We sailed aboard Star Flyer in March 2006 along the southern Thailand/Malaysian coast. It was a grand adventure, and we loved every minute of our trip!

Here are a few photos from that trip.

Thanks,
Tom Baylis
Portland, Oregon

Located off the Southeast coast of Koh Tao, Shark Island is one of the most popular dive sites in the area. In 1997, the waters were opened to foreigners after being closed for 50 years. The three dive sites surrounding the island include Shark Drift, Coral Gardens and Anemone Gardens.

In deeper waters, divers may happen upon Leopard sharks or blacktip reef sharks, but cow-tail rays, turtles, honeycomb moray eels, puffers, bat fish, and blue ringed angels are more commonly seen in the shallower waters.

For those who prefer not to dive, the sandy white beaches are ideal for relaxing and sunbathing, and snorkeling is always an option. For a great view, tourists can hike up to the top of the island.

Star Clipper will call at Ko Phawt, Myanmar, on the new seven-night Myanmar itineraries that sail round-trip Phuket, Thailand.

One of the 800 islands that make up the Mergui Archipelago of Myanmar in the Andaman Sea, Ko Phawt is a lush, tropical island that is home to many different species, including the horn bill and the fruit bat, also known as the flying fox. It’s a nature lover’s dream.

Guests will have their strip of sand to choose from as they make their way from the ship. If they’re looking for a picture-perfect beach, then Haad Saikantang is very difficult to beat — white sand, crystal-clear water and fairly limited development giving the impression of a deserted private beach. Other lovely strips include Thong Nai Pan Noi, Bottle Beach, if it’s not too busy, and Haad Khom on the north coast.

Guest may want to take a hike around the island in hope of catching site of the horn bills of Ko Phawt. These are long-tailed, and certain species are brightly colored around their bill and head. They live in the tropical forest, making their homes by nesting in holes in trees and usually fly in large flocks, giving guests the opportunity to capture a striking photograph.

A city full of tradition and culture, Star Clipper guests visit the port of Nyaung Wee, north of Inle Lake in the Shan State of Myanmar — on the new seven-night Myanmar itineraries that sail rounnd-trip Phuket, Thailand. After the ship docks, if guests are not on a shore excursion the best way to move around the island is by bicycle, or if you’re feeling a little lazy rickshaws can easily be found throughout the city.

Inle Lake, the second largest lake in Myanmar, is home to the beautiful floating gardens that are made up of water hyacinths and mud – a photographer’s dream. The Nankand Canal is a popular way of travel, running into Inle Lake, which is surrounded by 200 villages. If you’re lucky you might catch a glimpse of the “one-legged fisherman,” a fishing method specific to the region where the fisherman uses one leg for rowing and one leg for balancing, so the hands are free for fishing nets.

Visitors will notice Stupas scattered throughout the city and countryside. These contain Buddhist relics and are thought to have been places of worship. While in Nyaung guests may want to check out the oldest of these stupas — Yadana Man Aung. Other popular sites include the Museum of Shan Chiefs Stupas.

After taking in the sites, a stroll around Mingala Market is sure to entice shoppers with local wares. The Inle Lake area is renowned for its weaving industry, and the shan-bag, a totebag used daily by many Burmese, is the item to pick up. If the weather’s right, before heading back to the ship you may want to indulge in a relaxing popular local custom like kite-flying or challenge a local in “kite combat,” which is trying to bring down an opponent’s kite.

Come 2010, Star Clipper adds two spectacular seven-night Myanmar itineraries to its Far East roster. The ship will continue to sail it’s popular Northern Route and Southern Route round-trip Phuket, Thailand, cruises, as well. One of the new ports of call is Bo Cho, Myanmar.

Bo Cho Island is one of the many beautiful islands that make up the Mergui Archipelago of Myanmar in the Andaman Sea. It boasts a mile long sandbank, and four or five months out of the year the island is a temporary home to the Moken, who are sometimes referred to as “Sea Gypsies” or the “Salon.”

At their village, the only habitation on the island, tourists are invited to visit and learn about the traditions and survival methods of the Moken. Their lifestyle of living on a boat for seven to eight months out of the year and surviving off of the sea is one that piques interest and curiosity.

During their seafaring months, the Moken go from island to island, traveling in groups of a six or more boats, each boat containing a family, usually of three generations. They use nets, traps, spears, and primitive diving gear to catch fish, shells, sea cucumbers, lobsters, turtles, and sea urchins — some for consumption, but the rest to sell at town markets, which they frequent to gather day-to-day supplies. The thatched roofs of their boats can sometimes be seen covered with marine life drying in the sun in preparation to sell.

Bo Cho also has a beautiful sand bar that is the perfect place to relax while enjoying the view of the lush tropical forest that makes up the island.

Attached are two photos taken on the Star Clipper Andaman Sea cruises this past January/February (we did two back to back cruises of the North and South Islands).

We really enjoyed seeing the sailors on the mast the day we were able to take photos of the ship from the tenders.

The monitor lizards were a big surprise when we had a beach barbecue on one of the uninhabited islands. The lizards came out of the bushes and were eating off people’s plates and knocking over cans. The crew kept throwing shovels of sand on them to no avail. One lizard even licked a friend’s bare back! Another gave my husband a big whack on his leg with its tail. They were up to five feet long! Quite an experience.

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!