BOUTIQUE CRUISING
Sail
surge of warm Mediterranean spray rose up and slapped across my face as the bow of the ship dipped into the swell. Until that point, I had been blissfully lying on the bowsprit of Royal Clipper photographing the dolphins riding the wave beneath us. The large safety net strung beneath suddenly seemed to loom larger and I quickly put my camera away and clambered back to the comforting safety of the deck.
A I had joined the ship the day before
at Civitavecchia, the port of Rome, on a five-day cruise to Sicily. Sails and cruise ships? You’re probably thinking I’m talking
Steve Newman revels in the sail-cruising style of Star Clippers in the Mediterranean
of the Century
about tiny yachts but, read on, and you’ll discover a whole new element to luxury. Royal Clipper is the 227-passenger flagship of Star Clippers. With her teak- lined decks and billowing white sails, deluxe amenities, gourmet cuisine and exceptional service, she allows you to soak up the ambience of feeling you’re on a private yacht. The fact the passenger count is so small also means you really do get to know your fellow travellers. The two minutes it takes to walk around the ship’s elegant corridors and Edwardian-style staircases means you can’t fail to meet and talk to everyone else. The first night found me at the indoor-
outdoor Tropical Bar near the stern,one of the three bars on board, where everyone met at sunset and where the ice melted extremely quickly for all of us. Most nights when we set sail, we went on deck to listen to the strains of Vangelis as we slipped out of harbour into the warm waters of the Mediterranean.
Most mornings found me up early as the
ship’s marine biologist held a dolphin-watch session (with coffee and pastries being served to help wake you up). To be on the deck of a sailing ship at sunrise is always a memorable occasion when, for those precious few minutes, the early rays paint the sails with marvellous orange light.
Spring 2012 I WORLD OF CRUISING 51
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