By
Benjamin S. B. Lyons Returning
from our SCUBA dive, we bounced our way across the sea in a small Zodiac until
our ship, the Star Flyer, came into view around the next point. Her four masts
seemed to stretch as high as the surrounding hills and the elegant, tapered stern
and lengthy bowsprit reaching forward seemed graceful and swift. Seeing this beautiful
clipper ship, sails furled and anchored in an otherwise empty cove, was a stunning
sight that seemed incongruously retrieved from the past.
One
of three clipper ships operated by Monaco-based Star Clippers, the Star Flyer
is a modern day creation inspired by the speedy 19th century sailing ships. Built
in 1991 as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream by Swedish owner Mikael Krafft,
she and her fleet mates cruise the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Southeast Asia
with a perspective that seems literally ages apart from the rest of the cruise
industry. The
Cruise Director set the tone the first day by saying, "Forget everything
you know about cruising. This week, we want to give you the opportunity to sail
a tall ship- to climb the mast, to steer the ship or learn about navigation."
Happily,
Star Flyer did just that during my one-week trip out of Phuket, Thailand around
the Andaman Sea. In an age where cruiseships are becoming larger, more impersonal
and in some cases just a bit bizarre (have you seen pictures of passengers shaking
elbows due to fear of the Norwalk virus?), Star Clippers is a refreshing contrast.
 Make
no mistake - these are true sailing ships. Walk around and marvel at the myriad
of rigging stretching skyward like a vertical spider web. Winches, cleats and
line are scattered on all open decks, and whenever possible, the sails are used
as the vessel's main propulsion. (More so than their upscale competitors Windstar
or the party-oriented Windjammer Barefoot Cruises, Star Clippers are insistent
upon sailing as much as possible. Several times on my trip, we actually spun the
ship completely around with sails only and proceeded out of the anchorage without
even engaging the engines. (CONTINUE...)
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