DEL.ICIO.USSPECIAL CRUISE SECTION
Ready. Set. Sail.For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/10/05
When it comes to sailing, maybe you fancy yourself a swashbuckler like Johnny Depp or a sybarite à la the film "Swept Away." Whichever, there's a fleet for you.
Sailing-ship vacation styles can range from yo ho ho and a bottle of rum to pampered extravaganzas. They all have something in common: A personal experience with the elements and relatively loose itineraries that allow ships to tuck into quiet coves and remote islands. Take the wheel, hoist the sails or chat about halyards and jibs to your heart's content — or not.
 Sea Cloud Cruises | |||
| The 64-passenger Sea Cloud, a boutique ship, features lecturers associated with organizations like the Smithsonian Institution or Metropolitan Museum of Art. | |||
 Windjammer Barefoot Cruises | |||
| The Yankee Clipper sails year-round to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Windjammer Barefoot line is so casual that you can pack just T-shirts, shorts and a bathing suit or two. | |||
 Fred LeBlanc | |||
| The Heritage is one of 14 schooners in the Maine Windjammer fleet. | |||
 Windstar Cruises | |||
| All cabins in the three-vessel Windstar fleet have an LCD flat-screen TV and DVD and CD players. | |||
 Star Clippers Cruises | |||
| The Star Clipper line includes the 227-passenger Royal Clipper (foreground), among the world's biggest sailing ships, and the 172-passenger Star Clipper (background). On the Royal Clipper, you can climb to the crow's nest — safety harness included. | |||
 Brian Falconer | |||
| Dolphins keep pace with the nine-passenger Maple Leaf, a former halibut schooner built in 1904. | |||
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MOST POPULARThese ships have no shopping promenades or tuxes; they're mostly casual experiences that deliver terrific camaraderie. None of the vessels is large. (The biggest carries 308 passengers.) Some are historic, and all are glorious reminders of days gone by.
You'll either love to sail or you won't — there's no in-between. Bring lots of books and the right attitude. And if you're prone to seasickness, don't read any further.
Here, with the help of a few friends, acquaintances and experts, is a roundup.
Classic Cruises of Newport
This line sails the three-masted, 40-passenger Arabella, a schooner that once belonged to actress Kelly McGillis. It offers five-night jaunts in southern New England in summer and on the Chesapeake Bay in spring, and six-night Virgin Islands sailings in winter and early spring. Fares range from $999 for the New England and Chesapeake cruises to $2,095 for Virgin Islands sailings.
This low-key line offers soft adventure with a capital "S." Snooze or learn the ABC's of sailing. The immaculate Arabella sports graceful lines, though a slightly spartan interior. Cabins (averaging 100 square feet) have air conditioning, televisions and telephones. While a handful of bunk-style beds can be found, most cabins have a comfy double or queen.
The ship scores extra points for the hot tub on deck, and turndown service with pillow chocolates. All dinners during the cruise are at cafes and restaurants onshore and are included in the cost of the cruise. You'll enjoy buffet breakfasts and lunches onboard that offer lots of seafood. Major treats include an island clambake in New England, and a crab feast in Maryland.
There's no entertainment to speak of, but the well-versed crew handily fills the gap with informal and informative chats about astronomy and wildlife. Kids, however, might like more to do. Personal best: On British Virgin Islands itineraries, the Arabella sojourns at the amenity-filled Bitter End resort.
Information: 1-800-395-1343; http://www.cruisearabella.com.
Maine Windjammer Association
Fourteen former commercial schooners that once hauled everything from Christmas trees to coal now carry from six to 40 passengers. Half this fleet flaunts National Historic Landmark designation.
These ships all sail in and out of Penobscot Bay to ports and harbors along coastal Maine's web of more than 3,000 islands. For landlubbers shy of sailing: The sheltered waters considerably reduce the seasickness factor. Fares range from $395 for a weekend jaunt in the Pine Tree State to $915 for six-day cruises.
This funky fleet — each ship is individually owned — gets high marks for offering affordable sailings. With practically no two ships alike, accommodations range from comfy and cozy to cramped. So what if there are shared showers down the hall? This definitely advances the cause of conservation. Two people in a double room, though, need to coordinate comings and goings just to avoid "cabin jam."
As for the true Down East home cooking onboard: Be glad there's no scale on these vessels. The galley on the American Eagle, for instance, gets three stars for its big wood-burning stove that turns out sticky buns, scones and 2-inch-thick fruit pies. The elixir of choice: beer.
Without TV and radio, passengers and crew interact and become an extended family. Good thing, too, since there's not much on these ships in the privacy department. Sailings appeal to eco-tourists and shutterbugs. You can try your hand at sailing the ship or learning the ropes, or just relax.
Information: 1-800-807-9463; http://www.sailmainecoast.com.
Maple Leaf Adventures
This company operates the sardine of the sailing world. The Maple Leaf, a former halibut schooner built in 1904, carries only nine passengers. If the two-masted vessel looks a bit vintage, vacationers don't seem to care. It has been completely restored and is beautifully maintained.
Pack light and bring your enthusiasm for a true adventure on five- to 12-day explorations along the Pacific Northwest Coast around Alaska and British Columbia, including remote places like the Great Bear Rainforest and Queen Charlotte Islands. Fares range from about $1,400 to $3,400.
This ship is so no-frills that you probably wouldn't notice an electrical failure onboard. But there's enough voltage on these vacations to induce loyal passengers to call them "transformational."
Think camping on the water. The ship's main public cabin by day gets divided at night by curtains into four rooms. And if sharing bunk space with a total stranger (at least at the outset) puts you off, remember, you're all in the same boat. Since there's no storage space to speak of, you're also bunking with your baggage. The line advises bringing two medium soft-sided bags and two small sail bags per person.
As for food, it's prepared by a gourmet chef and couldn't be fresher. Sit-down dinners feature garden produce and seafood caught by commercial fishermen. Meals are served family-style — wine included. Desserts definitely are worth every calorie. We'll take two of those chocolate soufflés, please!
And who needs onboard entertainment when you have humpback whales and dolphins romping right under the bowsprit and black-and-orange puffins to watch? Naturalists provide the narrative, nature provides the show. You even can learn to sail.
Information: 1-888-599-5323; http://www.mapleleafadventures.com.
Sea Cloud Cruises
Two of this line's four vessels are elegant sailing ships. The 64-passenger Sea Cloud was originally the property of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, a gift from hubby E.F. Hutton. Its sibling, the newer 94-passenger Sea Cloud II, boasts an impressive 29,000 square feet of sail.
These stylish boutique ships follow the sun, traveling the globe and making stops in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Fares range from $4,960 for seven nights in the Caribbean to $16,515 for 14 days in the Aegean.
These are the Ritz-Carlton of sailing ships. Why not go for the gold in either of these ships' owners' suites? You'll get up to 422 square feet of space, a Carrara marble working fireplace, gold-plated swan's-neck fixtures and Louis Philippe chairs.
Mealtimes hark back to the days when juice was freshly squeezed, oysters were Rockefeller and cocktails poured foaming out of a silver shaker. Beer and wine are included with lunch and dinner.
Gold-star lecturers associated with organizations like the Smithsonian Institution or Metropolitan Museum of Art are often onboard, although not every sailing delivers the doctorate of enrichment programs; it depends on which tour operator charters the vessel. Best bet: If you're banking on the cream of the crop, book with companies such as Abercrombie & Kent, Arrangements Abroad or Kalos Golf. The chic brand of entertainment focuses mainly on the destinations — along with history, art and other cultural inclinations.
Information: 1-888-732-2568; http://www.seacloud.com.
Star Clippers Cruises
This line's trio of vessels has to rank as three of the world's most photogenic megayachts — the twin, four-masted, 172-passenger Star Clipper and Star Flyer, plus the five-masted, 227-passenger Royal Clipper, among the world's biggest, fastest sailing ships.
They visit smaller, exotic ports from Thailand to the Tyrrhenian Sea, and seafarers who've taken the trans-Atlantic sailings say they're divine. Fares range from $1,345 for seven-night Caribbean cruises to a 35-night Phuket, Thailand, to Athens, Greece, journey (in the owner's suite) for $10,775.
Mariners love this fleet of early sailing-ship replicas. Purists might prefer the line's smaller vessels, although the five-masted Royal Clipper is so gorgeous under sail, we felt we were flying on Pegasus. You'll find compact and comfy cabins fleetwide; the bathrooms in suites on the Royal Clipper are glitzy. And we positively swooned for the below-the-waterline spa with its glass portholes for an incredible undersea view.
These ships get high points for lavish buffets and sit-down dinners. There's plenty of sushi and fresh fish, too. As for entertainment, it'd be better if they didn't try. The ship's parrot was funnier. But we enjoyed Royal Clipper's well-stocked library (replete with its belle époque fireplace). And who could quibble with the chance to actually climb to the crow's nest?
Information: 1-800-442-0551; http://www.starclippers.com.
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises
Sometimes called the Kmart of the Caribbean, this fleet carries a surprisingly impressive pedigree — vessels once owned by the likes of Aristotle Onassis and other luminaries. The four ships carry 64 to 128 passengers and deliver some bells and whistles (like wide stairways on the Legacy), but amenities generally are minimal. Then again, so is the price. Legacy's four-day sailings start as low as $345, but range up to $2,975 for a 13-day jaunt in the owner's suite on the Amazing Grace. The Caribbean is this fleet's corner of the world, and the ships, which tuck into the tiniest coves, call at more than 60 ports in the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, West Indies, Belize and the Bay Islands.
This line is so casual you can pack for a week's cruise in a manila envelope — just T-shirts, shorts and a bathing suit or two . . . and, OK, a toga for partying. To say some of these ships are spartan would be a compliment. There really aren't any royal suites. Depending on the ship you choose, cabins — some smaller than a walk-in closet — have bunk beds with itsy-bitsy bathrooms.
In the food department, huge, buffet-style barbecue picnics are set up at a different island each day. Two entree choices are a nice touch at family-style dinners onboard. To underscore the über-casual atmosphere, doubloons double as dollars when buying bar drinks onboard.
Aimed at the party-hearty crowd — from ages 7 to 70 — you even get Bloody Marys at breakfast. Shiver-me-timbers-type fun includes crab races and everything short of walking the plank. Some ships offer a PADI dive program. The line schedules singles cruises, and it recently added specialty sailings that include renowned chefs and wine experts. Its ships are sometimes chartered for nudist and gay cruises offered by independent tour operators. Note: The Legacy is the only ship in this fleet with the Coast Guard seal of approval, which means it can cruise from Miami and St. Thomas. The rest of this historic tall-ship fleet has home ports in the Caribbean.
Information: 1-800-327-2601; http://www.windjammer.com.
Windstar Cruises
More like cruise ships with sails, this three-vessel fleet includes the 308-passenger Wind Surf with five 20-story-high masts and the twin 148-passenger Wind Star and Wind Spirit. All sail at night and linger at destinations by day.
Windstar offers an atlas-size roster of ports of call — some 144 of them in nearly 50 nations throughout Europe and the Americas, including Costa Rica and the Mayan Riviera. Or slip into such divine Caribbean watering holes as Bequia and St. Barts. Fares range from $1,095 for a 14-day trans-Atlantic trip to $4,421 for a two-week Panama Canal journey from Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica, to Barbados.
These are not-so-fancy cruises for the champagne-and-caviar crowd. Translation: down-to-earth sailing for people who can well afford a fancier experience. The experience falls somewhere between barefoot and upscale. But the ships' service is so attentive, you'll be spoiled rotten.
While this fleet has been recently renovated, expect relatively simple digs (think Marriott, not Four Seasons) and incredible cuisine. All cabins have amenities such as LCD flat-screen TVs, and DVD and CD players. And surely these must be among the few vessels afloat that stock X-rated films in the video library. The ships get an A+ for the swimming pools.
Feast on some of the finest food at sea, an operation overseen by Joachim Splichal, renowned Los Angeles chef/restaurateur, who received Bon Appétit magazine's coveted restaurateur of the year award in 2002. Dining can be comparable to the best luxury hotels ashore.
On most itineraries, especially in Europe and the Mediterranean, the destination is the entertainment. And, wow, a small casino — a rarity on sailing ships. Coming soon: first-run movies screened in the lounge. If there's a downside, it's those darn computerized sails — gorgeous, but mostly for show and the reason some folks dub these vessels wannabes. Information:
1-800-258-7245; http://www.windstarcruises.com.
