As you know, DATW is organizing a very special event: a darting cruise to Bermuda! Not only do I hope to go, but I hope to meet you there too. In fact, that’s how I found this site, googling ‘darts’ and ‘cruise ships’. As you might imagine, my love of being on the water has made me a cruise maniac as well. What could be better than floating across the ocean inside your hotel to exotic new places every day? Which brings me to my next story…

When it was time to depart Uruguay, I decided to go by boat: thirty-five days, nineteen ports in nine countries, from Buenos Aires to Seattle. The ship itself, the Star Princess, was too big for the Panama Canal, and was re-positioning to Alaska after a season in South America and Antarctica, so this was a rare chance to round the infamous Cape Horn. Plus, the price was unbelievable, less than double the cost of a one way flight to Portland, and after getting an upgrade to a balcony stateroom, well, the journey was incredible.But long before I was aboard, I was determined to find out if they had darts on the Star Princess. I scoured the internet for pictures, posts and reviews about the ship. In fact, at the time, I was moonlighting as a walking tour guide at the port of Montevideo, and when the Star came to port every week or so, I would ask passengers if they recall seeing one on board. Many times the answer was “No, I don’t think so,” but a couple weeks before departure time, one jolly couple said, “I think they do, in the smoking bar”. From then on, my hopes went sky high. Of course, I was also researching darts in the ports I’d visit–and have many discoveries to share–but if there was a board on the ship…imagine, what if you could throw a ton-eighty on the high seas?

When embarkation day came, I was like a kid waiting for Christmas. As soon as my bags hit the bed, it was time to explore this huge ship, and I headed straight for the pub called “Shooters”, hidden between the casino and theater. And there it was. A perfectly decent sisal board, hanging in the corner. I quickly squeaked some chairs and a table out of the way, eyeballed the oche line, and broke out my darts. With a month’s worth of nights and sixteen days at sea between stops, it’s no surprise that I was soon known by crew and passengers alike as the ‘dart guy’.

Man I threw every chance I got. Between ports, between meals, between shows and activities. I taught or invited onlookers to play. Bartenders and waiters–many of whom were Filipino, where darts is quite popular–would come play me during their breaks. Eventually, I’d contact the crew staff and get them to organize some mini-shoots for passengers, and also organize my own mini-shoots with the new friends I was making. We even played on formal night! And oh how I tried to throw a maxim on the rolling seas.

Overall, shooting on a ship isn’t too much harder than on terra firma. Maybe a pause between shots, waiting for the ship to ease back from a gentle list to port or starboard. For most of the trip, the seas were steady or calm. But not in the beginning, and certainly not rounding Cape Horn, the infamous southern tip of South America, renowned for it’s high winds and mountainous waves. From the Falklands to Chile, the rough seas got rougher, and that triple twenty would sway up and down, making good darts look drunk in flight. The wave-indicator was peaking out at 10 to 12 meters, and even this mighty vessel seemed to struggle against the powers of Poseidon. Talk about the ultimate darting challenge…but, despite many first and second dart T20′s, I wouldn’t accomplish my first ton-eighty at sea. Not yet anyway.

But once again, I’m amazed at the way darts brings people together. I continue to research travel and darts aboard ships. I’ve taken two cruises since, and another is upcoming. And, like I said, I hope to see you on the cruise to Bermuda.

Over and double out.

Cape Horn: