When my wife Susan announced she had booked ‘a cruise’ for our holiday I wasn’t over the moon – NOT what I had in mind for our Silver Wedding. Easily bored and always wanting to be on the move, my itchy feet are a perennial problem wherever we holiday. She won of course, but it was with some trepidation we boarded the Windsurf, Windstar’s 312 passenger, 617 ft, five masted, 7 sailed cruise ship.

Once unpacked we did a quick orientation of the boat to ascertain our individual priorities. Susan’s were, pool and sun bed locations, spa and shop, mine were bars and casino and combinations of routes back to my cabin after a good night out! That completed, it was up to the Compass Rose bar at the back of the ship to witness our departure from Venice.

To say that she turned heads is an understatement. Indeed, as she slowly made her way past St Mark’s Square and the Doges Palace out to the open sea, sails unfurled, a flotilla of smaller vessels had joined us to see us off. All along the route you could see the crowds on the quayside turning to watch our departure.

There are two restaurants on Windsurf, each with open seating, which meant that we could eat with whom and when we wanted. That was one of the attractions to many of those aboard. The meal itself was excellent, high standard cuisine, accompanied by fine wine.

Morning saw us anchor off Korcula. Windsurf has a water-sports platform off the back of its lower deck offering those who want to windsurf, water ski or snorkel have the opportunity to do so, conditions permitting. At each port of call you were able to take an organised excursion or left free to do as you pleased, so my anxiety about being herded or timetabled dwindled to nothing almost immediately.

The itinerary throughout our week was well planned, interspersing history with natural beauty, pretty towns with deserted beaches. Day two took us to Dubrovnik, the beautiful medieval walled city. The following day we were in Corfu where we were able to spend, both the afternoon and evening on the island, sampling the local cuisine and the atmosphere.

Conditions and wind direction permitting, Windsurf can be powered purely under sail with her engines off. More often however, it is a combination of both or just by her engines alone. For our day at sea we had the joy of being under sail which lent itself to a peaceful, calm and sublimely relaxing experience. Don’t expect lots to do, it’s at this time you lie back, relax and take in the freedom of being afloat in a glorious setting. That evening we dined with more friends we had made during the day and a spontaneous party atmosphere ensued where we chatted, laughed and danced until the early hours. Some even stayed up to watch the sunrise!

The morning saw us arrive at Sorrento, enabling us to visit the dramatic Amalfi coastline, nearby Pompeii or take a boat across to Capri.

That evening was our last and we made the most of it with an excellent evening enjoyed with the wonderful people we had met. We also had to make our goodbyes to the charming crew who had made our holiday week so special with their attentive service.

So that was it! My first cruise. And what were my views? Well, Windsurf provided me with the ideal introduction to this holiday experience. A magical combination of sophisticated and informal, it appeared to suit a wide variety of tastes and age groups. The size of the ship meant that a well-planned itinerary, away from the crowds, was possible, and it really was a most romantic experience.

Wind Surf operates from Venice during summer 2007, and in 2008 has a new Croatia itinerary sailing between Venice and Dubrovnik. Call for further details.