A luxurious throwback to the golden age of sail, Star Clipper is a wonderful way to explore Costa Rica’s rich nature.
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As we sailed along the Pacific coast a pod of more than 300 spinner dolphins broke the sea, like a fusillade of missiles, along side our sail boat.
Sails are raised by hand and passengers are welcome to haul ropes. Those with steady stomachs can climb the rigging to the crow’s nest for a seagull’s view of the ship cutting the sea. Along the way, I saw a variety of sea turtles paddle dreamily alongside, and wintering humpbacks break the surface with a snort of spray.
The ship was the first cruise ship to achieve an International Air Pollution Certificate, and its eco-credentials have been certified by the Costa Rican government’s Pura Vida Pledge. Costa Rica has only .03% of Earth’s terrain, yet hosts 5% of its biodiversity. Almost 28% of the country is protected.
“I have the pleasure to show my country to a lot of people,” says Costa Rica-born cruise director Axel Melchior. “We go to the south and its humid, green national parks, and then sail the whole Pacific Coast to [the northern province of] Guanacaste with its beaches and tropical dry forest.”
Late one night, with most passengers asleep, the darkness came alive with loud clapping, like applause at a concert.
“Rays,” said a crew member. Mobula Rays, to be specific, perhaps thousands of them, leaping and belly-flapping with their flat bodies. They’re commonly known as devil rays for the pair of horn-like fins on their heads, or flying popcorn for their noise. Pop, pop, pop, slap, slap, slap.
I asked a deckhand to turn on a searchlight. The bright beam shot across the black sea and the famously shy rays instantly disappeared. The moment the searchlight went out, the chorus of slapping rose again.
Wildlife sightings filled each day, yet to characterize the trip as an eco-cruise would ignore the beach days and blissful hours spent relaxing aboard.
Star Clipper has the feel of a private yacht
The experience is the brainchild of Swedish entrepreneur Mikael Krafft, who harboured a lifelong dream of recreating the golden age of sail. While sailing the Caribbean on his 39-metre schooner, Gloria, he got the idea that a small cruise line would be the way to bring his dream to life. Star Flyer launched in 1991 and Star Clipper a year later, both modern and luxurious but otherwise faithful to the classic designs of the 19th century.
“I wanted the ships to have the feel of a private yacht, which is why the cabins are like those on my own yacht,” said Krafft, adding that his replicas are actually much bigger than clipper ships of yore.
There’s an outdoor bar, a piano lounge, a library and a small spa. In a spacious and elegant dining room, passengers dine when they please on fine cuisine. “Everything is prepared fresh to order,” said supervising chef Randall Gayle. “On a small ship you can do that.” The extensive menu changes daily, with full evening table service and themed buffets at breakfast and lunch.
Dusk is a special time of day, as passengers return from shore and gather on deck to watch the sails go up as the sun goes down. Warm tropical evenings often morphed into deck parties. Some passengers preferred private corners. I liked to lie on cushions looking up through the rigging as the masts moved against a backdrop of stars; now and then a shooting star would glow and flame out.
Sails in Costa Rica from December to March
We dropped anchor near the bushy coasts of famous preserves. At Manuel Antonio National Park, a frisky troop of white capuchin monkeys surrounded me, oblivious to my presence. I could stand just a metre away and witness their behaviour: A mother ferrying a baby on her back, young siblings playing, adults de-licing each other.
Further south, where the town of Golfito sits on the edge of “the most biologically intense place on earth”, according to National Geographic, I followed a trail through Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre. At a small waterfall I beat the humidity by standing under its cool cascade. My presence elicited shrieks from small squirrel monkeys, and bellicose protests from big black howler monkeys, which can be heard for two kilometres. Heliconia, passion flower and red ginger blossoms reached for patches of sun in the undergrowth.
Howlers also voiced their displeasure as we pulled up at long beaches in the arid north: Panama, Flamingo, Portero. Even in high season, I could walk a kilometre of sand marred by few footprints. Large but harmless spiny iguanas scampered in the thin shade of mesquite trees. Brown boobies alighted on rocks and giant frigate birds swooped overhead.
With a snorkel and fins I tried to follow a green sea turtle. Beaches in this area of Costa Rica are prime breeding sites for several turtle species. Olive Ridleys come ashore by the thousands to lay eggs in events known as Arribada (arrival), usually around a full moon. No one can predict exactly when, so the chance to witness it means spending time in Costa Rica before or after the cruise.
“That’s a good thing about this cruise,” Axel says. “The turnaround is always in Costa Rica, Saturday to Saturday, so travellers can come a week early or stay a week after and know more about my country.”
The writer was hosted by Star Clippers. No one vetted or approved of this article before publication.