Star Clippers Blog » Destinations

Cappadocia’s Captivating Land Excursion

Nicole — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:38:54 +0000

Cappadocia, Turkey.

Sailing the Med aboard Star Clippers tall ships just got a lot more legendary. During the 2011-12 Mediterranean sailing season guests will have the opportunity to explore the ancient city of Cappadocia, located in central Turkey, during a pre- or post-cruise land excursion.

This magical two-night tour takes you to the underground cave cities of Cappadocia, where discreet entrances give way to elaborate subterranean worlds. Learn the art of pottery making before setting off to visit the Goreme Open Air Museum and Uchisar Castle where you’ll discover the fairy chimneys and rock-cut churches from the early days of Christianity.

Hike in the dramatic Red and Pigeon valleys; explore Kaymakli, the widest underground city; travel to Cavusin — one of the oldest Greek villages, and marvel at Ortahisar Castle. More adventurous guest can take to the skies and drift over the spectacular Cappadocia landscape with an optional hot air balloon tour.

Port of the Week: Dikili, Turkey

Nicole — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:42:29 +0000

The ancient Greek city of Pergamon.

Situated on Turkey’s north Aegean coast, Dikili is a small fishing town known for its dark sand beaches, picturesque shoreline and warm thermal springs.

With a history dating back to the 2nd century B.C., guests will find that there is a lot to discover and explore while at port in this resort town.

From Dikili, guests can take an optional tour to the stunning historical site of Pergamon, an ancient Greek city that thrived during the Hellenistic period and was the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon. Other notable attractions include the temple of Dionysus, the Acropolis, the town of Bergama and a 10,000-seat theater clinging to the incredibly steep hillside.

Be sure to visit the restored marble-columned Roman Temple of Trajan and the Asclepion, an ancient healing sanctuary named after the god of medicine.

Star Flyer’s “Greek Isles & Turkey” cruise calls at Dikili, Turkey, during the 2011-12 Mediterranean sailing season.

Port of the Week: Hammamet, Tunisia

Nicole — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:41:24 +0000

Hammamet, Tunisia.

“Tunisia’s Saint Tropez” is a fitting description for Hammamet, a former fishing village known for its exotic history, white sand coastlines, ancient buildings and breathtaking villas. Located between the Mediterranean and the Sahara desert, Hammamet’s history is displayed through its bronze statues, pottery and Arabic inspired mosaics exhibited in the town’s museums and archaeological sites.

Guests visiting Hammamet can enjoy a camel ride on the beach at sunset or explore the ruins at the Roman site of Pupput. Other attractions include the Medina, a place of narrow roads filled with historical fountains, mosques and interesting architecture, traditional Arab baths (Hammams) and local pottery artisans.

Star Flyer’s new seven-night itineraries between Malta and Athens, Greece, calls at Hammamet, Tunisia, during the 2011-12 Mediterranean sailing season.

Port of the Week: Skiathos, Greece

Nicole — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:22:58 +0000

Skiathos, Greece.

Skiathos is one of the Greek Sporades Islands located in the Aegean Sea and the birthplace of Alexandros Papadiamantis, one of the most prominent writers of modern Greek literature. The island is famous for its golden sand beaches, thick pine forest, picturesque monasteries and hill-top tavernas.

Although Skiathos is a relatively small island, this emerald oasis attracts thousands of visitors each year who come here to enjoy the beautiful beaches and stunning scenery. Popular beaches on the island include Kanapitsa, Koukounaries and Lalaria, a tiny beach with pearl-white pebbles, crystal clear water and a spectacular natural rock archway.

The island became internationally known after it appeared in the hit movie Mamma Mia, which was partially filmed on Skiathos and nearby island Skopelos.

Guest visiting the island will want to explore the capital, Skiathos Town, known for its traditional architecture, waterfront cafés and lively nightlife, and the ruins of Kastro overlooking the northern Aegean Sea. This impressive fortress was built in 1538 and was used to protect the town from pirates and the Ottomans. Another great attraction for history buffs is the Monastery of Evangelistria. This is the place where Greek soldiers took their oath of allegiance under the first independent Greek flag in the early 1800s.

Star Flyer’s new “Yachtsman’s Paradise” itinerary calls at Skiathos, Greece, during the 2011-12 Mediterranean sailing season.

Mariano’s Marine Memo: Swallows Into the Storm

Mariano — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:32:39 +0000

It is the day of Monday, May 3, 2010 … or in fact during the night … almost the 4th as we head toward Mahon on Menorca, an island in the Balearic archipelago. Since we sailed into the Mediterranean the weather has not been so nice to us … only a few hours of sun and a lot of rain, practically every day. The temperature has dropped down to 16° Celsius … but it is fine. First, it is springtime, the wonderful spring of Europe, and second, it does not disturb me so much, as after 6 months in the Caribbean where the coldest day was 27° I need some chilly air … at least for a couple of weeks.

But tonight we are facing the worst storm of my period on board. Wind force 9 on the Beaufort scale with a sea swell of 6 to 7 meters. Everything is on the floor. My precious collection of sea urchin skeletons has gone … the two and a half kilogram Marine Biology Book just landed on the top of the small paper box holding the fragile calcium carbonate structures. Such a horrible night … we lose a couple of sails … they ripped like old nose tissue during the strong winds that had gusts up to 61 knots. The china from the dining room and the glasses in the bar suffered a similar fate. We count the missing sick bags during the morning (hehehe).

But … and there is always a but after every storm of any kind … on the sea and in life … something happened the morning after. The sea is still rough, the waves around us still big and the rock and roll of the Royal still makes someone disappear once in a while with some sick bags, but with the first sunshine we discover some new guests on board. Some will call them “sin papier” “sin papeles” “clandestine” … moving from one country to the other without any documents, no need for stamps or visas in a passport, free like the wind, no border lines for them.

A very small group, or more correctly, a tiny Flight of Swallows, landed during the night on the Royal Clipper.

Under their scientific classification, swallows belong to the family Hirundinidae of the order Passeriformes. It is likely they were rossing from the northern parts of West Africa, such as Mauritania, Western Sahara and Morocco, to Europe, when they were hit by the storm. And so they took shelter with us — in the Tropical Bar, all over the rigging, down the lights into the wire boxes, on the top of the Zodiacs.

We are not Customs, demanding and exercising their duties, there is no-one to ask for documents, we let them take a rest. We shut down the lights and music and speak silently for two days. The lucky ones managed to fly away in Calvì, northwest of Corsica … another day, another migration, another country. They will spend the summertime in a European country, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Eastern countries, and some of them even as far east as the United Kingdom.

If you survive travelling such long way, in a storm of such force and intensity and you are so small you can stay in my hand, you well-deserve all my admiration. No technological radar for you, no deck hands to help during the strong winds, no warm coffee in the night, my true respect goes to these princesses of the sky. My springtime will be more pleasurable knowing that we helped some of your sisters with a simple, safe, quiet passage on the Royal Clipper.

Take care my friends.

Mariano Peruzzo
Marine Biologist
Royal Clipper
May 6th 2010 Calvì, Corsica, France territory.

Postcards from a Royal Clipper Cruise

Julie — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:02:37 +0000

Here are some beautiful photos of a Royal Clipper cruise sent in by guest Jon Glaser.

Postcard from the Caribbean

Julie — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:00:43 +0000

Salt Whistle Beach (in Mayreau) December 2009. How I always imagined the Caribbean should be. — Scott Schnabel

These Are a Few of My Favorite Ports

Julie — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:24:14 +0000

We asked for photos of your favorite ports on our Facebook page, and guest Linda Coltharp came back with a few!

Fakarava, South Pacific atoll for its remoteness and beauty.

Bora Bora for the most beautiful water in the world.

Iles des Saintes for its quiet charm.

I’ve got a lot more favorites!

Memories of a Star Clippers Cruise

Julie — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:13:53 +0000

Dear Star Clippers,

My husband and I went on the Tahiti cruise from 6 to 13 December 2009. This was our 7th cruise with Star Clippers and we had a wonderful time.

I am attaching some of my favourite pictures. They are very special to me because Tahiti and her islands was a dream come true for us and our favourite spot was the Motu where the beach BBQ took place. They are even more special, as they are the last pictures of my husband. He died unexpectedly on January 15, 2010.

Thank you very much for these wonderful memories – I hope to be back on board eventually…

Best regards,
Roda Gross

A Memorable Sailing on Star Flyer

Julie — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:14:18 +0000

My daughter and I went on a trip to Tahiti as a graduation from high school gift in July 2009. It was the best trip we have ever taken and we have traveled a lot.

We had such a great time and loved the ship so much that when we moved to another house and had to remodel it, we added a huge print of the Star Flyer as the focal point of a wall. This isn’t a great photo of it — it looks much better in person and we get all kinds of comments on it. No one can believe it is the actual ship we were on in Tahiti. It doesn’t show the size well but the wall is about 15 feet across and the picture is about 5 feet high and 6 feet wide. It is a great decoration of the room which is huge itself. — Sandra Hall.

Photos from the cruise:

In the Crow's Nest after climbing the mast.

The ATV excursion in Moorea to the top — the best excursion ever.