CIVITAVECCHIA, Italy -- The Star Clipper, a four-masted, passenger-carrying barkentine -- in effect a 360 foot-long mega yacht -- was sailing due west bound for the island of Corsica, first stop on a week-long cruise of the Italian and French Rivieras.

The breeze was brisk and the Mediterranean was just the blue it's supposed to be when a shout from the bridge brought passengers out of deck chairs and swimming pool and over to the port railing.

Dead ahead and coming fast was Star Clipper's big sister the five-masted, square-rigged Royal Clipper. As the two ships passed, the captains blew their whistles in salute and passengers waved, cheered, and madly snapped photographs.

It might have been a scene in a Napoleonic War era novel of Patrick O'Brien or C.S. Forester, zestfully described with a minute detail about knots, ropes, and sail settings. The two authors were favorite reading of a number of fellow passengers, yachting enthusiasts attracted to Star Clipper as much by its 36,000 square feet of sail as an itinerary that included stops in Monaco, Portofino, Elba and Corsica.

While not sailors ourselves, some of our happiest weeks have been spent aboard Maine windjammers. We love the sailing, the informality, the camaraderie and the small, scenic coves and fishing villages. The downside, as we get older, are the small cabins and shared heads. On the other hand we are put off by the enormous size and glitzy character of the new breed of cruise ship. In our view, a ship should be a ship not a floating resort hotel.

For us ,Star Clipper offers some of the best of two nautical worlds.

Her design is based on the final evolution at the turn of the 20th Century of the ocean-going sailing ship: a steel-hulled vessel with both high powered engines and a full set of sails, the latter raised and lowered by electric winches. Launched in Belgium in 1992 ,it was the first clipper ship of its class built since 1912.

Although old fashioned in appearance, 170-passenger Star Clipper has the comforts of a contemporary cruise ship. Cabins are roomy with serviceable baths, the large dining room has an Edwardian decor, and there are both a library (equipped with real books, games and a decorative fireplace) and bar on the main deck .The top deck has two small saltwater pools, one fore and the other aft.

We joined the ship late on a Saturday afternoon in Civitavecchia,(sic) a commercial port about 40 miles from Rome. Sleek and gleaming white, Star Clipper looked decidedly glamorous and a bit out-of-place on the workaday waterfront. We sailed not long after sunset, a canopy of stars overhead. A departing port ritual -- one some crew members confided that they were heartily sick of -- was loudly playing the stirring soundtrack from "1492: Conquest of Paradise," a movie about Christopher Columbus.

Our first full day on board was also the only one spent entirely at sea. It was a time to relax and get to know the ship, both not hard. Cruise director Bea (sic) Tradt (sic), an exuberant German woman fluent in both English and Italian, formally introduced the crew. The white bearded captain, Marek(sic) Marzec(sic) , we learned came from a mountainous region about as far from the sea as you can get in Poland and had decided to become a sailor after reading the sea stories of Joseph Conrad, a Pole who wrote in English. "In Communist days joining the merchant marine was also one of the few ways you could get to travel outside of Poland,'' he explained.

The 70 or so crew members came from practically everywhere, including the former Soviet Union, Turkey, Sweden, Central America, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia -- 23 nationalities in all. The working language of the ship is English, variously and sometimes heavily accented. Registered for tax purposes in the landlocked Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Star clipper flies the rarely seen ducal flag: a red griffin on a field of blue and white stripes. Honorary crew members included two parrots, and Chris was pleased when "Murphy", the green one, nuzzled her ears -- until she missed an earring.

Nearly half Star Clipper's passengers were American, from all over the country. Germans were the second largest national contingent and there was a scattering of other nationalities including British, Swiss and Italian. Because there were no assigned tables for meals, table-hopping was the norm and within days we were on at least greeting and small talk terms with most of the passengers.

There was also no dress code at meals, other than a request not to wear shorts in the evening. Even at the captain's farewell dinner, a dressy affair on most cruise ships, only a handful of men wore jackets or ties and most women opted for casual rather than formal elegance. Happily, there was nothing casual about the menu.

Our first port was Corsica, the rugged French island where Napoleon Bonaparte was born. We opted for a tour of the south of the island and a visit to the perched village of Sartene,(sic) a medieval community with narrow cobblestone streets and a broad view over the mountainous countryside to the sea.

Corsica's landscape was surprisingly aromatic as well as scenic, the hillsides covered with thyme, rosemary, lavender and other sweet-scented herbs. Also surprising: the island's tallest mountain is nearly 9000 feet-high and skiing is popular here in winter.

The next stop was the Principality of Monaco, a tiny haven for the ultra rich. (There are only 30,000 residents but 100 banks and a 3000 member police force.) The port was filled with luxurious and very big motor yachts, supposedly the largest concentration in the Mediterranean.

We wandered through the old town, admiring the royal palace (guarded by white-uniformed soldiers in pith helmets,) the cathedral where Grace Kelly married Prince Ranier, and the view from the ramparts. Only after dinner, however, did Monte Carlo, the site of the famous casino, come alive.

The flamboyantly "fin de siecle" (sic) building is the focal point of an equally magnificent square in which seemingly only chauffeured Jaguars, Mercedes, Alfa Romeos, and the occasional Lotus sport car were permitted to park. The affordable sport here is watching the high rollers both inside (there's a hefty admission fee) and out. There seemed to be a large number of short balding men accompanied by tall, beautiful, and gorgeously dressed young women.

Despite its size, Star Clipper draws only 18 feet and could usually tie up at a pier when in port. An exception was Portofino, which has a small and shallow harbor but a large reputation as the favorite seaside retreat of Italy's rich and famous. The ship anchored offshore and used a launch to bring passengers to the harborside quay, a pedestrian area lined with cafes and tall narrow houses painted in a rainbow of sun-mellowed pastel colors.

It's a delightful place, low key and surprisingly folksy. While anchored yachts included the former America's Cup contender "Endeavor", there were also fishing boats and fishermen sat on docks repairing their nets. (At the unpretentious looking restaurants on the quay, however, a bowl of "fish soup" was $25.) A path leads from the harbor up along a cliff path and out to the old lighthouse that guides ships to Portofino. It's wonderfully shaded by ancient trees and passes the gates of large villas, secreted in lush gardens behind vine-covered walls. At the end of the path, beside the lighthouse, a small ice cream stand commands a sweeping view of sea and coastline.

At dinner that night some passengers spoke glowingly of the exquisite lunch they had at the ultra deluxe Hotel Splendido (sic) on a hillside overlooking Portofino. We boasted about ice cream cones that came with a million lira view.

All the ports of call were interesting, offering opportunities to visit distinctly different places. From Monaco we visited the old port of Nice and the walled, hilltop town of Eze.(sic) At Livorno, another busy commercial port, there was a choice of excursions. Bill went to Pisa to see the newly restored leaning tower, still not straight but now no longer in danger of collapsing. Chris opted for sightseeing and shopping in Florence. We fell in love with Elba ,where Napoleon was first exiled, as we explored the steep streets and high ramparts of the fortress town of Portoferraio(sic); and, finally swam in the clear and surprisingly bracing Mediterranean.

Our times at sea were rewarding too. Passengers had the run of the upper decks and the bridge, which was always open. Fearless types could nest in the bowsprit and climb the ratlines (wearing safety harnesses) to the crow's nest at the top of the 226 foot-high mainmast. The view from the top is superb -- we were told.

The ship's resident musician, an indefatigable and talented Hungarian accordionist, keyboard player and singer known only as Csaba (sic) played and sang sea chanteys up on deck. It was fun watching sails raised and lowered to a musical accompaniment.

Because of the tight sailing schedule, and contrary winds, Star Clipper relied heavily on its engines this cruise, to the disappointment of many of the sailors among the passengers. This isn't always the case, we are told. On positioning cruises, when the vessel shifts from its usual winter cruising ground in the Caribbean to the Mediterranean and back again -- a voyage that lasts more than two weeks -- it's powered by sails alone for about a third of the time. "On those trips we get many people who sail a lot, or used to when they were younger, and want to be at sea in a sailing ship,'' Tradt said, "at the end of the voyage we're like a big family.''

One fellow passenger Heidi Tschaepe (sic), a widow from Hanover in central Germany, is a veteran of several positioning cruises and has made dozens (sic) of trips on Star Clipper. "I've been on other ships,'' she said, "but this is my ship, my home.''

When we disembarked at Civitavecchia on the last day Tschaepe was up on deck saying goodbye to departing friends. "I'm going on the next cruise, too,'' she explained.

IF YOU GO

Star Clipper sails the Western Mediterranean until the last week in October, alternating between week-long trips to the French and Italian Rivieras, the cruise we took, and to southern Italy, Sicily and the Aeolian(sic) Islands. Both itineraries include a full day at sea and five different ports of call with options for shore excursions.

Cruises leave on Saturday evening from Civitavecchia, about 40 miles from Rome, and passengers disembark there the morning of the following Saturday.