I am a sports fan. I grew up playing and watching the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. I didn’t play, but grew up watching the National Football League. I am a child of Michael Jordan’s fadeaway, Albert Pujols’ homerun, and Barry Sanders’ ridiculous feats with his feet. One thing I never got into was racing. I don’t know much about cars. I know the go pedal is on the right, and if I push it too far, I get a ticket. So, when the prospect of watching Formula 1 at one of the most famous locations in the world, Monaco, came across my desk, I was skeptical. Sure, it is rising quickly in popularity, and that intrigues me, but there was nothing I felt I HAD to watch. But, then again, the prospect came with the opportunity to hop on a cruise with Windstar and travel around the Mediterranean Sea. Well, that settled it. I was gonna be a Formula 1 fan if my life depended on it. You know, for the love of the game.
What happened was more than a cruise. It was an initiation into the newest and justifiably fastest rising sport in the US.
Traveling with an expert
So, here is the thing: I was about to hop on a cruise with about 300 people that I assumed were die-hard F1 people. The automotive version of the soccer hooligans was what my brain conjured up. So I felt it was only prudent of me to study up. To get myself in a better place to have a conversation. I mean, who was I to take up a place on this cruise when another die-hard fan was left behind? But instead, what I ran into was an entire boat of people who spanned the spectrum of fandom. From the lifelong expert to the novice who simply loves the culture of the vroom vroom.
But what surprised me more than anything was the presence of an expert on board. Someone dedicated to helping me and everyone else unfamiliar with Formula 1 understand the sport and what we were about to see over that weekend. His name was Bob Varsha. He made a name for himself on ESPN, ABC Sports, and the SPEED Channel and was the lap-by-lap commentator for Formula 1. In short, he has been a viewer for decades. A few days before the race, he sat us down to talk us through what to expect. And I felt as prepared as I could be for the race in Monaco.
Stops along the way
I was going to take advantage of this trip. No chance I wouldn’t. So, I got into Rome a couple of days early and decided to spend an obscene amount of money on coffee, pasta, and pizza. While it wasn’t exactly a tough job, I was dedicated to doing it because that is the kind of journalist I am. Once we set sail, we traveled overnight (as cruises typically do) and woke up each night in a new place. Corsica on day two, Portifino on day three, Monte Carlo for the race, St. Tropez, Collioure, Roses, and Barcelona.
The first day in Corsica, I took a drive up over a winding road circling the northern part of the island to get vistas and villages. It was an absolutely gorgeous way to spend a morning in the Mediterranean. The second day, I took a boat ride along the coast of Northern Italy, where I saw Portofino and two other coastal towns (where I learned the colors of the buildings were used the way we use numbers for addresses…so fishermen knew what town was theirs). After Monte Carlo, I walked around St. Tropez and visited new stores in old buildings. And in Collioure and Roses, I walked around French and Spanish villages, checking out the history of the people who lived long before us. Everything was easy, accessible, and mostly taken care of by the staff on board, so I didn’t have to think. Which is perfect for a guy like me.
The race weekend
Right smack dab in the middle of the vacation is one of the most exclusive and premier sporting events of the year. The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most sought-after events on the F1 calendar, and for good reason. On top of the picturesque vistas provided by Monte Carlo, you have an all-out festival experience unlike anything I have ever experienced. On Saturday, there are races to attend and the qualifying laps for the Formula 1 drivers. Easily one of the more interesting days if you have never experienced it, but also, I had a good amount of time to wander the busy streets of Monte Carlo and decide I would likely move there eventually. Nothing to do with the F1, just a gorgeous town.
On Sunday, it was the main event. I was lucky enough to be in the shade by lap ten, and while I was worried I wouldn’t have much to think about between laps because I could only see one turn and a straightaway, in the very few seconds between cars, I had a slew of millionaire yachts to watch the festivities on board. Including a Spider-Man-clad spectator. If you want to know what happened at the race, you can check out the report here.
No better way to become a fan
I became a fan of the NBA when I watched Michael Jordan dunk from the free-throw line. I became a fan of MLB when I watched Ozzie Smith do a backflip at shortstop. I became a fan of the NFL when I watched Barry Sanders shake and bake all the way to the endzone with 11 guys wondering where he went when they thought they had him dead to rights. All of those, however, I experienced at home. Not in the middle of one of the most luxurious vacations of my life.
There are a dozen ways to become a fan of any of the major sports. But, with Windstar Cruises, I don’t think there could ever be a better way to become a fan of Formula 1.
