Small ship cruises in the Far East Alan and Jenny Orchard, Okehampton, Devon, writes We have enjoyed several holidays on the Royal Clipper, Star Flyer and Star Clipper in both the Caribbean and Europe. We were looking forward to going on another trip around Thailand. However, the pirates around the Horn of Africa have prevented the clippers from offering cruises in the Far East. Our question is, are there any sail/cruises that operate in this area, preferably with a reasonable proportion of English-speaking guests? Jane Archer, cruise expert, replies Unfortunately, there are no clipper cruise ships operating in Thailand. But SeaDream Yacht Club (seadream.com) is offering cruises in Asia for the first time in the winter of 2013/14, and although its two ships do not have sails, I think you would find them worthy replacements for the Star Clippers ships. The vessels hold just 112 passengers, have 95 crew and are all about an outdoor lifestyle. There's an indoor restaurant, but if the weather allows, dinner will be served on the top deck. You can swim and go kayaking or sailing from a watersports marina, which is lowered when the ship is at anchor. Entertainment is low-key and you can sleep under the stars on Balinese beds, which are also comfy places for sunbathing. Several of the trips involve time in Thailand, including seven-night voyages from Singapore to Phuket and vice versa on December 21 and December 28, 2013, costing from $4,454 (£2,772) per person, including drinks, gratuities and port fees but excluding flights. You might also consider Seabourn (seabourn.co.uk), which offers 14-day cruises between Singapore and Hong Kong on the 212-passenger Seabourn Legend. On these you stay overnight in Bangkok and spend a day in Koh Kood in Thailand before sailing along the coast of Vietnam. The ship again has low-key entertainment and an aft watersports marina. They cost from £3,968 per person, including drinks and gratuities but excluding flights. Both lines sell mainly in the United States, UK and Europe, so you can expect most passengers to be English-speakers.