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Stellar Sailing Aboard The Star Flyer by Susan Campbell
“
So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." — Mark Twain
I’m not a morning person. But for some inexplicable reason, I found myself on the top deck of the Star Flyer before the crack of dawn my first day at sea. It was pitch black and windy, and I found myself hanging on tightly as I tried to steady myself to get in position in case the sunrise surprised me out of the blue. As dark dissipated, I noticed the silhouette of tall, bearded older
man frozen in position with a big serious camera- also poised to capture what might transpire. I could see he’d found the ideal spot, so I inched over to join him. He gave me a half-nod, and we silently leaned up against the rail waiting for the rays to break through the clouds. Then the ship suddenly lurched, and a large rogue wave tumbled over the deck and soaked us both to the skin. After the initial shock, we both laughed hysterically, and later we were joined by Tony, another early photo seeker. We quickly became pre-breakfast club pals of sunrise seekers for the rest of the trip. I truly enjoyed their company, and that’s the beauty of this type of small ship sailing, by
journey’s end, chances are very good, you’ll have met everyone on board. About the Ship This truly is a craft for sailors. Evoking a more romantic time of sea travel, with big billowing sails - it’s awe-inspiring the way it slices so silently through the water save the occasional whip crack of the sails or a slow groan of the timbers. Built in 1990 as a luxe cruise ship, Star Flyer is a four masted “barquentine” which means “a sailing ship of three or more masts rigged square on the foremast and fore-and-aft on the others”. And yes, I had to look that up. This