Senior Travel: Mediterranean cruise on a four-masted schooner

I like cruising, and the older I get the more I enjoy it.

On a cruise, there is nothing that one MUST do. The dining is usually fine; the food on a cruise more than plentiful. There is fresh air to enjoy if you take advantage of being at sea and spend time on the deck. Cabin sleeping may not be elegant, but it is cozy and usually comfortable — except in rough weather. It is wise, of course, in selecting a cruise to look for one on seas that are likely to be relatively calm or to book passage on a river cruise.

I prefer small cruise ships. Large ships may have elevators, Broadway entertainment, gambling, a doctor and shopping opportunities, but I go to sea to be away from it all, not to share space with thousands of others.

The best cruises I have taken have been with no more than 200 passengers. Once, I sailed through the islands of Scotland on the Hebridean Princess with 50 fellow travelers. On a 200-passenger Viking Cruise on the Danube River, I passed through Hungary and Romania. I sailed up the coast of Alaska one summer on a cruise operated by what is now the Un-cruise Adventure Line. That time, there were fewer than 100 aboard and, being small, we sailed close enough to shore to watch a bear catching fish.

All these were memorable experiences, ideally suited for senior travelers. But I have just been sailing the Mediterranean on a four-masted schooner with 147 devotees of wind and sail, and that trip — for an agile senior — was the best of the lot.

Before I left, friends scoffed and said that the sails would never be set. To the contrary, we moved under sail frequently and what could be better than lounging on deck with sails set and the blue-green sea frothing.

Deluxe cabins were spacious with two beds or a double and with a porthole or full ocean views. There were also smaller cabins with double-decker bunks. Though the price for the bunk-bed cabins is right, they are not advisable for senior citizens. Clambering up to the top bunk on a ladder is not a safe option and luggage storage space is tight for two. The cost of the six-day, seven-night cruise ranged from $2,295 to $5,995 per person.

The vessel on which I sailed was the barquentine Star Flyer, sailing from Lisbon, Portugal, to Malaga, Spain, with stops in Portimao in Portugal; Cadiz, Spain; Casablanca and Tangier, Morocco, and in Gibraltar.

If we chose, there were land excursions. There were bus trips from Cadiz to Seville; from Tangier to Tetuan and to the World War II fortification on Gibraltar. But many passengers who were on board for the simple pleasures of feeling the wind and the sun, watching the scudding clouds and listening to the sounds of the sea, elected simply to sun on deck, splash in one of two mini-pools, enjoy a buffet lunch in the spacious dining room and take afternoon tea on deck.

The land excursions, which were often expensive, tended to be rushed. Passengers spent too much time on the road and too little sightseeing. And, of course, they had to clamber on and off tour buses. Good alternatives, in addition to spending the day aboard ship, were hiring a local guide or exploring on one’s own.

Star Flyer entertainment was homespun — no nightclub comedians nor big bands. There were photography shows and dance demonstrations and a “fashion show” enlisting the aid of crew members.

In the same way that there were no gala shipboard events; there was no captain’s cocktail party nor dining at the captain’s table. Dinner dress could be casual. There was no gambling; no late-night partying — simply starlit, moonlit nights on deck. Although there was no doctor on board, there was a nurse who could deal with minor afflictions, and we were in ports where doctors were available for emergencies each day but one.

On that one full day at sea, the captain, Bremen-born Klaus Muller, who had captained cargo vessels and liners before joining Star Clippers 22 years ago, talked on deck of navigation and of the need to protect the sea. Several times, just as the sun turned the sky crimson, the captain played the bagpipes on deck, an art he had learned when his home base was Scotland.

There was one night when the sea was rough. Otherwise, it was smooth, restful sailing. There was fine fare — an early-bird breakfast in the ship’s bar, a large full buffet breakfast in the dining room. At lunchtime, both hot and cold dishes were served buffet-style in the dining room. In mid-afternoon, there was tea, and in the evening, waiters served the dinners. A midnight snack was available in the piano bar for stalwarts.

Sports-minded travelers could climb the masts that were as tall as a 20-story building (but few septuagenarians did), do water exercises in the pools or wake-up stretching exercises. There was no spa, but massage was available. There was a small gift and necessities shop. The Star Flyer, however, was not about buying or betting or dressing up. It was about being at sea and watching the waves, feeling the wind in the ship’s 16 sails, and meeting new friends.

Two small tour groups, Road Scholar and Small Ship Travel (both with many senior participants) were among the passengers, and had their own informative lectures and land excursions.

Although the cruise that I took has been reduced to five days and is fully booked this year, there are all sorts of other Star Clippers Americas cruises for spry seniors who are young at heart. (Last year, Star Clippers America, owner of the Star Flyer, was named both the World’s Leading Sailing Cruise Company and the World’s Leading Green Cruise Line at the 20th annual World Travel Awards in Qatar.)

For true sailors, there is a transatlantic crossing. Other enticing trips are along the coast of France and to the Balearic Islands, or on the Tyrenian Sea with a stop in Monaco for the Grand Prix trials.

I would take any of them, regardless of the itinerary. I would hope that the winds would be right and the seas calm, the sun out by day and the stars at night. It can’t always be like that, of course, but it’s worth the gamble.

If you go…

Information on Star Clippers Americas Cruises is available at starclippers.com or by calling (800) 442-0551. Brochures may be requested at (800) 442-0556.

Phyllis Meras (pmcocroft@aol.com) is a retired Journal travel editor and freelance travel writer.