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"Boat sailors, man your deck stations!"
The captain's command came as our ship turned into the wind and away from the port at the colorful village of Bourg on Terre-de-Haut, one of the small Isles des Saintes islands about 12 miles south of Guadeloupe.
From our chaise lounges next to the wedge-shaped pool on the aft deck, we stirred in the sun, faced forward and awaited the main act in this sailing drama. Slowly, starting with the three jibs at the bow, then the four square main sails, and finally the giant triangular sails on the main and mizzen masts, our ship captured the wind, leaning a bit as it shouldered the burden, and then pointed northeast, toward the Caribbean Sea and another island adventure.
Our ship was the Star Flyer, a sailing vessel we chose because it was different from the huge floating resort hotels that seem to be the norm in the world's fleet of cruise ships.
We began our vacation by flying to St. Martin/St. Maarten, the Dutch/French island, a day before the trip, a practice we follow whenever we are taking a cruise out that begins outside this country. We spent the night on the French side at the very luxurious and very, very romantic La Samanna resort, which has a fabulous beach excellent beach on Baie Loungue and an even better restaurant. This extra day allows us to surmount any travel difficulties - - a late planes, missed connections, weather problems - - as well as allow us to overcome travel weariness before actually starting the cruise.
The next afternoon, we took a cab to a Philipsburg marina, where we boarded the tender for a short ride to the Star Flyer. Even with its sails furled, the white-hulled Star Flyer is an impressive sight when viewed from the a small boat. The Star Flyer has four masts, the tallest reaching 226 feet above the sea, making it and its twin sister ship, the Star Clipper, the tallest of the world's tall ships. Though the design was inspired by the legendary Baltimore Clippers, in truth the Star Flyer and Star Clipper are three times as long and twice as wide as those sailing legends. The modern 3,025-ton ships can carry 36,000 square feet of dacron (canvas went out when synthetics came in) on 19 sails. Both ships can carry up to 180 passengers in 90 cabins.
The ship was filled with delightful surprises. Our cabin was small- - about 120 square feet - - about offered a double bed, television, three closet areas, a tiny dressing table and a bathroom with a shower. The public areas include two deck pools surrounded by chaise lounges, a library with books, games and magazines, two lounges, and a dining room tastefully decorated in dark woods and nautical paintings. The food at all meals was excellent.
The final surprise took a few days to uncover. That was when we realized that we were on the most relaxing cruise we have ever taken. On our trips with ships on 10 other cruise lines, we often ended the trip almost exhausted by the constant barrage of activity, entertainment, tours, meals, lectures, games and clothing changes. Not so on this ship. We arrived in port at the blissful hour of around 10, visited towns and beaches during the day and then enjoyed a relaxing dinner where the dress code was usually a polo shirt and slacks or sun dress, a marked change from more formal ships where evening dress was suit and tie or even black tie on dressy evenings.
Our itinerary took us to some of the more interesting of the Caribbean islands. from St. Maarten, we sailed to Baseterre, St. Kitts; Gustavia, St. Barts; Falmouth Bay, Antigua; Portsmouth, Dominica; Bourg on the tiny Terre-de-Haut, and Montserrat, where we visited a beach and the town of Plymouth.
The daily routine quickly fell into place. A late wake-up, breakfast, then anchoring off our newest island. Passengers took tenders to shore to play on the beaches, visit the small towns, or take part in water sports, which each day featured several snorkeling trips (free equipment provided), several scuba diving excursions (including night dives in several places), water-skiing, wind-surfing, small sail boats and banana boat rides. Scuba diving instruction was also available, and for serious divers, the trip offered a bargain - - $40 a dive, equipment provided. The divers raved about their experiences, and described seeing shipwrecks, dolphins, barracuda, and even a family of three adult and one baby humpback whales.
Shore excursions were limited, but varied and included hikes and canoe trips into rain forests, tours of historic plantation houses, sightseeing tours by van and even a mountain bike adventure around Montserrat. The tours cost extra, but were fairly priced at from $29 to $36 per person.
Entertainment on board was low-key, with local bands and choral groups coming on board twice to entertain the passengers before or after dinner. One night, Capt. Klaus Mueller, who often practiced playing his bagpipe on the foredeck in late afternoons, gave a talk on the history of sailing and exploration of the Caribbean, while another night, Joel, the third mate, talked about the names and functions of the ship's 19 sails. Most nights, though, our major entertainment was reliving the day's experiences with friends we had made on board.
The passenger demographics were also different from the other cruises we have taken, most of which are overwhelmingly American residents of the northeast states. On board were citizens of France, Belgium, England, Australia, Germany as well as America. And the four honeymoon couples - - one each from America, France, Belgium and Germany - - were honored by the captain on the second night with a place as his table and an after dinner toast and blessing.
It was this relaxed, friendly, personal atmosphere that made this cruise an exceptional experience for us. Even before our final day came, we didn't want to get off.
The Star Flyer cruises the Caribbean in the winter and the Mediterranean in the summer. Its sister ship, the Star Clipper, sails the Caribbean year-round from Barbados. For more information, contact a travel agent.
