WORLD

the cruising guide as you sail from anchorage to anchorage. Most will have relatively accurate capsule histories of the regions and its people in their introductory sections, plus tidbits about the place's cultural and maritime heritage. Some also include mini-bios on particularly colorful characters. Kicking back in the cockpit with a historical novel set in the area of your cruise is another excellent way to enhance the overall experience — tackling Michener's Chesapeake while in that area is a perfect example. When possible, poking around in a shoreside museum or taping into the knowledge of park rangers, docents and tour guides can also yield savory nuggets of wisdom. The net effect of all this is that when you arrive home afterwards, you'll not only be exhilarated by the sailing experience, but your knowledge and appreciation for that corner of the world will have expanded exponentially. To prove our point, we've concocted the following World Charter Quiz. Our many readers who are hardcore charter addicts will probably score high marks thanks to info gleaned from cruising guides and basic touristism info available to travelers. Give it a try. (You'll find answers at the end.)

The Educational Side of Chartering: The Worldwide Chartering Quiz It's no surprise that taking a yacht charter vacation is an excellent way to improve your tan, relax the kinks in your neck and build a boatload of happy memories. But you might be surprised to know that a sailing getaway can also stimulate your 'gray matter' by giving you a deeper understanding of history and culture. To our way of thinking, that's one of the most appealing aspects of chartering away from your home waters. If you're like most vacationers, you're likely to spend some time studying up on the area you'll be traveling in prior to leaving home — if for no other reason than to plan your itinerary. Many veteran yacht charterers will tell you that doing a little light research in advance of a trip heightens the excitement and anticipation, and thereby extends the overall enjoyment of the whole experience. On the other hand, if you're just too darned busy to even think much about your vacation destination prior to stepping aboard the plane — as we often are — the flight itself is an ideal time to pull out the cruising guides or tourism literature and start boning up on the history, geography and cultural traditions of your destination. Once underway, unless you become absolutely hypnotized by the chartplotter, it's only natural that you'll peruse A million miles from the mainstream, age-old Polynesian traditions are still widely practiced in the 'friendly Kingdom' of Tonga.

COURTESY THE MOORINGS

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The Quiz: 1) What Caribbean Island is named after an actual pirate? __ Tintamare __ Culebra __ Jost Van Dyke __ Marie Galante 2) The people of what charter destination share a common ancestry with Hawaiians? __ Fiji __ the San Juan Islands __ Tahiti __ Sea of Cortez 3) In what charter destination would you have a high likelihood of seeing both bald eagles and so-called killer whales? __ the Leeward Antilles __ the Chesapeake __ the Balearic Islands __ the San Juan Islands 4) What Caribbean Island is a former Swedish colony? __ Petit St. Vincent __ Cariacou

LATITUDE / AT

With reports this month on the Learn-While-You-Play Approach to Cultural Enrichment, a first-timer's assessment of Cruising the Dalmatian Coast, and miscellaneous Charter Notes.

Nelson's Dockyard at Antigua is one place where you can't help but absorb a little knowledge of Caribbean history.

__ St. Croix __ St. Barts 5) What charter destination is believed to have been created when a peninsular land mass split off from the mainland 20 million years ago? __ Sardinia __ the Seychelles __ New Zealand __ the Sea of Cortez 6) What charter destination was never conquered by foreign aggressors? __ the Lipari Islands __ Malta __ New Zealand __ Tonga 7) What charter destination includes the islands of Cockroach, George Dog, Dead Chest and Fallen Jerusalem? __ the Grenadines __ the Republic of Ireland __ Belize __ the British Virgin Islands