Don't awaken me from this beautiful dream...I'm on a sailing ship...
I am laying on a sun bed up on deck, glass of wine in one hand, good book in the other, with the clear blue skies above me, and the sound of the sea below me.
The only other thing in my view, are the stunning masts, 5 of them, which contain 32 beautiful sails, floating gently in the breeze, taking us across the ocean to our next destination on this wonderful voyage. In this dream, I am sailing out in the Indian Ocean, we have just left the Seychelles, and are headed towards Mauritius, before continuing on to the beautiful Maldives (I’ve never been to any of these islands, but they are on my bottomless bucket list).
There are only 271 guests travelling with me on this ship, and one of those is my husband, who is currently making his own waves in the beautiful pool, leaving me to soak up the sun, and my drink.
Earlier, my husband and I ventured onto the water sports marina and took out a couple of kayaks to meander around the islands, then we dressed into some snorkelling gear and ventured beneath to explore the sea life, and it was magnificent.
We thought that we would perhaps take out a dinghy, a wakeboard or even some waterskis at our next destination. I see some people are also scuba diving, it’s such a treat.
We returned to our ship early as I had booked us a spa treatment, well, it would be rude not to. We then enjoyed a beautiful meal alfresco; fresh sea food caught that very day, and a lovely glass of wine, or two, to wash it down with - oops - it’s a good job wine and beer are included with lunch and dinner!
After dinner, we donned our safety gear (actually, because it’s in a dream, we went freestyle, but safety gear is worn in the real world) and climbed the mast up to the crows nest, where we could look out for miles and miles.
I am now watching a movie-under-the-stars, cozying under a blanket, enjoying a glass of something nice & cold, while munching on a bucket of popcorn, of course, it has to be done!
And then we drift, or rather stumble, off to our cabin with private balcony, and sink into our comfortable bed, and..…no, no, I said don’t wake me up….So rude!
Me dreaming
Well, now that I’m awake, I can talk to you about the gym, yoga and fitness classes offered onboard, because I definitely wouldn’t have dreamed about that, well, maybe I could be talked into yoga, but that’s it!
Now for the scientific bit (not really, I just wanted to say that) - the companies, their ships, & itineraries:
Star Clipper
3 ships
Royal Clipper - 227 passengers - 5 masts & 42 sails
Star Clipper - 170 passengers - 4 masts & 16 sails
Star Flyer - 170 passengers - 4 masts & 16 sails
Their ships have swimming pools, a choice of bars & restaurants serving delicious cuisine.
Star Clipper does not include alcoholic beverages.
They sail to the Caribbean, Western & Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, through the Panama Canal, across the Atlantic with stops including the Canaries, Azores, Morocco, and more. They also offer special cruises, including yoga, Christmas, and Celebrity Chef.
Beautiful Star Clipper from above
And from the side
Her beautiful cabins
Windstar
6 ships, but only 3 of them are sail ships
Wind Surf - 342 passengers - 5 masts & 7 sails
Wind Spirit - 148 passengers - 4 masts & 6 sails
Wind Star - 148 passengers - 4 masts & 6 sails
Their ships feature swimming pools & whirlpools, bars, lounges & restaurants, a spa, and water sports platform with plenty of choice for fun on the ocean. Their non-sail ships have beautiful infinity pools.
Windstar do not include drinks, but have several package options for you to buy before you set sail.
They sail to Alaska, Canada & New England, The Caribbean, Costa Rica & through the Panama Canal, Greece, Italy, The Mediterranean, Transatlantic, Tahiti and The coastal USA.
Their non-sail ships; Star Pride, Star Breeze & Star Legend carry 312 passengers and are small enough to get into small ports like Honfleur in France and into the Corinth Canal, which connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland. They also feature special cruises which links Rome or Venice with the Grand Prix in May 2021.
The stunning Star Legend
Windstar
Windstar suite
Now, there is a brand new company coming onboard; Tradewind Voyages. Yes, they are actively starting to promote a brand new sailing ship business amongst a pandemic. The ship will go on sale to future guests from 1st September 2020, and this is really great & positive for the future.
The ship, Golden Horizon will carry 272 guests in window or private balcony cabins, including 8 for single person use - have 5 masts & 32 sails, and is currently in Croatia, where she was built, awaiting her maiden sailing across to the UK where she will begin carrying her passengers from May 2021.
She will feature a swimming pool, a wading pool, and a diving pool. She will have bars, restaurants and alfresco dining, also a buffet, which, due to the current climate, will not be self-serve. There will be activities hosted by the crew, including, wine-tasting, cooking demonstrations, games, and quizzes, as well as movies-under-the stars. All water sports are included, except scuba diving, which they are hoping to run a PADI course on too. The ship will have a shallow hull, which is perfect for those small islands & private beaches.
The Golden Horizons first sailing with passengers, will take you from Harwich up to Glasgow. She will sail around the British isles & Northern Ireland initially, with 7 departures, including a circumnavigation of Iceland on route. In August, she will follow the winds & currents only as much as possible, while only using the engines if absolutely required, heading one way over to the North Cape to arrive on 21st June for the midnight sun, visiting numerous remote communities in the Norwegian Fjords along the way.
Travel onwards to St Petersburg & the Northern Capitals, to arrive in Tallin, Estonia for the tall ships race, stopping in Stockholm, Helsinki & Gothenburg, to arrive back on the south coast for Cowes weeks and the Regatta fireworks display. She will continue on to the Isles of Scilly, and The Channel Islands before two very individual Fjord adventures; to explore remote fishing villages, or a water sports focused week on the ocean. This will lead the ship over to Northern Europe to visit Denmark & Norway.
Then follow the coastlines of France, Spain, and Portugal into the Mediterranean, through the straights of Gibraltar to Dubrovnik. From September 2021, off she blows to do the Maritime Silk Route; to Bali with many stops along the way, including Sharm El Sheik, Muscat, Goa, Colombo, Singapore, and Jakarta.
And then, just like in my dream, she will head to the Indian Ocean with the Seychelles, Mauritius & the Maldives, via Madagascar, West Africa, Tanzania, Sri Lanka to Singapore, and finally, in December, a circumnavigation of Australia, spending Christmas at The Great Barrier Reef and New Year 2022 watching fireworks off The Gold Coast.
WOW! I mean, doesn’t this just sound amazing? You can see why I didn’t want to be woken up, right?
And that’s not all, The Golden Horizon won’t be a one-ship-wonder, as she will be joined by a further 4 ships by 2027!
The Golden Horizon
And again
Sailing ships offer a truly wonderful and unique travel experience. If you are interested and would like further information, please contact me here, and I will be happy to help you.