Join us on a Star Clippers Royal Clipper cruise out of Bridgetown, Barbados, on a 7-day excursion to the Western Caribbean Sea.

‘Never Start a Sea Voyage on a Friday. It Will Have a Bad Ending’

An earring is said to give a sailor good eyesight, and an old sea dog’s tattoo of a cross, an anchor, and a heart protects against dangers at sea and at the port. Many an earring and tattoos are evident on the Concierge Travel sponsored Star Clippers Royal Clipper cruise voyage out of Bridgetown, Barbados, on a 7-day excursion to the Western Caribbean. Concierge is known for booking bigger party boats, but this was a chance for my husband and me to check off one of those proverbial bucket list items, ditch the tuxes and experience some warm Caribbean waters on a smaller, more intimate 5-Master. Fueled by its romantic barefoot and sun-kissed visions of gliding into a sun-setting, undiscovered bay, sails up, dropping anchor and listening to the gentle lapping of the Caribbean sea against the hull of the ship, we quickly signed up a contingent of Canadians and booked our passage.

Some History from the Sea

In 1902, the Preussen became the world’s first five-masted full-rigger and ‘Those who saw it were rendered speechless”.  Almost 100 years would sail by before another five-master was built- the Royal Clipper, making it the world’s second five-masted full-rigger. The Preussen inspired Swedish-born Mikael Krafft, owner of Star Clippers, to have the Royal Clipper built.  She carries 5,050 meters (approximately 54,300 square feet) of sail, and I happily admit this sun-setting, daily hoisting of the sails, set to the dramatic strains of Vangelis’ ‘1492’, brought a tear to my eye each sunset.  My father’s salty stories as a Merchant Marine, manning the telegraph in the choppy North Atlantic and the warm South Pacific have always resonated with me. I must have had a prior life as a pirate as I have a romantic vision of sailing the seven seas, clipping along with a full wind, tilting and rolling with the pitch, the whining wind whipping and flapping the hoisted sails,, the wires whistling and calling their siren song of the sea to me.

Bucket List, Checked Off!

And indeed, that bucket list is now ‘checked off’! During our seven day sea-bourne adventures, we tendered into some of the smaller islands and cays: Isla Margarita, in Venezuela;  St. Georges, Grenada; Tobago Cays and Bequia, in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and Marigot Bay and Soufrière, in Saint Lucia; enjoyed beach days with a full-on BBQ lunch, diving,  sailing,  kayaking and other water sports. We were feted with great food, multi-themed tea dances, a Rocky Horror Picture night and the Captain’s (oddly Russian, in this case) Drag Dinner. After-hours activities like line dancing, leather and underwear parties,  morning yoga and costume contests make this a typical Gay old time but allow you the more intimate opportunity to create new friendships and reacquaint yourself with old ones. Onboard entertainment was provided by the multi-talented  Amy Armstrong and her BFF and musical cohort in arms Freddy Allen, welcome regulars in the LGBT community. An proud crew is sailing the Royal Clipper as I spend many a star-lit, sea-sprayed evening talking ships navigation and the position of the stars with the very knowledgeable and passionate Andrew from Poland, all part of the ship’s international and likable crew. Concierge has, in the past, booked two of the smaller Royal Clipper ships for their Greece and Costa Rica cruises. This is the first time the bigger, more lux Royal Clipper has welcomed the LGBT community on board and judging by the positive response; it won’t be the last!

Losing its Allure?

So, what is the longevity of The Big Gay Cruise? Talking with fellow passengers, the big party boats typically booked by RSVP and Atlantis seem to be losing their allure as a cruise vacation option for the older LGBT community. Many of us now prefer less party, less bacchanal, choosing smaller, more connected cruises like the Star Clippers fleet. There is still room for the big, Party-Boat market, but the increasingly popular Riverboat tours of the Baltic and Europe, on the Danube and Rhine rivers offered by both Concierge and Brand g,  are becoming a real option for the Gay Community enjoying excellent cuisine, fine wine, and superior service while still involving ourselves in  ‘Community’. Much has changed since 1985 when RSVP first set sail and has welcomed over 100,000+ guests from around the world and companies like Concierge and Brand g are branching out and grabbing the other end of the Gay Cruise spectrum. Concierge and Brand g has smartly begun to tap into the ‘Friends of Dorothy’ crowd: Kevin and Lynn are one of two straight ‘ally’ couples on board and are on their honeymoon. For years, Lynn has supported the LGBT community through very good friends and has done a couple of The Big Gay Cruises before. They have logged four cruises and two gay cruises between the two of them!  Brian and Shannon work for Brand g  and quickly fit into the low-key spirit of the journey.  Shannon was seen several times line dancing with the Bears!

Cruise and #TravelWell, my friends!

Gotta Go?

‘Black Bags or suitcases: Taboo.’ No need for checked luggage of any colour on this cruise. Unless you plan on full Drag 5 of the six nights, consider packing lightly and casually for the entire week.

‘Never start a voyage on a Friday. It will have a bad ending’. Air Canada has two daily direct flights to Barbados from Toronto and, beginning every March, adds wide-bodied jets to their fleet for this ever-popular spring break destination. WestJet offers limited flights to Bridgetown out of Toronto.  If you are flying via the US, there are connecting flights to Barbados via Miami with  American Airlines, US Air, and British Airways.

Star Clippers

Star Clippers Information:
Phone: (800) 442-0551
Email: info@starclippers.com
Brochure: brochures@starclippers.com

Concierge Travel

Phone: Toll-free 877-775-9616 |

Fax: 409-354-0164

Brand g Travel

Tel: 1 800 433 4303

Int’l: +1 952 405 9309

info@brandgvacations.com