Jibe talkin’
Lucy Helliker
Years ago I promised myself that if ever I won the Lottery, the first thing I would splash out on would be a spot of island-hopping around the Caribbean, on board a yacht. A decade later, though I am still waiting to scoop more than a tenner, I’ve managed to go on my dream holiday, courtesy of a man called Mikael Krafft. In the early nineties, Krafft launched two identical tall ships, the four-masted Star Flyer and the Star Clipper, as a way of offering the delights of megayacht cruising to a wider and less affluent audience. I sailed on the Star Clipper, which is a little more hands-on-deck than my fantasy cruise, but I loved every minute of it.
The Star Clipper was in St Maarten, the Caribbean’s duty-free mecca, when I first met her. She’s a beautiful, old-fashioned ship, 360ft long, with a sail area of 36,000 sq ft. There clearly wasn’t the space for a beauty parlour, hair salon or gym — even so, it was difficult not to feel excited. First off, we had a welcoming speech from Captain Sergei who encouraged everyone to learn and practise sailing skills. The climax of our voyage was to be a race against other tall ships in Antigua’s Regatta, so a little technical knowledge was essential. Nautical anecdotes were soon being shared (I made mine up); one or two tales were even interesting.
For the next few days I sunbathed beside the plunge pool on the main deck and listened to the waves, and the wind catching in the canvas above me, or visited the islands. The Star Clipper is smaller than the normal ‘floating hotels’ which cruise this region, and so we could visit some of the less well-known Caribbean islands. Our first stop, on Ile-des-Saintes, off Guadeloupe, part of the French West Indies, was a little disappointing. There were friendly locals selling fruit and the perfectly attired crocodile of school children singing in unison, but I wish I’d taken advantage of the equipment and instruction provided by the ship’s sports team, and gone scuba diving and snorkelling instead.
But Dominica, aka the Nature Island, was a dream. I’ve never seen such a lush landscape as on the trek up to Trafalgar Falls (part jeep, part feet) and I’ve never felt so knackered as when I reached the waterfall and bubbling lake beside it. Afterwards, I relaxed by gliding through dark tunnels of rainforest along the Layrou River, rowed by a man who claimed to be Bob Marley’s twin brother. We went to his cousin’s bar, about a mile inside the jungle, which was so laid back that I didn’t mind parting with lots of my money in exchange for a baseball cap and T-shirt.
My favourite island of all was St Barts. I’d been before and Gustavia (the capitol) and its boutiques were just as expensive and crime-free as I remembered, and the Hotel Ile de France even more splendid. The atmosphere of the island is a perfect balance of French chic and Caribbean casual and has been a hideaway for the famous and the flush for years. I was loath to leave and could have spent far longer pottering around the shops of St Jean and peering into the gin palaces in Gustavia’s marina. But if someone like me has caught the St Barts bug, then it is my gloomy prediction that by the time I return the chavs will have landed.
Activity in Antigua Regatta Week centred around English Harbour, an architectural delight where Nelson set up shop in 1785. As a member of the Star Clipper’s race crew I was able to feel some of the excitement that fizzed among the competitors. This was a great time to visit Antigua and to see why it claims to be the epicentre of the Caribbean yachting world. While all eyes were out to sea, I headed west along the coast to lunch at the highly acclaimed Carlisle Bay Hotel. I have never seen a more beautiful setting, but I felt distinctly non-U among the Wall Streeters, their wives and children. Next time, I’ll wear linen and be thinner.
It was a relief to return to the Star Clipper’s informality. Our race the following day, though not the nail-biting aquatic sprint I had hoped for, was fantastic for the sound and sight of all hands on deck, accompanied by Pedro on the accordion. Only once did disaster look likely, when Barbara spotted blue whales portside and, to a man, we dropped our ropes and rushed to see them, but our lapse was salvageable and we sailed to victory.
As I disembarked in St Maarten, I was sad to say goodbye to many of my fellow passengers. For an able-bodied single traveller, this type of holiday — particularly in the week of Antigua Regatta has got to be the ideal adventure. The size of the ship allows one both privacy and camaraderie. Forget taking young children with you — a liability and a waste of your money — but anyone over 12 would be in heaven. The food, by the way, is on a par with other ships, breakfast being especially good. And if you think in terms of a ‘voyage’ rather than a ‘cruise’ and discard any expectation of on-call pampering, you’ll be thrilled with the Star Clipper and return looking and feeling marvellously healthy.
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