Tall tales on the high seas

I found uninhabited islands, hidden beaches and quiet coves on a Caribbean cruise aboard a tall ship

- Sarah Riches

Alighting from a tender boat between two empty beaches on Barbuda, I wonder where everyone is.

The Caribbean island has 3,000 residents - three per cent of Antigua and Barbuda’s total population. Between December and April’s peak-sailing season, a fortnight can pass without any cruise ships visiting, and those that do have fewer than 200 passengers.

Star Clippers’ Star Flyer ship sets sail from Sint Maarten, and moors off Barbuda’s River Bay - which is so small it’s not on Google Maps.

“At 62 square miles, Barbuda is half the size of Antigua,” explains James from the excursion service The Rendezvous Company. “Everyone knows everyone - we're basically family. It’s quiet, but we like it.”

No wonder Princess Diana hid from the paparazzi for a week when holidaying here in the 1990s, I think, as James points out the pink bungalow where she stayed.

Driving over potholes, my group and I pass shacks painted in lilac, mint and peach shades. Grass sways on a deserted cricket field while donkeys graze by the road.

A speedboat whisks us to the Caribbean’s largest frigatebird colony. Flashes of scarlet and white peek through the mangroves, like the rose bushes in Alice in Wonderland. “Males inflate their red pouches, sending a message to females they’re back in town,” explains Pat, the ship’s captain.

All aboard: The tall ship experience

A four-masted barquentine, the 166-guest Star Flyer resembles a pirate ship, with square sails at the bow, and fore-and-aft (irregular quadrilateral) sails at the stern.

Even if - like me - you’re familiar with ocean, river and expedition cruise ships, tall ships are something else. They may be tall, but they’re also small, with portholes rather than balconies and steep stairs instead of lifts. They lift more than large ships, so I’m seasick within 10 minutes of setting off, and for the next 12 hours.