Sailing overnight from island to island, the ship anchors during the day in scenic coves and harbors where the main attraction is basking in the warm Caribbean sun, either on Royal Clipper's top deck or along the nearby shore. Indeed, a Caribbean sailing on Royal Clipper has more in common with a yachting trip than a traditional cruise. At two of the six destinations on the trip, there are no excursions at all. At many of the stops on this itinerary, the vessel offers just a handful of shore excursions. John's.Īs compared to cruises on mega-ships, a sailing on Royal Clipper is much more of a laid back affair. Located near historic Nelson's Dockyard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the latter is far from Antigua's more touristy main cruise hub in northerly St. Other stops include one of the beach-lined coves of Les Anses-d'Arlet, a fishing village along the southwest coast of Martinique that sometimes goes months without a ship visit, and the picture-perfect yachting haven of Falmouth Harbor along the south coast of Antigua. Tendering to shore on small launches, passengers wander the island's single, picturesque village or strike out down the trail to its hilltop fort, named after Napoleon. On this seven-night Caribbean voyage out of Barbados, Royal Clipper anchors off such off-the-beaten-path hideaways as Terre-de-Haut, a tiny French island with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants that's part of the Iles des Saintes archipelago. Just as notable: Royal Clipper's relatively small size as compared to modern mega-ships allows it to access destinations that often are off limits to bigger vessels. Still, the experience is about more than the novelty of traveling on a cruise vessel powered by the wind. They also can pop into the bridge to talk sailing with ship officers. Later in the cruise, Carlson and other passengers will have the chance to help hoist the sails. While it's modeled on an iconic sailing vessel of old, the Preussen, it was built just 17 years ago and features such modern comforts as cabins with marble-lined bathrooms, a spa and three deck-top pools.īy far the biggest of Star Clippers' three ships (the other two are nearly 80 feet shorter and carry just 170 passengers a piece), Royal Clipper offers a taste of what crossing the world's oceans was like before the arrival of propeller-driven vessels. But it's no relic of the grand age of sail. In a cruise industry increasingly dominated by floating mega-resorts that carry thousands of vacationers and are chock full of gee-whiz attractions, Royal Clipper is an anomaly - and a throwback to a bygone era.Ĭarrying just 227 passengers, it's a true clipper ship of the sort that famously sped across the world's oceans in the 1800s. "I'm just waiting for Johnny Depp to walk up." "It feels like I'm on a real pirate ship," says Furger, one of dozens of passengers out on deck to take in the spectacle as Royal Clipper sets off for nearby Guadeloupe. RELATED: Sailing to French Polynesia on a Windstar ship Lucia, made all the moreso by the blasting of the triumphant theme song from the movie 1492: Conquest of Paradise across the deck from loudspeakers. It's a dramatic beginning to the ship's departure from St. Moments later the giant rectangular mainsails begin to come down, and the massive Star Clippers ship - four decks high and 439 feet long - catches the wind. Soon the first of a dozen triangular staysails lining the middle of the vessel begins to unfurl. Like in a scene out of one of the Pirates movies, officers barks out orders as the crew pulls on thick ropes connected to massive sheets of sailcloth. is standing near the wheel of the world's largest full-rigged sailing ship, Royal Clipper, watching as more than a dozen deck hands scramble across its teak deck to set the sails. The 25-year-old alumni association staffer from Madison, Wis. Lucia - Jenna Furger is having a Pirates of the Caribbean moment. View Gallery: Photo tour: Sailing ship line Star Clippers' Royal Clipper
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