Writer Heidi Sarna sailed on the Star Flyer roundtrip from
Phuket, Thailand. Her report follows:
ABOARD THE STAR FLYER -- With the sails and rigging of a classic
sailing ship and the creature comforts of a modern cruise ship,
Star Clippers' 170-passenger Star Flyer offers the best of two
worlds.
On the one hand, it espouses an unstructured, let-your-hair-down,
hands-on ethic: Passengers can climb the masts and pull in the
sails if they want. On the other, the ship offers comfortable,
almost cushy public rooms -- an elegant wood-paneled library, a
piano lounge with soft banquettes and a cozy, nautical-themed
restaurant -- and cabins with such modern comforts as telephones
and televisions.
On the seven-night south-bound itinerary from Phuket in
December, I felt I was exploring a remote stretch of the world on a
ship that belonged there -- an exotic ship for an exotic
locale.
As the Star Flyer moved through the hauntingly remote waters of
Thailand's Ao Phang Nga and Ko Tarutao island groups, it did not
take much to feel a palpable sense of adventure. On board, there
were constant reminders of being on a working sailing ship.
I found myself ducking under booms, stepping over coils of rope,
leaning against railings just feet above the sea, watching
musclebound sailors in blue and white work the winches and climb
the masts and the captain and his mates navigate from the open-air
bridge.
The Star Flyer is a different kind of cruise experience. Its
long hull, needle-sharp bowsprit, four towering masts and 36,000
square feet of sails recall a romantic, swashbuckling era of ship
travel.
In fact, when company owner Mikael Krafft built the ship and its
identical sister, the Star Clipper, in the early 1990s, he sought
to re-create the classic clipper ship of the 19th century. The
result is an updated version thereof.
The Star Flyer has a diesel engine, an antirolling system, a bow
thruster, Dacron sails and electronic winches and, in truth, relies
on its sails for only about 20% of its power, according to Captain
Jurgen Muller. (The sails are used a bit more frequently by the
Star Clipper in the Caribbean.)
Nearly three-quarters of the 134 passengers aboard this cruise
were European, mostly from Germany, England, France and
Switzerland. A spokesman for the line said this percentage is a
little higher than usual, but the itinerary does draw more
Europeans than Americans.
There were a handful of couples in their 20s, but the majority
of passengers were well-traveled couples in their late 40s to
60s.
For the most part, on-board activity on the Star Flyer involves
socializing among passengers and with the crew. The officers and
certain crew members dine with passengers.
There was a brief engine room tour one day and a scuba lesson in
the pool another. Massages are available in a spare cabin or in a
small cabana on the deck. It was a great deal at $28 an hour, so
good, I signed up for two. At least once a day, the cruise director
spoke about the upcoming ports and shipboard events, and the
captain delivered informal talks.
Nightly home-style entertainment took place on deck, sheltered
by a sail-like tarp, near the Tropical Bar, the main hub of
activity before and after dinner. One night, there was a very
entertaining crew talent show. Another night featured a trivia
contest and a Thai dance show put on by local performers.
A keyboard player sang corny pop songs before and after dinner,
music that did not quite seem to fit in with the exotic ambience.
The jazz tunes played nightly by a pianist in the Piano Bar were
more appropriate.
Food on the Star Flyer was good, but not great. Meals were well
presented, with breakfast and lunch buffets being the best of them.
Buffets included a better-than-average selection of cheeses,
several types of salad, cold cuts and fish. Dinner, which was
sometimes sit-down and sometimes buffet, could be somewhat chaotic
and rushed. All meals have open seating and are served in the
restaurant at tables of four, six and eight. The dress code is
always casual. Waiters and bartenders were efficient and
friendly,and dressed in costume for the week's Thai and Indian
theme meals.
The ship's cabins are roomy for a vessel of this size. They are
decorated in a pleasant nautical motif and have ample storage space
for a one-week casual cruise.
The majority of cabins have two twin beds that can be pushed
together, a small desk and vanity and an upholstered seat fitted
into a corner. Each cabin (except the four inside ones) has a color
television showing a selection of popular movies as well as a news
service. In each cabin, there is a hair dryer (with barely enough
horsepower to dry your eyebrows) and a safe.
Bathrooms are small but functional, with marble walls, a nice
mirrored storage cabinet and a narrow shower.
The only real difference between the cabins in categories two
and three is about a square foot of space. The eight deluxe cabins,
which open onto the main deck, have minibars and whirlpool baths.
Because of their location near the Tropical Bar, noise can be a
problem.