Feel the wind filling the sails, climb to the observation deck of the mast. Relax on the bowsprit net just above the waves of the sea. Life aboard a sailing ship invites brave travelers to explore the untouched corners of the world in comfort. Leave the usual formalities, such as a tight daily routine or dress code, for other cruise ships. The Star Clippers fleet of three ships, the flagship Royal Clipper, the Star Clipper and the Star Flyer, brings you all this in a big way aboard the largest and fastest sailing ships ever built.

 

At the helm of the Star Clippers is Michael Kraft, a Swedish entrepreneur who got his first job at a shipyard in the Stockholm archipelago at the age of six. As a child, Michael listened to the stories of old sailors, and even then he fell in love with sailing ships. When he was 12 years old, he swam in his eighteen-foot boat twenty miles on the open sea. Later he received sailing practice in Sweden and France. In 1986 Michael Kraft moved to Brussels and founded the White Star Group, a real estate company.

 

This company became the parent company for White Star Clippers, which built the sailing ships Star Flyer and Star Clipper. Launched in Belgium in 1991 and 1992, they were the first sailboats since 1911 to receive the Lloyd's Register of Ships' Top Quality Certificate. The even more ambitious Royal Clipper went to sea in 2000. This is the largest sailing ship built in the 20th century. The new sailboat currently under construction in Croatia will be even larger. It has a capacity of 300 passengers and will start its maiden voyage in 2017.