world of chartering

from Latitude 38 December 2019-2020

season champs part 2

For a change of pace, this month we'll test your brainpower with our annual history and culture quiz about charter destinations around the world.

Test Your Worldliness with Our Worldwide Charter Quiz Friends who've never sampled the magic of a sailing vacation far from home might be baffl ed about why you'd hassle fl ying thousands of miles away just to sail through some famous, far-flung cruising venue, when there's plenty of wind and water closer to home. No doubt, most charter addicts would tell you they're at least partly motivated by the pleasures of becoming immersed in foreign cultures that are dramatically different from our own. And to our way of thinking, the more you learn about a place in advance of vacationing there, the more rewarding your overall experience will probably be. That's why we take a break from our usual format once a year to test your travel savvy via our Worldwide Charter Quiz. Some questions will test your general knowledge of history and geography, while others are admittedly a bit more obscure. But hey, it's multiple choice, so you've got at least a fi ghting chance at success. And, even if you fail miserably, you'll probably learn a thing or two when you check your answers (at the end). So power up your gray cells and let's get started:

1) This popular European chartering destination is now an independent nation. It was once part of the AustroHungarian Empire, and later part of a

There's little to no nightlife or other shoreside development in much of the Sea of Cortez, but marine life abounds.

communist state of the Soviet Union. a) Malta b) Croatia c) Corsica d) Denmark

2) Grenada earned the nickname "Island of Spice" due to its prolifi c cultivation of which spices? a) cardamon and sage b) nutmeg and mace c) rosemary and thyme d) salt and pepper

MARYLAND TOURISM

3) In what country will you fi nd a popular chartering area called the Turquoise Coast? a) New Caledonia b) The Seychelles c) Antigua d) Turkey

4) Nearly 300 years before Christ, a 110-ft-high statue of the god Helios straddled the mouth of this island's harbor. At the time it was considered to be one of the "seven wonders of the ancient world." a) Corsica b) Bali c) San Salvador d) Rhodes

5) This popular tropical chartering

SUNSAIL

destination was once part of the Mayan civilization. After a long turf war between the Spanish and British, it became a British colony in 1854. a) Belize b) Jamaica c) Panama d) St. Croix

6) Which Greek island in the Cyclades is said to have been the birthplace of Apollo, son of Zeus? a) Mykonos b) Rhodes c) Delos d) Lesvos

7) At what charter venue could you expect to be served lobster baked in a hole in the ground, under a pile of seaweed? a) Tortola, BVI b) Downeast Maine c) Mexico's Sea of Cortez d) Guadeloupe's Pigeon Island

8) Which South Pacifi c charter venue was never colonized by a European power? a) New Zealand b) Tahiti

Spread: Australia's Whitehaven Beach is a visual marvel. Inset: Half a world away, a young crewman offers Chesapeake crabs for dinner.

c) New Caledonia d) Tonga most anchorages and nearby islands are uninhabited. a) France's St. Tropez b) The Bahamas c) St. Kitts and Nevis d) Mexico's Sea of Cortez b) The Canary Islands c) The Florida Keys d) The Channel Islands

16) Christopher Columbus took his fi rst steps in the New World on one of these islands, which comprise a British Crown Colony. Much of its population is descended from slaves who were freed in 1834 when Britain abolished slavery. a) Grenada b) Cuba c) Anguilla d) The Bahamas

17) Roughly two thirds of this Caribbean island was purchased by members of the Rockefeller family, who built a swank resort on a piece of it, and gave the rest to the US government with the understanding that it be turned into a National Park. a) Dominica b) Puerto Rico c) Aruba d) St. John, USVI

18) Which island off the West Coast of North America contains the famous Painted Cave, which, at 1,227 feet long, is the world's second-longest sea cave? It is large enough to take a 40-ft boat inside, with an entrance that is 130 feet high.

In Greece and Turkey, ancient ruins and other reminders of the region's rich cultural heritage seem to be everywhere.

9) In which charter venue will you fi nd a spectacular white sand beach called Whitehaven? a) The Leeward Islands of Tahiti b) Australia's Whitsundays c) Spain's Balearic Islands d) The San Juan Islands

10) In 1784, the French gave which Caribbean island to Sweden in exchange for freeport rights in Europe? a) St. Martin b) Marie Galante c) Martinique d) St. Barth

11) This chartering venue is the largest estuary in the U.S. a) Sacramento Delta b) Mississippi Delta c) Chesapeake Bay d) Penobscot Bay 13) Which Caribbean charter venue is said (by marketers) to have a beautiful beach for every day of the year? a) Anguilla b) Tobago Cays c) Antigua d) Dominica

14) After 162 years as a British territory, this dramatically beautiful cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean gained its independence in 1976. a) Madagascar b) Chagos c) Kiribati d) The Seychelles

15) The local residents of this area are referred to as Conchs, after the edible mollusks that are abundant in nearshore waters. a) The San Juan Islands

Grenada's historic Carenage is a Caribbean classic. A one-directional charter from here through the Grenadines would be splendid.

a) Cocos Island b) Santa Cruz Island c) Coronado Island d) Vancouver Island

19) On which island, now a popular charter destination, did the Pig War take place in 1859? The confl ict, which had to do with a dispute over the boundary between the US and British North Amer That's it. Now take a look at the answer key below, and see how you did. Most importantly, though, we hope this little exercise stimulated your curiosity to learn more about these and other charter destinations that not only are rich in cultural history, but also offer great sailing and shoreside amenities. — andy

ica, began when an American farmer shot a British pig that was rooting in his garden. a) Apostle Island b) Catalina c) San Juan Island d) Ellis Island

20) Adjacent to which Caribbean island did the Cousteau family establish a marine preserve? a) St. Thomas b) Guadeloupe c) Dominica d) Bequia

21) While sailing among these islands you'll have a good chance of spotting orca whales. a) St. Kitts and Nevis b) The Gulf and San Juan Islands c) St. Thomas and St. John d) Tahiti and Moorea

QUIZ ANSWERS

Gulf and San Juan Islands Island / 20) b, Guadeloupe / 21) b, The 19) c, San Juan b, Santa Cruz Island /

18) 17) d, St. John, USVI / Bahamas /

16) d, The 15) c, The Florida Keys / /

14) d, The Seychelles

13) c, Antigua / 12) d, Mexico's Sea of Cortez / Bay /

11)c, Chesapeake 10) d, St. Barth /

/ d, Tonga / 9) b, Australia's Whitsundays / 6) c, Delos / 7) b, Downeast Maine / 8) 3) d, Turkey / 4) d, Rhodes / 5) a, Belize 1) b, Croatia / 2) b, nutmeg and mace /