Page 61 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2023 SPECIAL CRUISE EDTION

ear the end of an eight-day cruise in the
Adriatic, Ioanian and Tyrrhenian seas this
N fall, I relaxed in a jet tub at the stern of the
600-foot-long, five-masted Wind Surf sailing ship
(windstar.com) and watched the Amalfi Coast slide
by as the sun sank below the western horizon.
I could get used to this, I thought. And not just
because of the hot tub.
No, it was the casual elegance of the ship, its
friendly service, spa, excellent food in several
restaurants plus the enjoyable and educational
shore excursions that I predict will draw me and
my partner back for another sailing trip.
And I do mean sailing because the seven huge
sails on the yacht really do help power the vessel,
one of the officers told me at the start of our voy-
age.
When the winds are strong enough and coming
from the correct direction - a beam reach in nau-
tical lingo - the captain can actually turn off the
engines and sail under wind power, he said.
Our adventure began in Venice - La Serenis-
sima is one of its nicknames - where we arrived a
few days early to explore the narrow, winding
streets, get lost a few times, tread some of its 400
bridges and visit the famed Piazza San Marco,
home to St, Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace and
several museums.
We also found a pleasant bistro, the Al Parla-
mento, near our digs on an offshoot of the Grand
Canal in the Cannaregio neighborhood for dinner.
We sipped wine and watched boats of all shapes,
sizes and purposes - not just shiny black gondolas
- ply the waters on two balmy evenings before we
boarded the Wind Surf and set sail for Croatia.

PHOTO COURTESY WINDSTAR CRUISES
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