Sea Cloud Cruises is happy to announce that the new Sea Cloud Spirit has been delivered from the Vigo, Spain shipyard. She has passed all necessary tests, and her maiden voyage has been set for September 14 for a 10-night roundtrip Rome to Rome. She will spend the fall in the Western Mediterranean and the upcoming winter season in the Canary Islands. As cruising makes its return, the newbuild with a capacity of only 136 guests, is expected to become a nice alternative for younger guests looking for a smaller cruise experience. She will be a modern sailing ship, offering guests plenty of space under the open sky, flexible dining times (both inside and outside), balcony cabins, an exclusive and spacious spa/wellness area, and an elegant interior-design combined with a classical yacht-style feel. However, like her sister ships, she will also incorporate a traditional sailing experience, sailing the way it was always meant to be done, by hand.
Sea Cloud Spirit Joins a Fleet Rooted in American History
The Sea Cloud Spirit will become the third ship for Sea Cloud Cruises, who currently sail the Sea Cloud and the Sea Cloud II. The Sea Cloud is the oldest sailing passenger ship in the world and has a history unlike any ship ever built. First, as a private yacht for American socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post, then a floating diplomatic palace for leaders from all over the world, and later a warship ship for the Americans during WWII. The story of the Sea Cloud is more exciting than a novel.
This year she celebrates her 90th birthday, and it is fitting that the new Sea Cloud Spirit launches the same year. The new ship’s name is fitting, since the deep rooted “spirit” of the Sea Cloud welcomes in a new era of sailing!
Luxurious and Elegant on the Sea Cloud Spirit
Like her sister ships, Sea Cloud Spirit will offer upscale cruising, 25 of the 69 outside cabins will be equipped with balconies, including the three owner suites. The spacious wellness area will impress with three treatment rooms, a Finnish sauna, a steam bath, and a hairdressing salon. The separate fitness area will be located on the sundeck of the ship.
Protecting and Preserving Nature Under Full Sails
The experience of nature is at the center of every journey on the yacht. Roughly 4,100 m² (44,100 square feet) of sails will billow under the sky, surrounded by wind and waves, bringing guests up close to nature. The new ship represents environment-friendly, gentle eco-tourism at the highest level. Eco-friendly marine-diesel is already used on both existing tall-ships, and a low consumption hybrid machine (diesel-electric) will be used for the Sea Cloud Spirit.
And like its sister ships, the majority of each trip is conducted under the sails, engines off, the cleanest way to travel. It takes the crew almost one hour to hoist the sails by hand, and it is a fascinating spectacle each and every time. Once firmly enveloped in a romantic tall ship setting, you will understand just why traveling on the new Sea Cloud Spirit is the most beautiful part of the adventure.
