Tradition stands tall aboard the Star Flyer

A sailing cruise as it ought to be unfurls on this re-creation of a 19th century clipper ship.

By KEEN O'SULLIVAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 16, 2000

[Photo: Star Clippers] The Star Flyer has two pools on deck.

The black ball that has been strung up to the forward mast of the Star Flyer has fallen, signaling to all the ships in the harbor that we are no longer at anchor. Make way, we have right-of-way!

Volunteer sailors, playing tug o' war with the thick hemp rope, have slowly hoisted the various sails, one by one, until all the sheets are billowing like great white wings against the darkening Aegean sky.

The ship turns into the wind and our music-to-sail-by swells from the loud speakers: 1492 -- Cristobal Colon, Conquest of Paradise.

We follow the course of Jason's Argo and all the other ancient ships of the real and the mythic past, sailing beside barren hills that were long ago stripped of their forests in order to build their cities. We sail into a night filled with stars.

And I, who am not a sailor and do not particularly like boats of any kind, am shocked to discover tears in my eyes.

The Star Flyer and its fleet-mate, the Star Clipper, are the realization of owner Mikael Krafft's dream of re-creating the great four-masted clipper ships of the 19th century. Similarly, German Navy veteran Jurgen Muller Cyran dreamed of commanding a "tall ship."

But the Star Flyer is not a museum. It is a cruise ship and has most of the expected amenities, albeit on a modest scale:

This is a ship with polished brass, oiled teak and mahogany; it has an Edwardian library but no casino. There are no elevators, no hair salon -- pointless, anyway, on a ship powered by the wind -- but each marble bathroom has a hair dryer.

There's no call to wear evening gowns or tuxedos. Men never wear ties, and jackets only when it is cold.

There are no Las Vegas acts, no orchestra -- although dancing to records on the deck during rough seas does give a whole new meaning to "rock 'n' roll."

[Photo:Star Clipper] The Star Clipper, which cruises the Mediterranean, passes the forested hills of Portofino, Italy.

All of the evening entertainment takes place on the canopy-covered deck around the Tropical Bar. There are few benches and stools, so most people stand to watch the shows that are laid-back and casual, often with a folkloric theme.

A belly dancer comes aboard at Bodrum, luring volunteers from the audience to shimmy and shake whatever they can. A troupe of Turkish dancers in colorful costumes leaps and whirls.

The ship's 72-member crew includes Indonesians who dance with umbrellas and Filipinos who dance between long poles as they are knocked rhythmically together. The crew's chorus, wearing the ship's old-fashioned sailor suits, sing an American sea chanty in a stew of accents:

"O Sheen-a-doh, I luf yer dot-tir . . ."

Gamblers can bet on the traditional shipboard "horse race" and compete for prizes during the Geography Quiz -- name the world's highest mountain peak. Its smallest ocean?

There is a masseuse but no spa. We can climb the mast or help raise a sail for exercise.

There are two small, coldwater pools on the sun deck, with underwater portholes that cast shafts of shimmering turquoise into the piano bar. Occasionally, what looks like the dismembered leg of some Northern European will swim past the bar windows.

The ship's resident musician (and sometimes an inspired guest) performs at the white baby grand when he's not playing the electronic piano on deck during the afternoon "snack," an eclectic menu of tacos, raw vegetables, brownies and chocolate chip cookies.

Breakfast and lunch are elaborate buffets decorated with carved watermelons and butter sculptures. One day we have a rather strange luncheon barbecue on deck that includes ears of corn and hamburgers dyed red.

Dinner is formally served in the elegant dining room. There is no assigned seating, which gives the opportunity to eat with everyone on board, including Capt. Cyran if he asks to join us.

This cruise is the time to brush up on high school French, German or sign language, if necessary. These world travelers -- more young than old -- who seem to have gone everywhere, say they have been drawn to this clipper ship because of the romance of the sea under sail.

Although Krafft (who is aboard on our sailing) says that some of his captains resent having to dock at all because sailing is the important thing, we are in a picturesque area of rich archaeological interest. Each morning after the Star Flyer drops anchor, we gather on the upper deck for Captain's Story Time, to hear -- in English and in German -- about our new destination.

Most passengers take the ship's tours to the ruins at Ephesus, the sacred island of Delos, the Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Bodrum Castle atop ancient Halicarnassus, and to the Monastery of the Apocalypse at Patmos, where, it is said, St. John wrote the Book of Revelations and the monks preserved manuscripts by such "heathen" writers as Aristophanes and Aristotle.

At Samos and Serifas, swimmers take the motorized rubber raft to the beaches for water sports. Others board the ship's tender to explore villages of white houses with blue doors, red roofs and scarlet bougainvillaea climbing the walls.

Colors seem sharper, more vivid in these Greek islands. Cafes with blue tables are set under the pines at the water's edge, letting guests admire the painted fishing boats in the harbor.

The Turkish ports do a thriving business with cruise ships. Every tour ends with instructions about buying jewelry, silk scarves, leather goods, spices and, of course, rugs from the shopkeepers who swarm around us like bees. The only vendor who tempted me was the man who ran into the pack crying, "Genuine fake watches!"

After the sightseeing, shopping and water sports it is time to lie in the sun on deck, watching the shifting shadows from the masts, listening to the faint creak of ropes and the cry of gulls.

Read a book from the library. Watch the high-wire act of a sailor being hoisted up to change the light bulbs that are strung between the masts. He bobs through the air and down the wire like a human fly.

When the lights are lit at night, it feels as if we are inside a Christmas tree. At times Capt. Cyran turns them off so we can see the stars shining among the sails.

We have photographed the Star Flyer lying at anchor, but we cannot see its full glory under sail. As we begin our final voyage to Piraeus, the captain sends us out in the tender to watch as the sails go up. Not all of the 36,000 square feet of sail are used in the Cyclades, but the vessel looks like a beautiful mirage from the past.

-- Keen O'Sullivan is a freelance writer who lives in Tampa.

If you go

From May into October, the Star Flyer sails in the Greek Islands and along the Turkish coast, wintering off Thailand and Malaysia in the Andaman Sea.

The Star Clipper sails in the Mediterranean from late May through September, calling on Corsica, Sardinia and the French and Italian Rivieras. From November through April it visits the Caribbean.

Each ship has two weekly itineraries, back to back. Many passengers stay aboard for both. Ocean crossings and land packages are available.

Some defense against seasickness is recommended. A number of the passengers were using patches. I used wrist bands with pressure points that worked like a charm.

For more information: Contact Star Clippers, 4101 Salzedo St., Coral Gables, FL 33146; phone (305) 442-0550. The Web site is at http://star-clippers.com.

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