TALL-SHIP CRUISING

Cruises that dreams are made of -
Not for the faint-hearted ...

Our tall-ship cruise operator has three of the world’s largest and tallest sailing vessels. Visiting ports often untouched by larger cruise ships and offering passengers the activities, amenities and atmosphere of a private yacht, this company is recognized as one of the premier specialty cruise lines. The ships currently sail throughout the Caribbean, Mediterranean, the Baltic and Costa Rica.

TRANSATLANTIC

A trans-ocean crossing on a Tall Ship is the fondest dream of anyone who loves sailing. But unless you know how to chart a course by celestial navigation or scramble up a tall mast, your chances of realising that dream were nil. Aboard this operator’s ships, you can know the thrill of traversing a great ocean under sail, without any skills or effort on your part. Imagine long lazy days at sea. The time-out-of-mind sensation of watching the water slip under the bow, of gazing at a horizon that is 360 degrees wide, of feeling the steadying power of sails as they capture the energy of the wind and thrust your ship through the vast expanse of ocean. In all the world, there is no experience as wonderfully renewing and invigorating.

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

On shore, a group of light-hearted ship passenger-travellers follow a twisting alleyway to a small taverna where the strums of the bouzouki and a glass of ouzo are the perfect accompaniments to the evening’s catch. Long ago, these Eastern Mediterranean islands and ports were the landing places for an endless tide of invaders from far off lands. From ancient Phoenicia, Persia, the Peloponnesus, Imperial Rome and Constantinople they came. This was followed by waves of European Crusader knights, Genoan mariners, Venetian merchants and turbaned Turkish troops of the Ottoman Empire. They stormed ashore to conquer, only to be vanquished by time and absorbed into the dry volcanic earth. All that remains are their stone ruins, ghostly shapes wrapped in myth and mystery. Today the sun-spangled seas bordered by Greece, Turkey, Italy, Croatia and the Dalmatian Coasts are inviting playgrounds for pleasure seekers. Join us as we explore a yachtsman’s paradise on forgotten islands where white-washed sands invite sun worshippers to bask under Helios’ gaze, or fortress-like rocks where ancient monasteries cling like mountain climbers on towering cliffs. Or stand where battling armies fought hand-to-hand in Troy and Gallipoli. Walk through iron doors of medieval Kastros where tales of pagan rites and knightly rituals are told. Inhale the balm of almond and lemon at the place where Hippocrates taught his healing arts. The Dodecanese, the Cyclades, the Sporades, the Dardanelles - islands and places that fairly sing on the tongue.

WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN

The taste of sweet green olive oil and fresh ripe tomatoes, the sound of carefree children laughing on sun drenched beaches, the sight of myriad yachts at anchor in picturesque harbours…

These are but a few sights and scenes of the Western Mediterranean. Replete with sparkling capitals, ancient civilizations and cultured ambience, it is an incredibly vivid world of mythical lands and tranquil seas, soaring mountains, medieval villages, private coves and sun struck beaches. Wherever you may wander on this particular tall-ship, you will discover the special magic of the Mediterranean that has enchanted travellers for millennia. On our flagship, choose from 7, 10 and 11 night itineraries from Rome’s port of Civitavecchia and Venice, which include sun-drenched Sicily, stops throughout the volcano-dotted Aeolian Islands, routes along Italy’s ever romantic Amalfi Coast and the alluring ports of the Croatian Archipelago and Dalmatian Coast.

NORTHERN EUROPE

Feel the enchantment of the North: the snap of a sail and the scent of the sea on a summer’s day when dusk falls at midnight; archipelagos where brightly-painted holiday cottages cling limpet-like to rocky skerries; and richly saturated colours that seem to come from a Flemish master’s palette in landscapes that evoke medieval folklore and fairy tales. The plaintive strains of Grieg and Sibelius played in a royal palace where kings and queens once listened and lived. These are the sights and textures of Northern Europe, a multi-hued and layered tapestry that reaches out to be touched, tasted and savoured in a thousand mind pictures. From Germany and the Low Countries to the Baltic lands of the Vikings and the Eastern Empire of the Tsars, Northern Europe is a territory of vast and vivid variety.

Reaching into the heart of Northern Europe is the Baltic – Mare Suebicum in the Latin of ancient scribes. It was the Vikings who first braved the crossing of this brackish sea to venture from Denmark, Norway and Sweden eastward into the lands we now know as Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, eventually finding their way to the Black Sea. Not content with just going east, they also sailed and rowed westward through the Straits of Denmark to Scotland, England, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland. Southward they ranged as far as Spain and North Africa, and traversed the Mediterranean to Byzantium and even Baghdad. Their longships were the fastest vessels on the water, and their Kings and captains, such as Harald Hardrada, Canut the Great, Eric the Red and Leif Ericsson, fearless. History has focused on the Vikings’ reputation for raiding and pillaging, but in reality they founded towns, built fortifications, made dynastically opportune marriages and created immensely profitable trade routes that linked them to important cities in Europe and Asia. After the introduction of Christianity, the Hanseatic League inherited or took over many of these settlements and routes and became even more all-powerful in the Baltic.

Today our tall-ship will trace the Vikings’ extraordinary voyages, following the routes of those passionate explorers to storied lands and places. Along the way, the tall-ship will also participate with other magnificent tall-ships in celebratory sailing parades in the German ports of Kiel, Hamburg and Rostock (Warnemuende). And with great pride in our Swedish sailing heritage, we invite you to join the tall-ship and crew in the thrilling experience of standing at the rail and passing by crowds of onlookers with all sails set and flags dipped in salute!