Flying Clipper Mystery Solved: 5-Masted Ship Finally Sailing

what it would look like with sails up 10 — Brodosplit ship as it looks under full sail--courtesy www.croatiaweek

This story has been updated:

A long-standing mystery was finally solved as UK-based start-up Tradewind Voyages began sailing the world’s largest square-rigged sailing ship Golden Horizon. A four-year drama even had a dramatic final act, as a last-minute attempt to seize the ship in a payment dispute was apparently resolved–at least for the moment.

Carrying 272 passengers with a crew of 159, the ship is doing voyages from the UK to northern Europe, with plans to sail in Asia in the winter, the company says.

The replica of one of history’s most legendary ships was supposed to enter service for Star Clippers in 2018, but it go caught in a custody battle. The original 70 million Euro contract between Brodosplit shipyard that was building the ship and Star Clippers owner Mikhail Krafft was terminated because both sides claimed violations of the contract, according to news reports.

The ship will continue to be owned by Brodosplit, a Croatian shipyard which is a subsidiary of the DIV Group and chartered by the startup cruise company.

It’s been a long-running saga. Construction of the square-rigged barque–a near-replica of the legendary sailing ship France II–started five years ago and, according to Brodosplit, delivery deadlines were missed in 2018 due to the buyer’s delay in delivering masts, rigging and sails, as well as necessary technical documentation.

The shipyard told Seatrade Cruise News it is no longer obliged to hand over the ship, adding “there is a great deal of interest in this unique vessel.” The new ship is capable of setting 68,000 square feet of sail, which is twice the sail area of the famed clipper ship Cutty Sark.

Star Clippers counter-claimed the shipyard missed deadlines and the Split shipyard failed to meet the conditions for completion of the ship.

In a last minute attempt by Star Clippers to reclaim the ship, UK authorities acting on behalf of Star Clippers and the Admiralty Marshall arrested Golden Horizon at the port of Dover on July 15.

On July 16, Star Clippers revealed it did receive, “a first payment from Brodosplit towards its outstanding debt’ and therefore Star Clippers instructed the immediate release of the vessel, while advising the shipyard ‘to pay the remaining financial obligations due without further undue delay to avoid further enforcement action…’”

The ship is bigger that what is currently the world’s largest sailing ship, the five-masted Royal Clipper, which is owned and operated by Star Clippers. The company also operates modern four-masted barquentines Star Clipper and Star Flyer.

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