Capture the Med - new photo-cruise with Star Clippers

In conjunction with cruise retailer WeCruise, tall ship sailing specialist Star Clippers is offering a themed photography cruise from Athens to Venice on the 170-passenger Star Clipper in 2012, taking in some of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful and photogenic locations.

With photography classes and expeditions ashore escorted by award-winning photojournalist Philip Dunn (pictured), the voyage includes calls at Mykonos, Santorini, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar and Venice – a grand finale for which participants will be encouraged to get up at dawn to photograph the ship gliding across the Lagoon and along the Giudecca Canal.

Philip has 40 years’ experience as a professional photographer and has worked for the Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, the BBC, and many of the UK’s other top newspapers and magazines. He also runs his own photographic holidays.

During the voyage, there will be numerous opportunities to learn from Philip in hands-on workshops all about photographing the ship and crew in action, as well as the destinations. Participants will be invited to climb the masts for a bird’s-eye view of the ship from the Crow’s Nest, and step into the bowsprit nets for a unique perspective on the ship cutting through the blue water.

The 12 night holiday costs from £2820 per person, including return flights from Heathrow, a night post-cruise in Venice, transfers, daily photographic workshops, a welcome party and an 11 night sailing on Star Clipper from Athens to Venice, with all meals, departing July 14. To book, call 0844 3340812.

To contact Star Clippers, tel. 0845 200 6145 or visit www.starclippers.co.uk

UK author and film producer, Peter Crawford, will be guest lecturer on board the Aranui 3’s two-week voyage to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, departing from Tahiti on 4 February 2012.

Peter, who spent three years travelling through the Polynesian islands, researching his book ‘Nomads of the Wind’ and producing an epic five-hour, award-winning television series for the BBC, has a special passion for the Marquesas Islands, which he enjoys sharing with other travellers.

During the 14-night voyage on board Aranui, Peter will entertain passengers with extracts from his films and pictures from his book. He captivates audiences with descriptions in English and French of how he and his film crew ‘turned back the clock’ to recreate the remarkable Polynesian voyages of discovery. Passengers gain a real insight into the unique island way of life that flourished long before the arrival of Europeans who came to Polynesia in the wake of Captain Cook.

The most remote archipelago in the world, the French Polynesian Marquesas Islands are best known for their wild beauty, cultural heritage and welcoming people.

The custom-built, state-of-the-art Aranui 3 is the only ship to sail the 2,200 mile round trip from Papeete to all six inhabited islands in the Marquesas. Departing every three weeks, all year round, it acts as a lifeline to inhabitants, delivering everything from beer to bulldozers and cement to sugar to the isolated islands.

Described as ‘the freighter to paradise’, the cargo carrier doubles as a passenger ship, providing comfortable accommodation in 86 fully air-conditioned cabins, including 10 large suites with balconies. Two lounges, a large dining room serving French and Polynesian cuisine, a swimming pool and gymnasium, plus a full programme of lectures on Marquesan history, culture and art are also part of the experience. English is spoken on board and all presentations are given in both English and French.

At each South Pacific island destination, passengers are taken ashore by wooden whaleboat or barge and welcomed by locals with flower garlands, dancing and music. Four-wheel drive jeep safaris take participants through spectacular mountain scenery to explore mysterious, unspoiled jungles and to experience the fascinating and individual culture of each of the islands.Visitors to the Marquesas witness pearl farmers harvesting rare black pearls from giant oysters. They travel through the mountain spires of Ua Pou, described by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1880 as ‘volcanic needles like the pinnacles of some ornate church’. They marvel at the restored Me'ae Te Iipona in Puamau, one of the most significant ancient temples in French Polynesia, famous for the largest stone tiki in the region after the mysterious figures on Easter Island.

Prices for the February 2012 departure start from £3100 (Euros 3511) per person sharing a standard twin bedded outside cabin with private facilities including all meals with wine, all land-based sightseeing excursions and taxes.

Flights to/from Papeete, Tahiti are not included in these prices. Air France and Air Tahiti Nui fly to Papeete (via Paris and Los Angeles), with prices from around £1750 pp return.

For further information visit www.aranui.com

Connect with Alaska

Shaped by massive glaciers over millions of years, the temperate rainforest of Southeast Alaska (also known as the Alaska Panhandle) reveals wildlife-rich fjords and spectacular scenery. The Tongass National Forest—the largest in the US—is 16.8 million acres and consumes the majority of area. Other features include Glacier Bay National Park; Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof Islands; and Misty Fjords National Monument.

Recognized as a biosphere reserve since 1986, in 1992 the 3.3-million-acre Glacier Bay National Park also became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, 15,000-foot mountains rise straight out of the ocean and massive glaciers flow across the landscape, covering thousands of square miles. Explore this unforgettable “natural laboratory” where receding glaciers reveal a landscape that has been covered with ice for tens of thousands of years.

The vessels of InnerSea Discoveries and American Safari Cruises carry 12 to 86 guests and show you an Alaska the big ships can’t—up narrow passages and into secluded fjords; discovering cultures and learning Tlingit history; embracing the wilderness and playing outside along Alaska’s rugged coastlines. Enjoy kayaking, hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, and exploring by skiff on their 7 to 21-night Alaska adventures.

For more information visit this link for adventure cruise specialists The Cruise Line.