Wind Spirit Live Voyage Report: Day 1

Off to Stockholm and the Wind Spirit

Today is the start of another Live Voyage Report here on From the Deck Chair, and I am thrilled to be sailing aboard Windstar Cruises’ Wind Spirit – a combination sailing-and-motor cruise ship – from Stockholm, Sweden through some of the most beautiful Baltic ports to the capital of Norway, Oslo.

Next stop: Stockholm and the sleek Wind Spirit. Photo © 2011 Aaron Saunders

From today until August 7^th I’ll be blogging every day from the ship, complete with plenty of photos to complement each article.  The last two Live Voyages were highly successful, and I hope that you will join me as we sail (literally!) through the beautiful Baltics.

The full itinerary, both here and onboard:

Our Live Voyage aboard Wind Spirit takes us from Stockholm, Sweden to Oslo, Norway. Illustration courtesy of Windstar Cruises

With the start of any voyage comes the inevitable “day of travel”, and for me, today is that day.  I feel pretty good about it, as I managed to snag some super-cool flights on Air Canada and Lufthansa, which will whisk me from Vancouver, Canada to Stockholm, Sweden.

Even after countless flights, I never cease to be amazed or impressed by how quickly you can travel halfway around the world.  All you need is a good book and a little patience to complete the same journey that would have taken people weeks, if not months, one hundred years ago.

This cruise also boasts a number of firsts for me.  While I’ve traveled to Europe before, I’ve never been to any of the ports on this itinerary, nor have I ever sailed with Windstar – though I’ve always wanted to.  And there’s just one word to describe it all:

Exciting!

This Live Voyage Report aboard Windstar’s Wind Spirit, from Stockholm to Oslo, begins now!