Come Sail Away: A Seafaring Adventure Aboard Star Clippers

EDGE's must-go recommendations for 2019 include four cruise and sailing companies that each offer a unique opportunity to experience travel from the water. Our editorial staff and contributing writers take a deeper dive into each company, and we encourage you to set sail in the coming year!

The romance of cruising reaches lofty new heights aboard a modern clipper ship. From the moment the sails and jibs fill with wind, sending the vessel gliding across the sea, serenity emerges.

Such tranquility is among many delights of the "unique sailing adventures" offered by Star Clippers. Its award-winning sailing excursions put wind power to as much use as possible, making them more eco-friendly than other cruises. The fleet is outfitted in luxury, from yacht-like cabins and fine dining, to fun onboard events and impeccable service. The allure of cruising comes in many forms, but sailing aboard Star Clippers feels closer to an authentic voyage.

A Personal Voyage

I traveled aboard the Star Flyer in Greece's Northern Cyclades Islands, one of many Eastern-Mediterranean summer cruises that begins and ends in Athens. Over the course of a week, we explored five ports, including one in Kusadasi, Turkey, primarily to visit the ancient Greek civilization of Ephesus.

Because of its relatively small size, traveling on the Star Flyer enabled us to access several smaller ports (accessed mostly with a tender, a smaller boat that transfers from ship to shore). We toured the historic island of Patmos, tiny Amorgos, and the small town of Monemvasia on the Peloponnese.

Each island was unique and peaceful, and all were different than the posh "party island" of Mykonos, which in some ways felt as queer as Fire Island, with its ubiquitous LGBTQ bars and rainbow flags.

While I fell in love with the Greek Isles, I also found myself infatuated with the sailing experience. I would gladly join Star Clippers' other voyages, especially ones that find harbor in LGBTQ-friendly European locales like Mallorca, Ibiza, Cannes; Southeast Asian ports like Phuket and Bali; and Caribbean islands like Martinique, Antigua, and St. Maarten.

Traveling with Star Clippers

The company launched its small, luxury fleet in 1989. In the process of founding Star Clippers, Swedish-born sailing enthusiast Michael Krafft realized his dream of bringing tall-ship travel to the modern world. The line's three vessels include the sister ships Star Flyer and Star Clipper, each with capacity for 170 passengers (the crew numbers separately). The third is the Royal Clipper, the world's largest full-rigged sailing ship, with 42 sails and accommodations for 227 passengers.

Star Clippers sees a pleasant mix of guests from around the world, including many from North America, Western Europe, and Australia. The line has a high return rate for passengers who fall for the enchantment of sailing combined with rich onboard and shore experiences that can lead to lifelong friendships, due in large part to sociable shipmates.

"Star Clippers cruises are filled with a genuinely diverse and social group of passengers, a fact we take great pride in," says Terri Haas, Vice President of Sales, Star Clippers America. "While most cruise lines appeal to a narrow core market, Star Clippers is a notable exception. Our sailings attract a diverse crowd, from 30-somethings to multigenerational families, to LGBT couples and honeymooners from all walks of life. We love that everyone feels at home on board a Star Clippers ship."

Cruising into 2019

Star Clippers offers an enticing selection of itineraries, with discounts available for early bookings. They include the Eastern and Western Mediterranean; Southeast Asia; the Caribbean and Panama Canal; two-week-long "grand cruises"; and even longer ocean crossings each spring and fall.

In spring 2019, the company will make a big splash by launching the Flying Clipper. With capacity for 300 passengers and a length of more than 530 feet, the new vessel will replace the Royal Clipper's world record as the largest full-rigged sailing vessel.

Also starting in 2019, Star Clippers is offering four Eastern Mediterranean "Mamma Mia"-themed voyages that will dock in several of the films' island locations in the Greek Isles.