are like the ones that would be typically found on sailing ships of the day, positioned along the hull of the ship. The last cruise ship stateroom I stayed in was over 400 square vacation packages to orlando florida feet and included a marble bathroom, yet I can't help but feel a bit excited at the prospect of this new experience, because it is part-and-parcel of the overall magic of sailing on this historic vessel.
Guests are encouraged to leave electronic devices like laptops at home in order to fully enjoy the thrill of being at sea, and I plan to do likewise, trading in my laptop and word processor for an old-fashioned journal vacation packages to orlando florida and pen. Each evening, I'll write down my experiences that day just as I would with any one of my Live Voyage Reports, and I will transcribe and add photographs to the report upon my return to dry land. So although this report won't quite be "live", it will still take up four days of coverage the following week as if it were happening right then and there.
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