Sail The Caribbean With John Craven

                          

Countryfile presented John Craven will be the special guests aboard a Star Clippers voyage around the Caribbean next January, when the long-time TV star will be talking about his varied career in the media.

John will join Royal Clipper (above) in Barbados on January 25 for a week-long Grenadines voyage to Grenada, the idyllic Tobago Cays, volcanic St Vincent, Bequia, Martinique and mountainous St Lucia, one of the most lush and beautiful of the Caribbean islands. During the week, he will make two presentations about his life and his long TV career, as well as accompanying guests on two excursions. In Grenada, known as the Spice Island, the tour includes a visit to a nutmeg cooperative to learn about the island’s spice production, as well as a swim at Concord Falls. In Martinique, John will accompany guests on a tour of Fort de France and the Botanical Gardens of Balata. He will be available in the evenings to mingle with guests and answer any questions over dinner or a drink.

John Craven presented Newsround from 1972 to 1989, leaving in 1989 to join Countryfile, which he still hosts, aged 73. He was awarded the OBE in 2000 for services to rural and children’s broadcasting and more recently, in 2011, accepted a children’s BAFTA award for his contribution to Newsround.

Star Clippers is offering this unique voyage as a nine-night stay-and-cruise holiday, departing the UK on January 23 and including two nights at the luxurious Tamarind on the ‘Platinum’ west coast of Barbados before joining Royal Clipper. It is priced from £2,459 per person including flights from the UK, transfers, two nights’ B&B at the Tamarind, seven nights’ full board on the five-masted tall ship, cocktail party, John Craven’s talks, two escorted excursions and port taxes. As a cruise-only option departing January 25, the seven-night voyage costs from £1,455 per person.

More info: call 0845 200 6145 or visit www.starclippers.co.uk.  

Have you subscribed to World of Cruising magazine yet? We have a fabulous offer for all new subscribers this year - 50 per cent OFF the regular rate AND the chance to win a cruise in our free prize draw offer. See this link! 

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

Six Top Tall Ship Experiences In 2013

Few experiences in modern cruising can match that of sailing in classic tall-ship style, with the wind billowing the sails and the chance to lounge in the bowsprit net. With that in mind, sail-cruise specialists Star Clippers have compiled their Top 6 for 2013. Valentine’s Day in the Caribbean  Hold hands on a deck-top sun-lounger at midnight watching the twinkling stars in the inky sky high above, lay side by side in the bowsprit net with the waves skimming below, or spot dolphins together at dawn from the decks of a magnificent clipper. The world’s largest full-rigged sailing ship, Royal Clipper, offers some of the most romantic experiences at sea and, for Valentine’s Day 2013, will be in Martinique as part of a 7-night Grenadines cruise. The seven-night sailing departs Barbados on February 9 and costs from £1,390pp, excluding flights. Transit the Panama Canal The Panama Canal is a 50-mile engineering marvel linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, slicing through the mountainous, serpent-like country of Panama. Experience a full Canal transit through the many locks of this magnificent waterway on board the 170-passenger square rigger, Star Flyer, as she repositions from her summer cruising area in Europe to Puerto Caldera in Costa Rica, and vice versa. Because of her grace and beauty, and small size in comparison to other Canal traffic, she is always the focus of much attention during the transit. A 14-night voyage from Panama to St Maarten via the Canal, Cartagena, Aruba, Curacao, the British Virgin Islands and St Barths, departing March 30, costs from £2,610pp, excluding flights.  Learn to Paint and Sketch Try the French and Italian Rivieras or, new for 2013, the beautiful Croatian coastline for the chance to take expert art classes under sail. Both of these themed cruises are led by British artist Richard Nichols, who specialises in seascapes and coastal scenes. Daily ‘Art Afloat’ workshops include tuition in a variety of media and the cruise price includes an artist's backpack containing sketchbooks, paper, watercolours, brushes and pencils. The seven-night Art Afloat cruises cost from £1,599 per person for the French Riviera, on board Star Clipper, departing April 27 and including flights to Nice, transfers, full board on the ship, all art equipment, daily tuition and welcome cocktail party.  Tall Ships Parade in Hamburg From May 9-12, Hamburg hosts the world's largest sailing festival, during which 1.5 million visitors descend on the 800-year-old port to view the magnificent Tall Ships Parade, an assembly of some of the world’s most stunning sailing vessels. Star Flyer will be in Hamburg harbour for all three days of the event, including the grand arrival and departure parades of tall ships, historic ships, cruise ships, sailing and motor yachts and other vessels. There will be a water ballet performed by tug boats, a firework display and a culinary festival set up all along the harbour front. A three-night stay on board for the Hamburg port party costs from £690pp, including all meals on board and sailing excursions during the event (flights extra). St Petersburg Summer cruises in the Baltic mean long, light evenings and the opportunity to sit up on deck at nearly midnight and see the sun finally slip briefly behind the horizon. Experience white midsummer nights in St Petersburg, when the sun only sets briefly in the early hours of the morning. The city’s White Nights festival, or Beliye Nochi, lasts from June 11 to July 2, during which time there are concerts and festivals, and the bridges over the Neva River open all night to let boats through. The magnificent four-masted Star Flyer overnights in St Petersburg on her summer Baltic itineraries; a 10-day voyage round-trip from Stockholm departing June 4 costs from £2,270pp, excluding flights. Christmas 2013 in Costa Rica Imagine spending Christmas Day with scarlet macaws soaring over the forest canopy and howler monkeys swinging through the trees, before sitting down to a traditional Christmas lunch in the bay of Golfito on board Star Flyer. This magnificent clipper spends Christmas 2013 cruising the coastline of Costa Rica, stopping at deserted islands for sunbathing and snorkelling and in harbours and ports along the way to allow guests time to explore the national parks, go horseriding along deserted beaches or strolling along the sands. The seven-night sailing costs from £1,305pp excluding flights, departing December 22.  For bookings, follow this link to The Cruise Line, the UK's luxury cruising specialists.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

Explore The Caribbean Under Sail With Lindblad

For well-travelled cruisers who want to discover the Caribbean by sea, there is not a ship afloat that can match the Sea Cloud’s ambience, illustrious history or the experience she offers. New for 2013, Lindblad Expeditions will introduce three 7-night departures through the Lesser Antilles on this legendary vessel, on February 28 and March 7 and 14.

The world’s most elegant square-rigged tall ship carries just 58 guests. The Sea Cloud flies 30 sails, hoisted the old-fashioned way - by hand - and offers an incomparable mix of sophistication, fine service and informality, the epitome of barefoot elegance. The week-long voyages will explore the “Nature Island” of Dominica, the French-infused cultures of Iles des Saintes, the renowned landscapes of St Lucia, and the idyllic Grenadines.

As the Sea Cloud visits colonial towns, historic forts and botanical gardens, guests will discover a surprising mosaic of French, Dutch, English and Spanish, who all left an indelible imprint on the historic culture and architecture. For those interested in the undersea, there will be several opportunities to learn about reef ecology and to snorkel among colourful corals and tropical fish in the marine reserve of the Tobago Cays and the idyllic Grenadines.

During the voyage, Lindblad and National Geographic’s exemplary staff will illuminate and navigate these cultures, both historic and contemporary, through the expertise of veteran expedition leader Tom O’Brien, naturalist Albert Montaudon (a biologist by training, conservationist by passion and a Lindblad-National Geographic certified photo instructor) and historian Thomas Heffernan, an expert on Caribbean history and languages. Also joining on the March 14 voyage is Kenny Broad, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and  environmental anthropologist who dives in some of the world’s most challenging underwater caves on scientific missions.

Guests embark and disembark the Sea Cloud in Barbados. Rates begin at $6,990 per person based on double occupancy in a category 1 cabin.

For bookings, follow this link to The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK's leading adventure-cruise experts.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.