The 136-passenger sail ship Sea Cloud Spirit reached another construction milestone. Polish shipbuilding company Choren erected the sailing ship’s 177-foot-tall aft mast during building at Metalship Shipyard in Vigo Spain.
One by one, the three masts of the vessel (initially named "Sea Cloud Hussar"), fully equipped with stays and shrouds, are currently being erected. They will later carry a total sail area of 44132 ft2 (4100 m2) of the canvas.
Daniel Schafer, managing director of the Hamburg-based small cruise company Sea Cloud Cruises, said that as soon as the shrouds and stays were attached and the mast was aligned, they could start testing the engine. He added that at the same time the shipyard was working on the interior fittings of the large sailing ship.
The 136-passenger Sea Cloud Spirit is due to be the 3rd ship in the fleet of Sea Cloud Cruises, joining 4-masted flagship Sea Cloud, built in 1931, and Sea Cloud II, which entered service back in 2001. The newbuild will offer a variety of itineraries in Europe and the Americas.