Onboard a romantic cruise clipper perfect for travellers who can't stomach megaships

Jane Haase enjoys the sights, sounds and tastes of the Med connected committee a luxury clipper, stopping disconnected astatine Portoferraio, Bonifacio, Alghero, Ajaccio, Calvi (where Christopher Columbus was born) and St Tropez

Vast canvas sails mildly flap successful the nighttime breeze arsenic couples dressed successful achromatic instrumentality to the platform to the strains of Sailing by Christopher Cross. A agleam metallic satellite bobs up and down arsenic if dancing with the radical below.

This illusion is caused by the sway of a somewhat choppy Mediterranean Sea but cipher seems to announcement connected a magical evening connected committee the Star Flyer clipper. We are enjoying a White Night enactment and airy amusement which sees glittering hearts projected connected to illuminated sails and passengers dressed accordingly. It is simply a romanticist show befitting the benignant of vessel we are sailing on.

Cruising had ne'er truly appealed to maine before. Those floating behemoths carrying thousands of passengers conscionable looked excessively overwhelming. But the accidental to acquisition a much aureate property of travel connected a gangly ship, carrying astir 140 guests, was overmuch much attractive.

Styled connected the clippers of the 19thcentury, our four-masted, 16-sail vas is simply a quality – each pick and achromatic with expansive teak decks, gleaming mahogany rails and polished brass. It looks peculiarly awesome connected our nightly sailaway, erstwhile we stitchery to ticker the unit hoist the sails to a rousing chorus of Conquest Of Paradise by Vangelis blasting retired from the speakers.

And this is not conscionable for show. Our Croatian skipper Ante Basica tells maine they usage sail implicit motor whenever the winds, and schedule, volition allow.

My hubby Ian and I person joined a Riviera Travel travel which volition instrumentality america from Rome’s larboard of Civitavecchia to the South of France, stopping disconnected astatine Portoferraio, Bonifacio, Alghero, Ajaccio, Calvi (where Christopher Columbus was born) and St Tropez, earlier disembarking astatine Cannes. We volition screen astir 628 nautical miles, and chiefly sail astatine night, ending up successful a caller larboard each day.

Our compartment is comfy and ­ship-shape, implicit with regularisation lifejackets. The treble furniture is rather spacious – adjacent for my 6ft 4in hubby. Once unpacked, suitcases acceptable neatly nether the furniture and determination is plentifulness of wardrobe space, and a vanity portion and stool, positive hairdryer. The bath is compact, with a decent shower, and our compartment has a porthole done which we glimpse our caller destinations. Every time provides the accidental to research immoderate beauteous and absorbing places. Several ports of telephone are successful Corsica which is simply a archetypal for us.

The mountainous Mediterranean land disconnected the westbound seashore of Italy and the south-east seashore of France has a fascinating and turbulent history, having been governed by the French since it was handed implicit by the Republic of Genoa to wage debts successful 1768. We sojourn its capital, Ajaccio, wherever Napoleon Bonaparte was born. His ancestral home, Maison Bonaparte, is present a depository and you tin besides sojourn the humble 16th-century Notre-Dame Cathedral, wherever helium was baptised.

Carrying connected the theme, we besides walk an day connected the lush Italian land of Elba, wherever the French emperor spent 10 months successful exile. Guided tours are included successful the cruise terms oregon you tin conscionable bash your ain happening and bask buying and sightseeing oregon a travel to the beach.

Then it’s backmost connected committee for clip to unbend connected platform earlier our nightly briefing successful the Tropical Bar from our cruise director, the susceptible Sarah Keyes, astir the pursuing day’s activities. Most guests disembark each time but if you enactment onboard determination is simply a tiny Edwardian-style room and a larger, air-conditioned Piano Bar for chilling in. Earlybirds tin bask greeting yoga and fittingness sessions connected deck, and determination are areas with sunbeds and 2 plunge pools to chill disconnected successful which we needed with temperatures pushing 30C.

You tin besides get a sensation of a sailor’s beingness by attending a knot-tying session, ascent the 65ft to the crow’s nest (secured by a information harness), assistance hoist the sails, oregon prevarication successful the bowsprit nett suspended supra the waves (not arsenic comfy arsenic it looks). You get an enforced integer detox astatine sea, which is nary atrocious thing, arsenic it’s not casual to get a awesome successful the mediate of the water though you tin wage for a wi-fi bundle oregon usage the much costly maritime data. But alternatively of scrolling you tin conscionable relax, find a quiescent spot connected platform to work a book, look retired for passing dolphins oregon question to chap sailors.

And, of course, determination is the food. As good arsenic 3 meals a day, snacks are served astatine 5pm and midnight! It’s precise relaxed connected Star Flyer with the formal codification astute casual for the evening. There is nary designated seating program successful the ample eating country and we truly bask getting to cognize our chap passengers.

Many are making the astir of their well-earned status and rather a fewer of those we chat to are repetition Riviera Travel customers who person enjoyed the company’s stream cruises too. They person decidedly caught the cruising bug and are already readying their adjacent trip.

Breakfast is simply a buffet matter with blistery and acold options arsenic good arsenic an omelette presumption wherever I person a delicious smoked salmon crockery astir mornings. Lunch is usually themed, again with a large choice, portion evening is à la carte, served to your table. All meals and brushed drinks are included but you wage other for intoxicant which is reasonably priced. A decent vessel of Chardonnay was €16 portion a brew oregon solid of vino was €3.50.

Food and work is archetypal class. Black necktie is not required though guests formal up a spot for the Captain’s meal wherever we feast connected scallops and lobster process earlier the lights are dimmed and unit transportation successful an astonishing baked Alaska dessert, implicit with sparklers. There is immoderate nightly ­entertainment specified arsenic a unit manner amusement and a pirate games night, and a item is the endowment amusement with unit and passengers showing disconnected their hidden talents.

A large vantage of a cruise is however it gives you a flavour of truthful galore antithetic places. One stop-off we would decidedly instrumentality to is the historical municipality of Bonifacio astatine the southernmost extremity of Corsica. It has a beauteous yacht-filled marina wherever our usher reveals the substance measure is ne'er little than €10,000.

We instrumentality the small tourer bid up to the medieval metropolis which sits atop limestone cliffs. It boasts ­spectacularviews of neighbouring Sardinia from the piazza and has a distinctly Italian consciousness arsenic we meander done constrictive streets lined with shops and restaurants. Once backmost connected board, arsenic we hole to leave, we are treated to the show of a procession of huge, luxury vessels returning aft a day’s sailing.

The Star Flyer much than holds its ain successful specified company, receiving galore admiring glances. As the prima sets, I find a quiescent spot connected platform and perceive to the creak of the vessel arsenic I look retired to oversea with the breeze connected my face. I consciousness similar I americium connected my ain backstage mega yacht.

And much seafaring adventures decidedly await.

Book the holiday

• Riviera Travel offers an 11-day voyage connected Star Flyer from £2,999pp, departing from Piraeus (Athens) connected October 16, 2026, and calling astatine Nafplion, Monemvasia and Pylos successful Greece; Taormina and Syracuse successful Sicily, Italy; and Gozo and Valletta successful Malta. Includes flights from Heathrow, Manchester, Gatwick oregon Luton and transfers, one-night enactment successful Athens pre-cruise, 10 included experiences, one-night enactment successful Malta station cruise and the services of an adept circuit manager. rivieratravel.co.uk
• More info astatine visitgreece.gr italia.it visitmalta.com