It was only just after midday, but with her bouffant hair set off by a headband encrusted with blue gems she was already dressed to kill - and that was just the dog.

Since then 'St Trop' has lost none of its allure, and whilst I could only afford to gaze through the windows of the designer shops where garments were devoid of price tags - a sure sign of a credit card danger zone - at least I was smug in the knowledge that I had arrived in suitably befitting style.

Our floating home for the week was Royal Clipper, the 400ft flagship of the three-strong Star Clippers' fleet that holds the Guinness World as being the world's biggest five-masted ship. The perfect antidote for anyone who claims cruising is not for them, or is jaded by all-singing all-dancing nautical juggernauts, it's a high-tech recreation of the magnificent sailing ships that dominated the seas in the 19th century. Incomparable to any other cruise ship, our voyage through Spanish waters to the coast of France was a unique experience. Even the passengers didn't fall into the conventional cruise demographic, where certain ships attract a very specific following. We joined an eclectic mix of young through to retired couples, groups of friends, a few families with children and a sprinkling of singles. What we all had in common was a sense of adventure and a yearning for something different.