Quepos, Costa Rica.

Quepos, Costa Rica is a tropical inlet surrounded by lush rain forests just 100 miles from the capital of San Jose. Guests will want to explore the village center with its delightful six-block square of restaurants, bars, art galleries and gift shops, all fronted by the main beach. Fishermen on board will want to try their hand as Quepos is well-known for its bill fishing or for a a more adventures day the nearby Rio Naranjo is sure to entice river rafters. Quepos also is the gateway to Manuel Antonio National Park, the most popular National Park beach in Costa Rica, and an excellent way to spend the day enjoying the regions spectacular flora and fauna among its secluded beaches.

Star Flyer will call at Quepos during its seven-night Panama to Costa Rica cruise, November 14, 2010.

Curu contains Costa Rica’s first private national wildlife refuge. Located on the southern Nicoya Peninsula, the area offers easy access to see some of the most sought-after species such as howler and spider monkeys, scarlet macaws, collared peccary, coyotes, iguanas and hundreds of species of tropical and migratory birds. An almost-extinct species of oyster (Ocypode occidentalis) can be found here, as well as lobsters, chitons and mouthless crabs. All five of Costa Rica’s mangrove species are represented in Curu. The refuge is one of the few places in Central America where agriculture, scientific research and tourism exist in harmony.

Star Flyer will call at Curu on the seven-night round-trip Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica, cruises beginning November 2010.

Isla del Caño, Costa Rica.

Isla del Caño is a small island in the Bahia de Coronado (Bay of Coronado) in Costa Rica. The Island has been established as a protected national park, serving as home to migratory birds and marine environments.

This is an ideal port to take advantage of water activities such as snorkeling, kayaking or just soaking in the rays and stunning view. Divers on board will be pleased to learn the island is believed to offers some of best diving in Costa Rica (after Cocos Island) and is one of the world’s newest hot spots for adventure diving.

Located off the southwest Pacific coast of Costa Rica, this virgin area offers a variety of unique diving attractions, from 15-16′ reefs to 80′ “walls”. The rock formations are volcanic origins; sea fans, cup coral, head corals are the most common. Many of the same species you find in the Galapagos Islands live here and because of its status as a biological reserve the diving in Caño Island is regulated.

Throughout the island guests will find evidence of its history by taking a short hike through the lush forrest. Incredible stone spheres that have been found here, all of which are hand carved and perfectly rounded and date back to the pre-Columbian era.

Star Clipper will call at Isla del Caño on its seven-night Panama to Costa Rica cruise November 2010 and on its seven-night Costa Rica and Panama cruise sailings November and December 2010 and January, Feburary and March, 2011.

Isla Coiba, Panama.

Sailing into Coiba Island, Panama, guests on board Star Flyer will find themselves in a UNESCO World Heritage site. The largest of a group of 38 islands off Panama’s southwestern coast, Coiba features an unusual marine environment in largely intact condition similar to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador or Costa Rica’s Coco Islands.

The region’s rich biodiversity was noted in 1991 when the Panamanian government granted the islands and their surrounding waters national park status. The park now covers more than 430,000 acres, making it one of the largest marine parks in the world.

A water temperature that varies little from 80 degrees Fahrenheit year-round has allowed a great number of marine species, especially corals, to flourish. This is the perfect port of call to take advantage of Star Clippers’ wide variety of water sports. Divers on board will be delighted to discover that the waters around Coiba Island harbor no fewer than 760 species of marine fish, 33 species of shark and 20 species of cetaceans.

Nature enthusiasts also will marvel at the variety of birds, animals and marine species found nowhere else in the world. Endemic species include the Coiba Island howler monkey, the Coiba agouti (a small rodent) and the Coiba spinetail bird. The island also is home to many plant and animal species that have largely vanished from the mainland, such as crested eagles, scarlet macaws, spider monkeys and the yellow-billed cotinga.

Through the years, Coiba has seen many changes, from its early rulers the Cacique Indians to Spanish rule, which arrived in the 1500s and included tales of Vasco de Nunez Balbao, the famed Spanish explorer. In the early 20th century the island also served as a penal colony to some of the country’s hardest criminals.

Guests can explore what little remains of the former penal colony, but its existence proved to be beneficial to the island — its population’s fearsome reputation helped to preserve the island’s pristine condition, which remains almost completely undeveloped outside the bounds of the prison camp.

Star Flyer will call at Isla Coiba on a seven-night Panama to Costa Rica cruise Nov. 14, 2010 and on seven-night Costa Rica and Panama sailings from Nov. 28, 2010 through March, 6, 2011.

Huguette Lubrano, Star Clipper’s shore excursion manager, captured this beautiful photo while in Golfito, Costa Rica. The scarlet macaw is just one of the many wildlife species that can be seen while exploring Golfito, Costa Rica.

Star Flyer will begin calling at Golfito, Costa Rica, in November 2010.

Costa Rica makes it debut on Star Clippers’ roster beginning November 2010, when Star Flyer repositions to the Central American country. Star Flyer will call at some of the country’s most exciting ports including Isla Tortuga, home to Curu National Reserve. The private national wildlife refuge is located on the southern Nicoya Peninsula. The area offers opportunities to see some of the most sought-after species such as howler and spider monkeys, scarlet macaws, collared peccary, coyotes, iguanas and hundreds of species of tropical and migratory birds.

Huguette Lubrano makes a new friend in Costa Rica.

The pristine beaches of Isla Tortugas, Costa Rica.

Wildlife in Costa Rica.

The town of Golfito is located on the southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica near the border of Panama. From the northern section, trails go up to the Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Golfito (Golfito Wildlife Refuge) on the hill, which extends across to the other side of the bay and is part of the national parks of Costa Rica. The area has some of the highest rain forests in Central America, and much of the region surrounding the town is characterized by tall evergreen forest.

Beautiful beaches such as Playa Zancudo and the surfing paradise Pavones are within easy reach from Golfito by car, boat or bus.

Star Flyer will call at Golfito on it’s new round-trip Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica, itineraries beginning in Nov. 2010.

Discovered by Sir Francis Drake in 1579 during his circumnavigation of the globe, Drake Bay is one of the most popular destinations in the region. Drake Bay is exclusively accessible by boat and is home to Parque Nacional Corcovado, the tallest primary rain forest on the planet and home to nearly 400 species of birds, 139 species of mammals and 116 species of amphibians and reptiles. Also near Drake Bay is the smaller Marenco Biological Station, where guests can hike through moss-festooned rain forest replete with toucans, monkeys, curassows and tanagers, or ride a horse to the Rio Claro for a swim. The tiny island has a wealth of underwater beauty, and gives guests the chance to swim among brightly colored tropical fish and dolphins.

Welcome to Star Clippers’ new blog. The Star Clippers Blog Web site will serve as the portal for news and information, images and video, gossip and discussion about Star Clippers and its fleet of three tall ships. We’re happy to have you browse through our pages and read all of the latest news about Star Clippers.

While a large number of posts will come from the ships’ staff, we encourage guests to send in posts as well. If you sailed on a Star Clippers ship and took some photos you’d like to share, please send them to us with your name, who is in the photo, what ship you sailed on and where you are if in port. You can send these to info@starclippersblog.com. Don’t worry about sizing, we’ll take care of that.

We also invite you to send in questions or post comments on the different entries. To post a comment, you’ll need to register, but your information will not be shared with anyone. Our goal is to make this the most interactive blog possible and to create an online community of folks who are fans of Star Clippers.

We’re very excited about this new adventure, and we hope you enjoy reading the blog as much as we enjoy producing it. Again, welcome!

Set against the prehistoric volcanic hills to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, San Juan del Sur is one of Nicaragua’s most beautiful areas. The inhabitants make their living fishing, diving, and catering to the visitors drawn to the bay’s stunning white-sand beaches, smooth waters and ecological richness. From here, guests can journey to Granada, the country’s main tourist destination. Granada possesses active volcanoes and unique cloud forest ecosystems, and for centuries it has been called “The Great Sultan” in recognition of its impressive colonial architecture.