CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S.V.I. -- Capt. Bryan Petley is in love with a 72-year old.

The object of his affections is a three-masted sailing vessel, one of the authentic few left that were designed to make their way around Cape Horn under sheer sail power.

The Sir Francis Drake has an engine now, as well as a full range of modern navigational equipment, but Petley is rarely happier than when he can turn it off and let the winds take over.

He exhibited his passion on a recent four-night agent familiarization voyage through the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, following the path of pirates to island hideaways where large cruise ships dare not venture.

Some of the 20 travel agents aboard quickly caught the spirit, pitching in to hoist sails. Others braved a rope-ladder climb to the crow's nest. Sensible people (read chickens) stayed on deck and drank beer.

Petley, a veteran of the New Zealand Navy, bought the ship two years ago with a German business partner and set about adding some modern comforts.

"We studied the market for sailing vessels carefully and found that there were a few ships at the high end and a few at the low end but nothing in the middle," Petley said.

The "middle market," he said, is where the partners set their sights.

The result is by no means luxurious, but neither is it primitive: Each oak-paneled cabin is air-conditioned and has a private toilet and shower with reliably hot water. Hair dryers are available.

The ship's 14 passenger cabins, in various configurations, can accommodate a maximum of 34 people.

Three cabins have upper/lower bunks; four have side-by-side twin beds; six cabins have double beds with upper single bunk, and the one luxury suite has a double bed, a small sofa, two portholes and a refrigerator.

The cabins are compact and basic, but to compare them unfavorable to the more luxurious staterooms of modern cruise ships is to miss the point of this voyage.

Many cruise ships replicate the "complete resort" concept on massive vessels, where it is easy to forget that one is actually afloat.

The Sir Francis Drake, on the other hand, offers an intimate communion with the sea, along with an opportunity to work with the winds and pretend to be able seamen, pirates or what everyoneÕs personal fantasy happens to be.

Though the 165-foot overall length also affords a certain intimacy with other passengers and crew, there are plenty of ways to avoid the general merriment should the need arise.

One might read a book on the poop deck, sunbathe atop the bridge or catch a move on the VCR in the salon. The salon, which doubles as the dining room, has a small collection of popular novels in addition to the selection of movie cassettes.

The general rallying point, however, is the sun deck, equipped with deck chairs; an awning for shade or protection from the occasional drizzle, and bar service.

Music on the sun deck, provided by a compact-disk and cassette stereo system in the bridge, is fairly continuous and changes according to the general activity: sea chanteys for the hoisting of sails, Handel's "Water Music" for sailing and soft-core rock for just about everything else.

Passengers also may contribute their own tapes and are, in fact, encouraged to visit the bridge and pump the captain for information on how the ship runs. He loves it.

The sun deck is also the venue for late-afternoon hors d'oeuvres and rum punch (Caution: There is some evidence that the punch gets stronger as the voyage progresses) and for a truly absurd costume party, the theme of which passengers are sworn not to divulge.

While day-to-day life on the ship is fairly active, the real thrust of the sail is to get places -- and that might vary.

Each sailing has a planned itinerary, and the captain tries to adhere to it. But the captain also has the flexibility to alter the plan if the weather does not cooperate.

On the recent agent fam, for example, a morning visit to a beach on Jost Van Dyke was scuttled in favor of racing the weather to sunnier Cruz Bay on St John. Otherwise, the itinerary followed the pattern of most four-night trips.

On the first evening, it visited Pusser's Landing, a famed tavern with dance band at Tortola's West End.

The next day, the Drake sailed south and anchored off Peter Island. Passengers either swam or were tendered to a private beach for a picnic lunch.

Snorkeling equipment was provided, along with "sea biscuit" rides.

This is a crazy version of waterskiing for people who donÕt know how to waterski: The rider sits on a huge inner tube, hangs on for dear life and is towed by the motor tender at high speed. It's a lot of fun, if somewhat ungraceful.

Later in the afternoon, the ship made for Road Town, the capital of the British Virgin islands, where passengers could be tendered to a choice of pubs that included another Pusser's (ubiquitous in these parts).

The next morning, the captain anchored off Norman Island.

Literature lovers will recognize the deserted island, rumored to be the home of buried pirate treasure, and its watery caves as the setting for Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island."

Tenders took the group near the appropriately spooky caves, and bread crumbs were provided so that snorkelers could hand-feed the thousands of colorful fish.

(Petley likes to tell the story of the snorkeler who stored her bread crumbs in her bathing suit top, only to discover that the fish were not shy.)

The afternoon sail took the group to Jost Van Dyke, an island named for a pirate who, legend has it, met his end by walking the plank.

The 150 inhabitants' main street is the beach.

Passengers were tendered ashore along with snacks of conch fritters, to be downed with cold beers at a funky outdoor bar.

The Drake later was the site of what the New Zealander captain called a "barbee:" seafood kebabs grilled and served topside amid the secret rites of the costume party, which raged into the wee hours.

The next day afforded the closest thing yet to a traditional shore excursion: an afternoon of shopping in Cruz Bay, St. JohnÕs main town, followed by optional (including clothing-optional) beach visits.

After the shipboard dinner, the tenders returned to Cruz Bay for visits to assorted pubs.

The voyage concluded the following morning in Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas.

Petley said he and his partner have their eyes on another ship ("something a bit more luxurious"), and the captain already has plans for it.

"I'm convinced Cuba is going to open up to U.S. tourism in a few years," he said, "and there's wonderful sailing around the island.

"We'll be ready for it."