Andaman Sea
Visit some of the world’s most exquisite islands on board a luxury yacht
The Star Clipper is a luxury fourmast cruise ship that puts the sails into sailing. It has 16 of them — jibs and jibbers, mizzens and topgallants, even one called a spanker — that billow almost 3400sq m of sailcloth at full stretch.
Meandering through the gorgeous islands of the Andaman Sea off Thailand, where the snorkelling in warm water is crazy-good, a clipper ship to call home is a little like falling in love. This is not just a yacht, it’s a dreamboat. Swede Mikael Krafft had a dream to build the first of the Cutty Sark- style barquentines since 1910. Steam’s efficiency had stolen the romance of sail for commercial cargo and it seemed the glorious big clippers were consigned to history.
However, if you build it they will sail, it seems — the Star Clippers fleet now has twins
Star Flyer and Star Clipper (launched in 1992), and big sister Royal Clipper, certified by the
Guinness Book of Records as the world’s biggest square rigged ship.
A voyage on Star Clipper is not just cruising, it is adventure.
It is exciting, challenging and just a little mischievous — when you muck around in boats stuff happens. Remember — when walking, one hand for you and one for the ship, just in case the wind shifts.
But this private 115m-long mega-yacht also has the sort of luxury our great seafarers such as James Cook and Matthew Flinders would not recognise. It’s more Richard Branson than Sydney to Hobart.
Star Clipper has two main decks of ensuite cabins with touches such as TVs and nightly turndown service, two swimming pools with plenty of deck chairs, large open seat dining room, library, spa and shop, but its heart is surely the outdoor Tropical Bar on the main deck. This is where the action happens, from morning exercises to late-night dancing and live music, a midafternoon buffet or just watching the sea slide by with a cool drink while checking the sails overhead.
If it gets hot, the adjoining indoor Piano Bar is air conditioned, with complimentary drinks and snacks on hand to nibble in comfy booths.
One of the pools is overhead, with underwater windows to check on swimmers — very James Bond.
Salts will wander up to the foredeck where the real work happens. Coiled ropes are everywhere — whoops, they are lines or stays, not ropes. You’re a sailor now.
There is a large wheel at the helm for cheesy photos when it is not actually being used for sailing, and you can take an opportunity to climb part way up one of the masts if you dare, with a safety harness.
On a trip like this words like starboard become part of the vocabulary, and knot tying becomes an enviable skill.
The romance of this style of cruising cannot be underestimated. I asked a stack of people on board — Americans, English, Canadians, Catalan, Aussies, Swiss, Austrians, Germans, Welsh, French — what drew them to this trip. A surprisingly common non-verbal response was a hand rising to the heart.
Star Clipper can take up to 170 guests, and on this trip, with more than 100, it never felt crowded despite being a sail vessel (with engines) rather than a usual cruise ship. You might need to do things like take a short cut through the dining room on occasion, but the use of space is clever. You can even suntan while laying in nets over the bow of the ship.
This is not a trip for everyone. If you get queasy, have mobility issues or prefer cruise ships with multiple dining options and Broadway-style theatres, this may not suit.
But if you like lots of teak and brass, a cloud of sails and the bonding of a shared adventure at sea, this neatly blends the luxury of a cruise with the excitement of sailing.
The night-life was a little homemade, but that was part of the fun — a pirate theme night was hilarious, a talent show was fun, and there was plenty of live music and dancing to songs such as Rod Stewart’s ballad ‘Sailing’.
The seven-night itinerary added to the glamour. The calm waters of the Andaman Seas off Thailand departing from Phuket may not be paradise, but are surely en route.
Warm waters, national park islands, jungleclad mountains tumbling down to rocky shores with occasional golden sand beaches, sea life and coral, blue sky, seriously cobalt blue water suddenly switching to startling turquoise ...
There is some of the world’s best diving and as well as supplying snorkelling and other watersport gear, Star Clipper has a scuba dive master on board for deep divers.
Each day on the 1024km voyage saw a different island call, such as Ko Surin, the Similan Islands, Ko Rok Nok and Ko Kradan, where snorkelling was like diving into an aquarium with colourful fish showing curiosity rather than fear.
Phang Nga Bay was full of limestone islands abruptly erupting from the water to form a surreal landscape — one striking island which featured in the 1974 Bond movie The Man With The Golden Gun is now simply known as James Bond Island.
There was also a day in Langkawi in Malaysia where a shore tour option included a robust jungle trek followed by a kayak adventure among mangroves where eagles hunt, setting off after lunch at the Hole in the Wall cafe at a floating fish farm.
One late afternoon after an idyllic deserted island stop where I ran into some of the region’s indigenous sea gypsies relaxing in hammocks after fishing, the captain hilariously ‘ordered’ some of the female guests to hoist a main sail. As the evocative Vangelis track 1492:
Conquest of Paradise boomed, they strained on the lines, the sail unfurled and we were under way, with virtually all guests gathered on the foredeck spontaneously cheering.
And then as one we all fell quiet. The sunset sky turned burnt orange, the warm breeze chased us and we all shared the silent bliss of a special moment.