I often get asked which is the best ship afloat, in terms of its food. I would love to be able to give a simple answer and award a prize. However, after reviewing my experiences afloat, communicating with ITN readers and interviewing seagoing chefs, I don’t think the answer is that easy.

There are so many variables and obstacles, and vessels change so rapidly, that it is probably impossible to identify one ship or one line. Yes, there are surveys and polls on food afloat, but often...

Island paradise or hell on Earth? Three New Zealand judges apparently took the latter view as they sentenced six of Pitcairn island’s few male inhabitants to two to six years in prison for numerous rapes and assaults that took place over a 40-year period on the last remnant of the British empire in the South Pacific.

Pitcairn is the resting place of the famous H.M.S. Bounty, which was burned and sunk there by mutineers in 1790. The tiny island, only 2½ by 1½ miles, is...