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A Great New Way to Get to Langkawi
When Captain Yuri Kushenko rang the ship's bell, at 10pm off Phuket, Thailand, we downed our Champagne and joined the crew in helping to raise the vast 36,000 square feet of sail of Star Flyer.
As we pulled the ropes, to the haunting music from the Onegin Line, there was a great billowing above us and in two minutes all 16 white sails on this four-masted barquentine were up - aided by electrically operated winches and capstans.
The Americans said it was "awesome" - and there was no better word. Star Flyer is a perfect replica of an 1850s clipper ship, and soon we too were "clipping" the tops off the waves, a stiff breeze putting the bright lights of Phuket behind us, as we headed out into the Andaman Sea.
Life doesn't get more romantic than this. Visually, the ship is incredible - 360ft long to the tip of her swordfish-like prow, 206ft high to the top of the main mast. Inside she is quite simply a very big yacht, all polished wood and gleaming brass.
Shipboard life takes place around the indoor-outdoor Tropical Bar where 170 passengers gather for briefings, cocktails 'n 'canapes and after dinner frolics. Cosy cabins are vast by yacht standards, craftily exploiting every inch of storage space, though few clothes are required as the atmosphere is "smart casual" - (no jackets, no "cruisewear" sequinned evening dresses. Lots of silk palazzo pants for girls, polo shirts and linen trousers for the guys.)
The beds are big and comfy, too. Few yachts have marble bathrooms - but this one does, with excellent strong showers. And horrible yacht toilets are replaced here by effective vacuum loos. The on-board atmosphere is that of a private, informal yacht party.
Most voyagers (not cruisers, please!) were keen sailors and the itinerary around the desert isles of the Andaman Sea with its famously rich marine life attracted many divers - both experienced and novice. At 9am it was 30C and for the first three days we were tendered over to the Surin, Similan and other virtually uninhabited marine national park islands of incredible beauty - water in stripes of blue as if they had painted the bottom, sand so hot and white it burned the eyes to look at it.
Underwater lay a technicolor paradise. Our Similan beach barbie - fresh fish, succulent steaks, etc, wine out of the chiller was memorable, not least for the dragon-like iguana ambling between the tables and lending an authentic rain-forest note to the revels.
Star Flyer, and her twin sister, Star Clipper, are based in Phuket from November to March plying two different routes, week and week about. Each includes a Malaysian island, Langkawi or Penang.
We had a spectacular shore excursion to stunningly beautiful Langkawi - the best $50 you could spend on a day out as it included a cable car ride over the rain-forest canopy up to a mountain peak from which the view was unsurpassable. Then came a delectably spicy lunch which floored the Americans, Germans and French who made up the most of the passenger list, while 10 Brits, so used to curry, felt quite at home with it.
The food on board was adored by all - from the magnificent breakfast with its chef who cooked hot dishes to order, through themed lunch buffets with platters of smoked fish and charcuterie and salads, to the nightly five course dinners - always an exotic Thai dish giving variety to the more traditional steaks, roasts and innovative fish dishes and plentiful luscious seafood. Creamy puddings were also a hit.
The liberal, "sit where you like, with whom you like" dining policy meant that you got to meet nearly everybody on board. We made our best friends with fellow English and American passengers: Harry and Jane from Surrey, in their late 60s, inveterate divers, sun-bathers and rock-climbers, Up for everything, they climbed the lofty mast strapped into a harness, and would lie in the nets suspended under the 46ft long bowsprit. There were honeymooners from Nebraska, medics from Cardiff, diplomats from Berlin and Washington, jewellers from Jo'burg - an eclectic bunch, and for the most part, excellent company.
All of them loved the small ship feel, the ease of making friends, the informality, the lack of queueing. To remind us what kind of vessel we were sailing on, each day offered an on-deck nautical teach-in. You could learn about the stars, the intricacies and functions of knots, the role of each sail. Or you just chill out in the sun, alternating tropical torpor with a swim in one of the two pools, sipping an icy Singha beer in contemplation of the next desert island.
Or when it grew too hot, reading in the air-conditioned, wood-panelled library with velvet banquettes and art deco fireplace. Even the most nervous of sea-going stomachs will have no fears in this gently-breezy weather.
In any case, the ship has a nifty ballast system to slow the roll by two seconds - the difference between a glass staying upright or spilling the contents in your lap!
Langkawi 28/04/2004
