Cut a dash around the Med
Avoiding airports has as become all- important, nt, which is why no-fly cruises es have become so popular. ar. This one comes with a twist st because rather than heading for or Portsmouth or Southampton, i take the Eurostar, change trains ns in Paris and arrive in Cannes in the South of France for a precruise ea night in a hotel.
next morning, i board Star Clipper, a magnificent, four- masted tall ship ip powered by harnessing the wind. From m Cannes, we pop in to Monaco, sail il around Corsica and visit Elba before re docking in Civitavecchia, the port rt for Rome.
As the wind picks up and the sails s unfurl, sailors shout to each other as they turn the clattering capstans. Soon n the engine stops, and all you hear is the e creaking of the masts as we sail away y under acres of billowing canvas.
From a sunbed on the teak deck it is a mesmerising sight, layers of white oblongs and triangles, masts, yardarms and guylines, set against the bright blue sky.
The onedin Line fills my head when i take a turn helming at the wooden ship’s wheel on deck. The bridge is open most of the time and all are welcome to pop in and chat to Ukrainian Captain Yuriy Slastenin and his officers.
Star Clipper and identical twin sister ship Star Flyer may have a 19th century outline but they provide all the comforts for a modern holiday.
There are 83 cosy cabins, most with portholes, all with real beds (no bunks or hammocks) and en suite bathrooms, not one but two swimming pools and a cabana for massages and a library with armchairs, a card table and fireplace with pretend logs in the shiny brass grate, giving the room a mid-20th century glow.
For meals it is free seating in the dining room with big tables to share, no dressing up required, and buffet lunches sometimes served in the open- sided Tropical Bar, where much later a good oldfashioned midnight feast is always set out for peckish owls.
i am up with the gulls every morning to join the pre-breakfast yoga sessions with Christel, a german instructor. our bodies get a whoosh of oxygen from deep breathing the sea air and the tilting of the ship gives our muscles an extra workout trying harder to balance while holding our poses.
gliding into Monaco, we attract admiring looks from walkers on the harbour wall. Star Clipper cuts a dash wherever we go.
Sailing towards Ajaccio, Corsica’s capital, after a frisky night on a rolling sea, i am one of the few on deck when a flurry of dolphins race alongside, leaping and diving through the spray like flying escorts. in the harbour we see passengers from neighbouring cruise ship Costa diadema having to queue to get back on board, while we can stroll back from a walking tour for lunch and off again to explore more without delay.
SLiM and nimble, Star Clipper can dock in tiny L’ile-Rousse on Corsica’s north-west coast, so i can walk a few minutes to spend time on the town’s sandy blond beach before a coach drive with glorious mountain and sea views to Pigna, a beautiful, pedestrianised village whose population dwindled before being given new life as an arts community.
For all the fun of exploring ashore, it’s the exhilaration of stepping out on the crow’s nest after a scary climb that makes this cruise so special — and knowing that a train will take me home again.