Before it was a company, Star Clippers was the story of one man, Mikael Krafft. Born in Stockholm, Mikael fell in love with boats at a
very young age, a passion that has never left him. Over the course of his life he would own a great many, and sail ceaselessly, across every sea.

It was onboard his yacht Gloria, in the Caribbean, relaxing with a Campari tonic, that all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place and he resolved to bring the legendary tall ships of old back to life.

In 1991, that idea took form, with the construction of Star Flyer: 115.5 metres long, 16 sails for 3,365 m² of canvas. A year later, in 1992, her sister ship Star Clipper was launched, an identical twin in every dimension. The story continued in 2000 with the building of the largest 5 masted fully rigged sailing ship in service in the world: Royal Clipper, 134 metres long with 42 sails with 5,000 square metres of canvas.

Today, this family adventure continues under Eric Krafft, Mikael's son, who serves as Executive Chairman of the company. In 2026, Leo Chang joined as Chief Executive Officer.

The prestige of these great tall ships has not escaped the notice of royal families: Royal Clipper was christened in Monaco in 2000 by Queen Silvia of Sweden, who remains her godmother to this day. Over the years, Star Clippers has welcomed members of European royal families, celebrated actors, including one of the faces of James Bond himself, and luminaries from every walk of life. What draws them, beyond the discretion of a small ship, is the same thing that draws every guest onboard: the authentic experience of traditional sailing, unavailable anywhere else at sea.