Spectacular Tall Ship Sailing with Star Clippers

Time to write my long overdue blog post about my sailing experience with Star Clippers! It is such a delightful travel memory, filled with wonderful anecdotes and many travel moments.

I have always loved the ocean. It could be because I was born under the water sign, Aquarius; or perhaps I’m just another cruise fanatic—one who loves the idea of packing and unpacking once, waking up each morning in a different port, enjoying the calming effects of being surrounded by the ocean, and the romance of travelling on a beautiful ship, propelled by the wind!

A completely different kind of cruise aboard a tall ship

By trade, I am a Cruise Specialist. Because I’ve been in this business many years, my clients often ask whether I prefer to cruise on a smaller vessel, a medium-size or large ship. My response—I like to cruise on different ships for different reasons, but have to say, the experience of cruising on a ship like the Royal Clipper—the largest and only five-masted full-rigged sailing ship in the world—is something truly spectacular. The company that operates these cruises, Star Clippers, offers an authentic spirit of sailing. Star Clippers’ ships can sail under wind power—something many do not realize—so guests truly experience what it is really like to sail in a tall ship.

The experience is completely different than cruising on a conventional cruise ship or riverboat, starting from the moment you arrive at the dock. First, boarding is quick and painless with Star Clippers. You don’t have to walk through a large cruiseship terminal; there’s no line-up, long walk or escalator rides. After an initial “rapid” check-in (just filling out a consent form and dropping off luggage), there it was—right before my eyes when I walked toward to the pier—a stunning tall ship, docked handsomely in the port of Barbados. As I approached the ship, I couldn’t help myself; I must have snapped at least a dozen photos before I even boarded. It was definitely love at first sight!

As soon as I stepped off the gangway and onto the main deck, I instantly felt the genuine, friendly and warm welcome by all the ship officers and crew. Sipping on my tropical punch (handed to me as a welcome), I was cordially guided from the tropical bar to the piano bar area to complete the embarkation process—another form with personal contact data, consent to health and safety, and payment information (note, the currency used to settle your account is in Euros.) With my room key now in hand and a very pleasant steward to escort me to my cabin, I again observed how the process was so relaxing and fast.

The Royal Clipper is truly dazzling, both exterior and interior. Even though I’d looked countless time at online photos prior to my adventure, I was still amazed by the spaciousness of the cabin, and how it was so well appointed and tastefully decorated. For some reason, I had imagined that the amenities on a tall ship would be more casual, similar to a yacht. On the Royal Clipper, however, there are 14 deluxe suites and two 355-square-feet Owner’s Suites.

Sailing with Star Clippers: easy, relaxed with no fuss

On Embarkation Day and on the morning of day two, all guests must attend two mandatory meetings on the main deck. The Cruise Manager explains in three different languages about personal health and safety, and the general rules around the ship. Although both meetings were longer than some of the guests expected, I appreciated how this cruiseline takes boat drills so seriously, and makes sure that guests are aware of the importance of health and safety rules onboard. (Nobody wants to see the Costa Concordia tragedy repeat itself).

Day two’s meeting, however, wasn’t all about maritime business. During the second half, the captain and his officers, the sports team, purser and crew provide a lively and entertaining presentation.  And it didn’t take place on a formal night in a theatre, like you find on a typical cruise ship. On the Clippers, there is no formal night or dress code; “resort casual attire” is perfect.

The Cruise Manager and her high-energy sports team run the daily program and activities, both on and off the ship. They are responsible for morning fitness; water sport activities (taking place either on the ship’s marine platform or on the beach in the port of call); mast climbing (always popular); and all shipboard evening entertainment. They also are responsible for getting guests to participate.

The sports team is comprised of 3 members, all from Sweden in their early twenties, and a fourth member who splits her time between deck and sport duties. They were all always courteous, humorous, and hard-working. Of course, I could always relate to them, having worked on cruise ships myself. I had the pleasure of spending time with them on several occasions, talking and dining. (It also made me feel very young at heart!)

The very capable Cruise Manager is also in charge of processing our shore excursion reservations, as there is no Shore Excursion Manager on board. She made herself available during desk hours to answer all questions about the tours. There are binders on the travel desk for guests to read before signing up. They contain detailed tour descriptions covering the entire voyage. The small group tours I enjoyed on each island were extremely well coordinated by the ship, and local operators were contracted.

Tendering to shore at small ports, rain or shine!

There is another big draw for cruising on the Royal Clipper, which makes the experience unique from cruising on a conventional cruise ship (this also applies to the Star Clipper and Star Flyer, two smaller ships, identical twins of each other). These ships all take you to the lesser-known Caribbean ports: Windward Islands and Grenadine Islands (in fact, the larger cruise ship cannot get to these ports). Visits are accommodated through tender service (where a small boat takes you to shore), because the ship must be anchored off the ports. Tendering is fun on its own, but it also allows guests to snap more shots of the beautiful ship from the tender (boat).

I can still remember a day of heavy rain. The Royal Clipper was anchored off St. George in Grenada, and everybody got completely soaked on the tender. Luckily, my new English acquaintances from Manchester, in Great Britain, lent me an extra souvenir raincoat they’d purchased when touring Niagara Falls and took a ride on the Maiden of the Mist. We were laughing so hard on the tender, making fun of how unattractive we looked in these ridiculous plastic bag raincoats. We were so caught up in that moment, when suddenly, everyone on the tender just started laughing with us.The heavy downpour did not dampen our mood. After we got off the boat, we walked up to Fort George above the main town of St. George. As the rain let up, what a beautiful view of that town!

Another highlight of cruising with Star Clippers is the experience of the working sails. Guests can observe the whole motion of the sails going up and coming down, ropes spinning and unspooling, and the deck crew and sailors hard at work cranking and pulling at the cords upon arrival and departure at each port.  Guests have the opportunity to help with the ropes or take the helm. Another special treat is climbing the mast, made of ropes and cables (with a safety harness). When you reach one of the passenger crows-nest lookouts, you get an unforgettable panoramic view of the horizon.

Dining and “wine-ing” about the Royal Clipper

I would not be an epicurean if I do not comment on the cuisine on board. The food was as good as the atmosphere throughout my two cruises. Both quality and presentation are comparable to most cruiselines, and better than some. I thought lunch, in particular, really stood out. There was a different lunch theme every day, presented with an assorted selection of meat, seafood, salads and vegetables, cheese and charcuterie. The meat and seafood are prepared with the right amount of sauce, perfectly seasoned, and the texture always tender.

The dining room operates an open seating system. Here I noted that service was incredibly efficient and attentive. The soups and appetizers served at dinner were always my favorite. The wine selection was broad and the prices very reasonable; only the cocktails were pricey. A glass of house wine is about $3 -4 Euros (approximately $3.50-$4.50 in US dollars). I also observed that the hotel manager was at the restaurant every evening, supporting the restaurant manager during the dinner rush. He greeted guests and seated them at the tables with other friendly guests. (This is something else you rarely see on a larger cruiseship).

When my first cruise was approaching the end, the hotel manager was incredibly generous with his time and gave our group a tour of all the cabins and suites (at least the ones which were not occupied). We also received a special ship tour and luncheon on the sister ship, Star Clipper, when both Clippers met in Dominica. 

During the Caribbean season, cruisers are mostly British, Europeans, and American, with a small number of Canadians. Many fellow guests were loyal cruisers to the Star Clippers.  It’s so easy to make friends and mingle with other people on a smaller ship. I am still keeping in touch with my British friends, a couple from Florida, and a few crew members. My table mates commented on how social I was with the fellow guests and the crew—they figured I had talked to and met everyone on the ship!

I must confess, after many years of visiting the Caribbean Islands on many cruises, I had once vowed never to take another Caribbean cruise again. I should give myself a slap on the wrist now for breaking my own vow; but honestly, there is simply no better way to see the Caribbean than cruising with Star Clippers.

New Clipper set to sail in 2017

I cannot wait to take another great sailing adventure when a brand new Clipper is launched in 2017. It will have the capacity of 300 guests. (Royal Clipper has a capacity of 227, Star Clipper and Star Flyer 170 guests each). For the first time since 2010, the Star Clipper will home port out of Phuket, Thailand. The 7-night round trip from December 2016 to April 2017 includes Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. How marvelous to be sailing in South East Asia!

For the Mediterranean Sailings in 2016, new itineraries include ports in some of the smallest Greek Islands; Notteri in Sardina; Trapani, Porto Empedolce in Sicily; Lerici on the Tuscan coast; Bastia in Corsica; Rabac on the Istrian Peninsula; the island of Cres in Croatia; and Roquetas de Mar in Spain. I don’t think I have heard of some of these ports!

From the time I arranged my first group booking—cruising with a group of travel professionals and sailing solo—my sailing cruise experience on the Royal Clipper and my association with Star Clippers has been extraordinary.

For more information on sailings for solo, groups and charters, please email your inquiries to info@redlettergetaways.com

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