We cruised aboard the Fantome on our 25th anniversary, in May, 1996. We had a great time, and the trip perhaps whetted our appetite for cruising in a more serious way.

We were saddened to hear of Fantome’s loss with all hands, two years later, in Hurricane Mitch.

Here Sue and Bill prepare to board, May 6, 1996:

We took this on 5/6/96 in Antigua. This is English Harbor, from the mountain above:

Here is the Fantome herself. We took the photo from a launch, on the way to shore. This was the first week of May, 1996, and was probably off of St. Maarten.

Here, Bill III takes part in one of the games aboard. This was called the “Boat Race” and involved either drinking a bottle of Guiness Stout, or pouring the bottle over your head, as Bill demonstrates.

It was pretty messy, and to our delight, the Captain led the charge to leap overboard afterwards.