Tall ship sailing specialist Star Clippers has announced a new series of shorter, fully-crewed cruises for 2020/21, giving guests a chance to experience life on board an elegant clipper ship and to explore some of Europe’s most beautiful, romantic and less-visited ports.
Star Clippers Mini-Cruises:
3 nights, Greek Islands, 6th May 2020
For the ultimate mini-break in the Greek islands, join the elegant Star Flyer on a three-night round-trip sailing from Athens, departing 6th May 2020. The head-turning ship drops anchor by the iconic island of Mykonos with its white windmills and traditional houses and the island of Hydra where tavernas hug the curving harbour, filled with yachts and boats. Prices start from £1089pp including return Gatwick flights, transfers to and from the ship, 3 nights on board, all meals and port charges.
5 nights, Greece, Italy and Malta, 30th October 2020
Three countries, five nights and a heady blend of Greek and Italian history makes for a magnificent, autumn short sailing, calling into ports and harbours inaccessible by large cruise ships. Star Flyer departs from Piraeus on 30th October 2020 to make a spectacular sailing around the Peleponnese, to Sicily and finally Malta. First port call is Monemvasia, a medieval fortress town on a mass of rock rising hundreds of feet above the Aegean Sea before sailing to Pilos – an ancient town and classical site on the west coast of the Peleponnese. As the head-turning Star Flyer traverses the Ionian Sea between Greece and Italy, guests have the chance to spend a day at sea learning the ropes, taking the ship’s wheel, climbing the rigging or simply relaxing on deck in the midst of the sea. On 3rd November Star Flyer drops anchor alongside Syracuse, Sicily, one of the Mediterranean’s oldest cities with its medieval streets, cafes spilling onto baroque piazzas and remnants of ancient Greek occupation. The final port call includes a dramatic entry between the fortified walls of Malta’s Grand Harbour, Valetta, to berth alongside this ancient and tiny capital city. Prices start from £1399pp and includes return Gatwick flights, transfers to and from the ship, 5 nights on board, all meals and port charges and a night post-cruise in the Grand Hotel Excelsior, Valetta.
5 nights, Portugal, Morocco, Gibraltar and Spain
Book before 31st January 2021 for a 20% saving off a magnificent 5 night sailing aboard the world’s largest full-rigged clipper, Royal Clipper. From just £1100pp Star Clippers offers a sailing on board their flagship vessel, embarking in Lisbon on 19th April 2021 and visiting Portimao, a historic fishing and shipbuilding centre, now attracting international tourists and sailors to its calm blue waters, historic town and golden beaches. The next port of call is Tangier, Morocco – a fascinating melting pot of cultures with its mosques, markets, palaces and walking streets. Royal Clipper then traverses across the Straits of Gibraltar to make the 20 mile sailing to Gibraltar, with its 426m high monolithic limestock `Rock’ towering above the historic city. Finally the ship makes two port calls in Spain, the seaside resort of Motril – nestled between towering mountains and the Mediterranean – and to Malaga, one of the oldest cities in the world and birthplace of Picasso. The price of £1100pp includes 5 nights on board Royal Clipper, all meals and port charges.
9th June 2021 Venice, Croatia and Slovenia
Sailing along the Grand Canal with views across the bell towers and rooftops of Venice is a magnificent and memorable experience. Guests on board Royal Clipper will have the opportunity to see the city from the decks on both the first and last day of a 3 night mini cruise, departing from Venice on 9th June 2021. On 10th and 11th June the head turning Royal Clipper calls into two of the Adriatic’s most historic peninsulas, the Croatian town of Rovinj and the Slovenian town of Piran, both heavily influenced by Italian occupation and Venetian culture. For bookings made by 31st January 2021 Star Clippers is offering a 10% saving off the cruises, bringing the price down to £742pp, to include all meals on board and port charges.
Star Clippers’ three magnificent tall ships offer the exhilaration of sailing beneath billowing sails, never far from the water, in the company of around 200 like-minded guests. Relax on the scrubbed teak deck, beneath billowing sails. Lie in the bowsprit net as the bow slices through the waves. Climb the rigging up to 67’ (over 20 metres) for a magnificent birds eye view of the sun decks and pools, amid the sails and the rigging. Enjoy long, relaxing days at sea, and many more ashore, discovering far off and idyllic islands, beaches, small villages and lush, tropical forests, calling into small ports and harbours inaccessible by larger vessels.
The world’s third-largest island, Borneo, is an exciting new destination for the first time for Star Clippers in 2020.
