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BY LLEE SIVITZ / ENQUIRER CONTRIBUTOR
Can't decide whether to spend your vacation indulging in a bed and
breakfast or a luxury cruise? You can have both at Rose Sail Inn.
Rose Sail Inn is a unique Caribbean sailing vacation hosted by Emiel
Domis and Sharon Amberg, the owners of the award-winning 1823 historic
Rose Hill Inn Bed and Breakfast in Versailles, KY.
Each June, this experienced seafaring couple goes 2,000 miles south
of Kentucky for three months to skipper "bed and breakfast"
excursions on a luxury yacht. Their tours wind through the British
Virgin Islands (BVI) and (this year's addition) the French Leeward
Islands. Even if you have been to the Caribbean before, or explored it
from a cruise ship, they guarantee you've never seen it like this.
"You can take a cruise ship to the BVI, but you won't have
access to some of the places that we go," says First Mate Sharon
Amberg. "You can't even fly in and rent a car on some of these
islands. These are places where no one goes, except by yacht or
sailboat."
The Rose Sail Inn is a 47-foot Beneteau yacht, with more than 1,000
square feet of sails. Its three large cabins and private baths allow up
to two couples to sail at one time. The deck's long expanse offers
plenty of room for private moments.
A comfortable dinghy hitched to the back of the boat is used to
disembark and motor to excursions on land.
Guests ("sailors") of Rose Sail Inn design their own
itinerary upon reaching their embarking place (Maya Cove) in the
Caribbean. Unique outings include a deserted island (Sandy Spit), about
one acre in size and with only one palm tree; an island of 200
inhabitants (Jost van Dyke) with native restaurants; fresh-catch 3-pound
lobster fests (Anegada); and one-bar outposts with local drinks and
native music (the "Painkiller" at Soggy Dollar Bar in White
Bay). Want to change your itinerary during the cruise? No problem, mate.
Another activity that is highly regarded by Rose Sail sailors is
eating the gourmet cooking of First Mate Sharon. Those who have
experienced her acclaimed B&B cuisine say it is not diminished by an
off-shore setting. The aroma of pistachio-crusted pork loin, jerk
chicken with tamarind sauce or banana-stuffed French toast (for
breakfast) wafts up from the galley. She restocks produce by shopping at
local markets along the cruise route. And just as in the B&B,
pampering is her strong suit. She will survey your culinary preferences
before you sail. But don't try to lift a finger to help otherwise. She
won't hear of it.
Capt. Emiel says, "We teach our guests to sail if they want to,
and they usually want to. As soon as we're out of the harbor, we switch
from motor power to just wind power. We put our sailors behind the helm
and help them put up the sails. Being on the water is one thing, but
sailing the boat is part of the experience, part of the enjoyment of the
vacation."
At Rose Hill Inn, I met marketing executive Tim Dame, 37, of
Newburgh, Ind., who shared his first Rose Sail cruise with wife, Rhonda,
and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Jama and Waldo Parchment, of
the Cayman Islands. It was his 17th cruise vacation and, according to
him, the best.
"None of us knew anything about sailing prior to getting on the
boat," Tim Dame said. "By the end of the cruise, my
brother-in-law and I were doing it all - dropping and hoisting anchor,
raising the sails, tacking and charting. I was amazed at what, in one
week, Emiel was able to teach us."
Besides sailing, Emiel makes sure his guests are aware of all the
activities available, including snorkeling (sailors receive their own
snorkeling equipment when they come onboard), swimming, scuba diving,
biking, hiking, wind surfing and kayaking. If you like, he will even
take time from his captain duties to lead a scooter tour of a local
village or guide an expedition to a prime snorkeling site (i.e., near
Norman Island.) Prefer to find a sunny spot on the boat to loll away the
hours listening to the gentle lapping of the sea?
Summertime is off-season for the Caribbean, making it the perfect
time of year for a more solitary experience. Landlubbing can be hot,
however, for land temperatures reach upward of 95 degrees. On the boat,
the Trade Winds provide constant cooling and the clear, turquoise salt
water is a perfect 81 degrees for no-shock diving and swimming.
Guests write entries in the Rose Sail captain's log and describe
their favorite experiences. But one theme threads throughout - simple
pleasures are often the greatest delights. Whether watching wild goats
and cows creep down from the jungle to drink at the water's edge (Anegada);
snorkeling portside before lunch to gawk at the colored fish on the
ocean floor; taking in a stunning sunset while sipping Rose Sail's
special rum punch; or dining on deck by candlelight under a million
stars, there seem to be many "aahh" moments for sailors.
Dame wistfully concurs, saying that Emiel and Sharon are the perfect
hosts. "You think back to that whole week of sailing," he
says. "It's a nice screensaver in your head."
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