My Transatlantic Sailing
by Jeannine Williamson
You know you’re on a voyage with a difference when the captain makes his first noon day announcement and says: “Since leaving Bridgetown we have sailed 152 nautical miles. The distance to Ponta Delgada is 2,193 nautical miles.”
Of course, all sailings on Star Clippers’ magnificent masted ships are unlike any other cruise, but a transatlantic crossing really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Far removed from the traditional image of long-haul crossings on large liners carrying thousands of passengers, we swapped black tie, ball gowns and all-singing all-dancing entertainment for sensible deck shoes and a thrilling life on the ocean wave.
On Royal Clipper’s 16-day spring crossing from Barbados to Portugal we shared the vast ocean with handful of distant passing cargo vessels, shoals of silver flying fish, dolphins and the unforgettable sight of a whale and her calf. But mostly we were completely alone with just the sound of waves and the wind in the billowing sails, which added to the sense of adventure. There was never any time to be bored with a packed daily programme of social activities and insightful talks by the officers, punctuated by expansive meals (and no, the food didn’t run out) along with the eagerly anticipated al fresco cocktail hour.
Changing weather conditions are marked with flurry of activity as riggers hoist and lower sails by hand, while others shin up the masts to help from on high. We even had a go at raising the staystail ourselves during a fun seafaring ‘Olympic Games’ that also saw us play a rather unsteady game of darts.
Passengers share the space on deck with neatly coiled ropes, winches and other equipment, and while we took it easy crew members were busy swabbing the deck, polishing brass and keeping everything looking shipshape.
That said, there’s no ‘them and us’ atmosphere, and passengers are positively encouraged to talk to the captain and crew. A nice touch is the open bridge policy, where unless the ship is entering or leaving port - which of course only happened four times in our case - you can wander in and out at any time to chat with the officers.
Daytime pursuits are firmly skewed towards authentic seafaring experiences, such as the opportunity to follow in the time-honoured footsteps of tars - a name dating back to the 16th century when sailors used liberal amounts of tar to waterproof ships’ timbers and rigging - and scale the mast or learn how to tie knots.
When we arrived in Lisbon, after the one stop on the Azores, Royal Clipper was dwarfed by the gigantic cruise ship moored alongside. Many passengers came to take photos and ask where we’d come from - utterly amazed when we said we’d crossed the Atlantic.
It was a fitting end to an unforgettable and exhilarating journey, and one that would equally appeal to seasoned sailors or landlubbers hankering for the romance of running away to sea - if only for a while. I loved every minute.
