Sail off with one of these deals

Whenever I write about a cruise ship “sailing” to or from a destination, I usually mean it is travelling under the power of giant engines. But there are still vessels which use the wind, and passengers can sometimes even join in the task of hauling the sails if they are feeling energetic.
It’s not a spartan experience, however; the vessels operated by Windstar Cruises have flat screen TVs, Bose sound systems and L’Occitane toiletries in the cabins. Despite the ship’s relatively small size, it has two restaurants, two bars, a spa and a casino.
A seven-night Greek islands cruise on the 148-passenger ship Wind Star, starting from Istanbul on September 25 and visiting Kusadasi, Rhodes, Bodrum, Santorini and Mykonos, before finishing in Athens, is available for £1,540. Fare includes return scheduled flights and transfers.
Go to www.windstarcruises.co.uk or call 020 7292 2369.
Tall ship specialist Star Clippers is offering free cabin upgrades and discounts of 10 or 20 per cent for bookings made during National Cruise Week, which begins on Sunday September 19.
On Royal Clipper, the five-masted flagship of the fleet, special offers include sailings out of Barbados in December 2011 and January 2012, and from April, cruises from Barcelona to .Offers on the four-masted,170-passenger Star Clipper are valid for Mediterranean cruises in April, early May and October, as well as four Caribbean sailings from St Maarten in December 2011.
The 20 per cent saving on cruises operated by sister ship Star Flyer applies to five sailings out of Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica in 2010. These Central American voyages call at the laid-back beach resort of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, as well as the national parks, scattered islands and sheltered bays of Costa Rica’s rich, rainforest coastline.
Go to www.starclippers.co.uk or call 0845 200 6145.
Feeling more adventurous? Orion Expedition Cruises, which operates five-star voyages to out-of-the-way destinations in Australia and New Zealand, has waived single supplements for sailings between now and Christmas.
It’s still not a cheap experience; an unforgettable seven-night voyage to the Great Barrier Reef in November, setting out from Cairns and visiting Hayman Island and Hardy Reef en route to Sydney, will set you back £3,045.
Go to www.orionexpeditions.com or call 0207399 7620.
If you’re not a lottery winner, then take a 10-night cruise from Southampton to the Canary Islands on November 8. Balcony cabins from £899 per person (two sharing). Go to www.gillscruise.com or call 0845 6582323.
Finally, what must be the bargain of the week. Fly from London to Barbados on November 20 and board P&O’s Ventura for a 14-night Caribbean cruise visiting Aruba, Jamaica, Grand Turk, St Maarten, Antigua, Dominica and St Lucia. Fares from £999. Go to www.iglucruise.com or call 0208 544 6357.