Star Clippers - What are they like?

This cruise line is rapidly becoming a bit of an obsession of mine. I really, really want to go on a cruise with Star Clippers!
The problem is my wife isn't a huge cruise fan, (she loves the holidays, she's just got a bit of a phobia of being out at sea). She's happy on the big cruise ships but something like Star Clippers puts her off a little. The thing is these ships really are amazing. I thought it might help others in the same sort of position as myself, either wondering whether to go or trying to convince others to go with them, if I posted a bit of info about them for you today.



First off then, what are they?
Star Clipper cruises have a fleet of three ships and the big selling point to them is that they're wind powered. They all have motors for emergencies or for when the wind drops but the sails are used 70% plus of the time. Obviously being wind powered this means that they are a lot smaller than other cruise ships, (could you imagine the Independence of the Seas with sails?), which means they can get into much smaller, more unusual ports than other cruise ships.

I'm useless at nautical/sailing terms but one of the really interesting things about these ships is that you are allowed to help sail them if you want.
Splicing the jib, hoisting the mainsail, climbing to the crows nest, (sorry, all the nautical terms I know come from Pirates of the Caribbean), you can do them all and more onboard, free of charge! You don't have to if you just want to chill out and relax, you can do everything you'd expect from a normal cruise ship as they all come with the full compliment of bars, restaurants and  pools etc

One of the great thing I like about them is that they have rigging, (I think that's the right term), over the side of the ship which you can lie on looking straight down to the sea where, quite often, you'll be able to see dolphins following the ship right below you!

I could talk on and on about them for ages but you know the old adage, "a picture tells a thousand words", so I've included some pictures for you about life onboard. You'll have to let me know if you're tempted......

Don't go away with the impression that just because they're sail ships they scimp on luxury onboard either. Quite the opposite is true!

Fancy helping out to steer the ship?

If you want any more info about them my colleague Faz wrote another post about them a few weeks ago which you can read by clicking here.

Happy Cruising