Scrambling up the masts of one of the world’s largest sailing ships on rope ladders, crew members gingerly balance on tightrope-like lines to untie knots and let her huge sails unfurl in the wind.
On deck below, a ballet begins as other sailors have to use all their weight to manually pull sail lines taut and meticulously loop miles of rope onto belaying pins. A spectacular morning has begun on Sea Cloud Spirit.
In an era where ship builders are looking for futuristic ways to save energy in cruising, Sea Cloud Cruises‘ new sailing ship does it in beautiful style, paying homage to the past while providing the comforts modern cruisers expect.
Among the largest sailing ships ever built, Sea Cloud Spirit is a square-rigged vessel modelled on classic barques of a century ago but with the comfort and style of a modern Gilded Age. We’re here for the adventure of sailing with luxurious cabins and superb dining.
The 27 sails with a total area of 43,000 square feet of canvas on three masts are not only beautiful, they’re capable of speeding the ship across an ocean on wind power alone. The sails are all set or taken in by hand, and guests don’t have to do anything but marvel at the dramatic show that’s a performance art passed down by training and practice.
It’s so windy this week we often don’t need to hoist the full set of sails to zip through the waves. Once the canvas is catching the breeze, we can cruise along with only the sounds being the whoosh of the waves and gentle ballads being played by a DJ over the sound system on the Lido deck.
Everything about Sea Cloud Spirit is custom built and there will probably never be another one exactly like her. The exquisitely nautical 136-passenger ship is twice as large as either of her two fleet mates: the original Sea Cloud, which dates to the era of the classic sailing yachts of the 1930s and Sea Cloud 2, a replica built in the modern era.
The elegant suites feature polished wooden cabinetry, louvered doors and sleek brass hardware. Even the recessed lights in the ceilings resemble antique portholes. The fixtures in the marble-lined bath with a full whirlpool tub have sparkling golden finishes and there’s a gorgeous custom-made round sink made of luminous gold glass. Luxurious sheet-sized bath towels and robes feature the Sea Cloud sail logo.
All cabins are outside, including 25 unique suites on Deck 3 that feature full walk-out balconies, a luxury that only the owner’s suite on earlier sailing yachts provided. The balconies are beautifully trimmed with varnished wood and furnished with padded lounge chairs.
Other accommodations are deluxe cabins on deck 2 featuring round port-hole style windows and deluxe Lido cabins on Deck 4 that feature large windows that open and overlook the Lido Deck. All include mini-bar with complimentary beverages, coffee maker and personalized stationery,
The ship is outfitted with Starlink satellite wi-fi available in cabins and browsing is speedy, although the standard internet package does not accommodate streaming. In-suite televisions offer movies on demand, but on this cruise in the Caribbean, broadcast television was unavailable.
There’s an elevator between the ship’s four decks—said to be the only lift on a sailing ship–although one of the reasons that elevators haven’t caught on is evident when sails are up. When under sail, the ship develops a list of a few degrees from the push of the wind. Its enough that it makes the elevator unreliable and a Do Not Use sign goes up until the sails come down. Still, it’s a nice amenity at other times.
A full day at sea is a relaxing highlight of the week-long cruise from Sint Maarten around the Leeward Islands. A favorite place to settle in is on the sun deck furnished with clamshell loungers and padded chaises that offer a full panorama of the sails on all three masts. Days with port calls tend to feature mornings under sail and arriving at an island for beach afternoons and explorations or shopping in yacht attractions such as Antigua, the British Virgin Islands or St. Bart’s.
Life can be a bit different than on a large cruise ship. You’ll feel a little more motion of the ocean on a sailing ship. But once you get your sea legs, it’s part of the adventure and I found the rhythmic movement rocks you to sleep at night.
It’s also a small community and you can get to know the crew and guests well in the course of a week. Sea Cloud Cruises is a German line and has a loyal German-speaking audience that outnumbered the English-speaking guests from the United States, Canada and Britain. But language didn’t seem to be much of an issue. In fact on this cruise, a majority of the German-speaking guests were anxious to strike up conversations in English. The presentations at the captain’s receptions were entirely in English and informative lectures in German are repeated at a separate presentation in English.
With another morning at sea under sail ahead, it’s time to find a place to settle in to experience the stillness of a day at sea under sail. We’ll look more closely at life on board in another story.
Sea Cloud Spirit is spending the winter doing immersive voyages through Central America, exploring Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Honduras and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. After voyages in Floria and the Bahamas in March, the ship will cross the Atlantic for a spring season in the Canary Islands, Morocco and Spain. The summer includes Atlantic and Northern European itineraries before the ship returns to the Caribbean in the fall. Details are at Sea Cloud’s website.
Story by Wallace Immen, The Cruisington Times
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