Fall in love with sailing

NORFOLK STAR is a dream to sail. She is stable and elegant, with a thrilling turn of speed, and a friendly crew ready to welcome you on board. We ask Captain David Purcell what makes a charter on this sailing yacht so special...

‘Our guests like nothing more than to get the sails up and engine off. Champagne sailing from Porto Cervo, through the islands and up the coast, with a warm wind coming off the land and a sparkling sea,' says Captain David, who has worked on sailing yachts his whole career.

‘NORFOLK STAR is a perfect introduction to sailing. She is a classic Perini Navi - she is very safe, sleek and sails beautifully. When she was first launched, she won her class in the Perini Navi regatta.'

NORFOLK STAR is sailing in Mediterranean waters this summer. Charterers are taking her sailing in Italy and France, and she has just received her charter licence for Spain as well. We spoke to Captain David at the end of a 10-day voyage from France to Sardinia to Italy.

‘People enjoy the connection with the ocean when we get underway and we’re gliding through the waves. Recent charter guests also said that they have never slept so well as when we were at anchor.’

Captain David first took to the water when he was 16 and had a chance to sail a traditional Cornish oyster boat out of Falmouth, UK. By the time he was 21 years old, he was captain on a sailing yacht.

‘I crewed on a two-year voyage with a chap from Falmouth. We sailed from the UK to Portugal, across the Atlantic to Brazil, up the Amazon and on to French Guiana. We ended up in the Caribbean. 

‘There I joined a salvage vessel, which also ran charters. We worked out of English Harbour in Antigua, diving for salvage, and also taking people out.

‘The chance came up to crew on a Swan racing yacht, so I jumped at that. Then I was asked if I’d join as Captain for Antigua Race week, after which we took the yacht across the Atlantic. That was the start of several decades working as a captain on sailing yachts.'

Captain David brings his years of experience to your charter on NORFOLK STAR. ‘The lovely thing about this yacht is how relaxed she is to sail. All the ropes and winches are hidden away, which makes it easy for guests to move about the decks when we are underway. 

‘People like to sit in the cockpit seating area when we are sailing. You can feel the wind in your face and the movement of the yacht. There’s a choice of sun or shade.

‘We often sail in the morning after breakfast, and then drop the anchor for lunch. The children want to jump in the sea, and the crew get all the watertoys out for them. We’ve got paddleboards, wakeboards, an inflatable towable sofa and donuts… Sometimes we’ll put the spinnaker pole out with a swing on it – to swing out and dive into the water.'

‘Ninety-five percent of the time people are up on deck. We have sunbeds and bean bags for lounging. There’s also a lounge below deck, with big windows, so it is very light and you can see the view around you. 

‘NORFOLK STAR has Starlink to cater for those who need to do business while we’re at sea. The owners have this yacht set up to work for everyone – be it families with young children, or a party of couples holidaying together.’

When it comes to meals, you are in the capable hands of English-Italian chef Vanina. ‘Our last guests didn’t want to eat ashore as Vanina’s food is so good. She is very creative, and her food has fresh Mediterranean flavours.’

With the new Spanish licence, Captain David is considering how NORFOLK STAR can offer guests something new. His home is Palma and he knows the islands well. David also speaks Spanish fluently.

‘The Balearic islands offer so much variety. From the party islands like Ibiza, to the cultural hub of Menorca. I think that a 7-10 day charter through the islands would be an opportunity to show off this exciting destination, find the sheltered coves for swimming and enjoy sailing in the afternoon breezes.

'We have a wonderful, tight-knit crew on board. Bosun Jason and Engineer Jack are friendly, competent guys and just great to be around. Caitlyn is our newest crew member, and she fitted in straight away. We're excited to take out charterers and show them the Mediterranean under sail.'