Golden Horizon

Former names: Flying Clipper, Brodosplit 483

Golden Horizon current position

Golden Horizon current location is at Adriatic Sea (coordinates 43.52762 N / 16.44536 E) cruising en route to Split. The AIS position was reported 10 minutes ago.

Current Position

Specifications of Golden Horizon

Year of build2019  /  Age: 5
Flag state Croatia
BuilderBrodosplit Shipyard (Split, Croatia)
Class5-Masted Schooner (sailing ship)
Building costEUR 100 million (USD 110 million)
Speed20 kn / 37 km/h / 23 mph
Length (LOA)162 m / 531 ft
Beam (width)19 m / 62 ft
Gross Tonnage8770 gt
Passengers272 - 330
Crew159
Decks4
Cabins140
Former namesFlying Clipper, Brodosplit 483
Christened bytba
OwnerDIV Group Ltd (Croatia)
OperatorTradewind Voyages UK Ltd

Golden Horizon Review

Review of Golden Horizon

The 2019-built Golden Horizon cruise ship (fka "Flying Clipper") was originally planned to be chartered to Star Clippers as the company's newest (fleet's 4th) sailing vessel. The megayacht (square-rigger / 5-Masted Schooner) is also the world's ever largest clipper (tall-sailing ship).

The vessel (IMO number 9793545) is currently Croatia-flagged (MMSI 238129940).

On June 5, 2020, the shipowner (DIV Group Ltd/Croatia) announced that the sailship will be chartered to Tradewind Voyages UK Ltd instead of Star Clippers Ltd. The boat charterer Tradewind Voyages manages the vessel and most onboard and ashore operations (hotel, wellness, shopping, entertainment, water sports, tours/shore excursions). For the ship's Deck-, Hotel- and Engine operations was contracted the DIV Group's subsidiary company BSM (Brodosplit Ship Management).

The vessel was renamed "Golden Horizon", rebranded and scheduled to start cruises for Tradewind in May 2021. Tradewind Voyages plans to charter more newbuilt sailships and expand operations over the coming years. The company's CEO is Alan McGrory.

DIV Group Ltd is a 1990-founded Croatian industrial group, also Brodosplit Shipyard's owner. The corporation DIV Group operates in 30 countries, fully owns 55 subsidiary companies and specializes in shipbuilding, steel structure manufacturing, marine engine manufacturing, railway infrastructure, among others.

Golden Horizon cruise ship (Tradewind Voyages) Flying Clipper

Flying Clipper was intended as Star Clippers' biggest ship, and also the company's first newbuild (since the 2000-built Royal Clipper). The shipbuilder is Brodosplit Shipyard (Split Croatia). The vessel was launched on June 10, 2017, and scheduled for delivery in 2017-Q4 but was rescheduled for 2018-Q1 and finally for 2019-H2.

The ship was designed by Zygmunt Choren (Polish naval architect) and modelled on France II - the 1912-built sailing vessel which was the world's biggest at its time. Previously, Star Clippers modelled Royal Clipper (capacity 227 passengers) on Preussen (German, steel-hulled 5-masted ship, 1902-built). Flying Clipper's rig is the same as that of the cargo ship France II, which sank in 1922.

Currently ranked the world's largest tall sailing ship, Golden Horizon has max passenger capacity 330 (plus 140 crew-staff), volume 8770 GT-tons, and is wind-powered (by 68320 ft2 / 6347 m2 of sails) - a total of 42 sails (all square-rigged). Alternative power is provided by new-design, fuel-efficient diesel engines.

Golden Horizon cruise ship (Tradewind Voyages) Flying Clipper

If you're interested in maritime technologies and the vessel details, see the ship's Wiki section.

Decks and Cabins

Flying Clipper/Golden Horizon staterooms are 140, in 3 types (Suite, Balcony, Porthole) and 14 categories. All cabins on Deck 3 (Main Deck) have a step-out balcony. The four Owner Suites are all located forward on Deck 4 (Upper Deck/Pool Deck).

All cabins are outside, with smart HDTVs (satellite reception), en-suite bathrooms (WC-toilet, shower, washbasin), plenty of luggage storage space. Complimentary bottled water (replenished daily) and twice-daily housekeeping service are also provided. Balcony cabins have a shower over the bathtub. Suites are with separate shower-bathtub. Cabin decors reflect clipper ships' Golden Age - marked by polished wood furniture and prints on the walls of the world's most famous sailships.

The boat has 4 decks, all of which have cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The ship has one restaurant (main dining room) spanning 2 decks and with an open-seating arrangement, large windows, wood paneling. The Restaurant's entrance is from the Lobby level of the 3-deck high Atrium. Meals include buffet-style breakfast and lunch. Dinner is waiter-served, with a choice of gourmet dishes and vegan-vegetarian options.

BBQ parties are held in Horizon Bar (on sun deck) and also ashore.

Tea, coffee and fresh fruits are complimentary and always available.

Golden Horizon cruise ship (Flying Clipper)

Ship's focal point is the alfresco Horizon Bar (fka Tropical Bar / Star Clippers' hallmark) hosting port talks, live musical entertainment, shows, exercise classes, outdoor dining (BBQ, light lunch food, afternoon snacks). Inside, there is an elegant Piano Bar for those who prefer casual buffet lunch, calm music and air-conditioning. The ship also offers a Dive Bar by the swimming pool on the aft deck.

The company provides complimentary 24-hour room service.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The sailing cruise ship Golden Horizon has two plunge pools. One of the swimming pools is glass-bottomed, funneling sunlight through into the Atrium below. A third pool (scuba diving pool) is located aft (close to the stern), descending 18 ft (5,5 m) through 2 decks. This pool is glass-walled, allowing guests to watch the divers. Diving classes are offered onboard as the ship carries its own professionally-trained Dive Master.

Golden Horizon cruise ship (Tradewind Voyages) Flying Clipper

The aft-located water sports platform (marina at the ship's stern) is lowered when Flying Clipper is at anchor. Complimentary water sport activities include snorkeling, dinghy sailing, waterskiing, sea kayaking. When the ship is at open sea, a signature onboard fun activity is supervised mast-climbing. Passengers are also allowed to lounge in the 2 nets strung on either side of the bowsprit.

This sail cruise ship also has a small SPA (Sauna Room, Snow Room, Jacuzzi, Treatment Room for Thai massages), Beauty Salon (facials, manicure/pedicure, hairstyling, blow-dries), Library, Function Room (meeting room for guest lectures and private events). Tradewind Voyages has no kids' programming. Babysitting and childcare are also not available onboard. However, kid-friendly activities are occasionally organized on select itineraries during the summer holidays.

The company provides complimentary live entertainment - a resident pianist (at Piano Bar) and local performers (boarding the ship in call ports). Debeljak's Bar Lounge is the venue for after-dinner cocktails and premium brand gin and whisky offerings.

Passengers are encouraged by the crew to participate in the ship's navigation and even setting the sails. Other popular onboard activities include wine tastings, cooking demos, and sundeck-hosted games. From the aft Marina are launched complimentary water sports. Also complimentary are the Fitness classes held on Sun Deck.

Tradewind Voyages 2021-2022 (inaugural cruise itinerary program)

For summer 2020, Star Clippers planned for Flying Clipper cruises in Europe (Mediterranean). Following a Transatlantic repositioning crossing, during winter 2020-2021, the sailship was planned to operate cruises in the Caribbean.

Golden Horizon ship's Inaugural Cruise in 2021 was initially scheduled for May 1st, but later rescheduled for July 1st (both leaving from Harwich). Tradewind Voyages' Northern Europe 2021 itinerary program includes ports and destinations in the UK, Iceland, Norway (Svalbard Islands, Norwegian Fjords), Baltic ports (also St Petersburg Russia).

The Baltic itineraries have durations 7-14-21-days and are all roundtrips from the UK. Select voyages are 10- and 11-days in length. The ex-UK program (May through September 2021) has a total of 9 itineraries, including 7 from Harwich (England) and 2 from Greenock-Glasgow (Scotland).

Other destinations to be served by Tradewind Voyages with SV Golden Horizon (SV=sailing vessel) include Asia, South Pacific, Australia-New Zealand, Arctic.

In 2022, due to the Russia-Ukraine war (which started on Feb 20th) and the following EU sanctions against Russian entities (particularly, VTB Bank Germany - Tradewind's Russia-based creditor), Tradewind Voyages canceled all Golden Horizon sailings (24x total) between May 1st and October 26th (2022).

Next table shows Golden Horizon's schedule for 2021-2022, which was eventually canceled.

Departure DateItinerary (Theme+Ports)Prices pp (GBP)
April 22, 20216-day "The Delivery Voyage" Lisbon-Leixoes (Oporto)-Vigo-La Coruna-Portsmouth600
May 1, 202114-day "Scotland and England" Harwich-Newcastle-Leith (Edinburgh)-Dundee-Aberdeen-Invergordon-Scrabster-Ullapool-Portree-Fort William-Port Ellen (Isle of Islay)-Greenock (Glasgow)2700
May 15, 202114-day "Wonders of Iceland" Greenock-Reykjavik (overnight)-Isafjordur-Akureyri-Seydisfjordur-Djupivogur-Torshavn (Faroes)-Ullapool-Greenock2900
May 29, 202114-day "British Isles and Ireland Explorer" (with Channel Islands UK) Greenock-Greencastle-Belfast-Liverpool-Douglas-Dublin-Rosslare-Baltimore-St Mary's Island (Scilly)-Falmouth-St Helier (Jersey)-St Peter Port (Guernsey)-Harwich2700
June 12, 202121-day "Midnight Sun in the Arctic" Harwich-Norwegian Fjords (cruising)-Floro-Kristiansund-Namsos-Tromso-Hammerfest-Longyearbyen (overnight)-Honningsvag-Andenes-Trondheim-Alesund-Sognefjord (cruising)-Leirvik-Harwich4250
July 3, 202121-day "Best of the Baltics" Harwich-Skagen-Kalundborg-Liepaja-Helsinki-Kotka-St Petersburg (overnight)-Mariehamn (Aland)-Stockholm (overnight)-Visby-Karlskrona-Goteborg-Kristiansand-Harwich4450
July 24, 202111-day "Fjords of Norway" Harwich-Stavanger-Leirvik-Rosendal-Sognefjord (cruising)-Skjolden-Bergen-Haugesund-Harwich2200
July 1, 2021(MAIDEN VOYAGE) 5-day "Eastern Coastal Contrasts" roundtrip from Harwich-
July 6, 20219-day "Scotland East to West" from Leith-Edinburgh-
July 15, 20216-day "West Coast Gems of Scotland" from Greenock-Glasgow-
July 21, 20224-day "Maritime Cities of the North West" from Greenock-Glasgow-
July 25, 202210-day "Rounding the South West" from Liverpool-
August 4, 202110-day "English South Coast and Islands" Harwich-English Riviera (sailing Torbay's coast)-Cowes (overnight)--Dartmouth-Falmouth-St Mary's-St Peter Port-St Helier-Harwich2300
August 14, 20217-day "Norwegian Fjords Adventure" Harwich-Stavanger-Hardangerfjord (cruising)-Odda-Rosendal-Harwich1400
August 21, 20217-day "Beautiful Denmark" Harwich-Skagen-Aalborg-Copenhagen-Frederikshavn-Harwich1450
August 28, 202110-day "Iberian Delights" (repositioning) Harwich-St Helier-Lorient (France)-La Coruna-Vigo-Leixoes (Oporto)-Lisbon1850
September 7, 20217-day "Southern Spain and Morocco" Lisbon-Cadiz (Seville)-Tangier-Almeria-Mahon (Menorca)-Palma de Mallorca1450
September 14, 20219-day "Italian Discovery" Palma de Mallorca-Olbia (Sardinia)-Naples-Lipari-Messina (Sicily)-Santa Maria di Leuca-Dubrovnik (Croatia)1900
September 23, 202110-day "The Med and Passage Through Suez" (repositioning) Dubrovnik-Kefalonia Island (overnight)-Chania (Crete)-Alexandria (Egypt)-Suez Canal (transition)-Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt)2450
October 3, 202116-day "Gems of the Red and Arabian Seas" Sharm El Sheikh-Safaga (overnight)-Jeddah-Djibouti (Africa)-Salalah (Oman)-Masirah Island (Oman)-Muscat (Oman)3300
October 19, 20219-day "West India Coastal Explorer" Muscat-Porbandar-Diu Island-Mumbai (overnight)-Ratnagiri-Mormugao (Goa)2250
October 28, 20218-day "South India and Sri Lanka" Mormugao-Mangalore-Thikkoti Beach (Kerala)-Cochin-Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari-Colombo (Sri Lanka)2000
November 5, 202116-day "The Bay Of Bengal and Malacca Straits" Colombo-Hambantota (Sri Lanka)-Trincomalee (Sri Lanka)-Nicobar Islands (overnight)-Ko Surin Tai (Thailand)-Similan Island (Thailand)-Phuket-Ko Adang (Thailand)-Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)3400
November 20, 202110-day "The Malacca Straits and Java Sea" Port Klang-Malacca (Malaysia)-Singapore (2 overnights)-Pena Island (Indonesia)-Lingga Island (Tanjung Jang)-Bangka Island (Penyusuk)-Penyabong (Belitung)-Jakarta (Indonesia)2450
November 30, 20218-day "Indonesian Islands" Jakarta-Menjangan Island (Bali)-Sowan Beach (Tuban)-Surabaya-Pulau Kangean (Sapoong Bay)-Gili Islands-Benoa (Bali Indonesia)1950
December 8, 202114-day "Java and the Coral Sea" Benoa-Lombok-Komodo Island-Sumba Island (Waingapu)-Dili (East Timor)-Darwin (Australia)-Great Barrier Reef (Lizard Island)-Cairns3200
December 22, 202115-day "Christmas on the Great Barrier Reef, New Year on the Gold Coast" Cairns-Townsville-Great Barrier Reef (Hamilton, 3 overnights)-Bundaberg-Brisbane-Byron Bay (fireworks)-Yamba-Coffs Harbour-Trial Bay and Nelson Bay-Sydney NSW3850
January 6, 202216-day "South Australia and Tasmanian Adventure" Sydney-Jervis Bay and Batemans Bay-Eden-Darlington Bay (Tasmania)-Hobart-Port Arthur-King Island (Tasmania)-Melbourne (overnight)-Victor Harbour-Kangaroo Island (Penneshaw)-Adelaide3800
January 22, 202213-day "Remote Southwest Australia" Adelaide-Kangaroo Island (Penneshaw)-Coffin Bay, Israelite Bay-Esperance-Bremer Bay-Albany-Busselton-Fremantle (Perth)2750
February 4, 202214-day "Western Australia and Indonesian Islands" - Fremantle-Jurien Bay WA-Kalbarri WA-Coral Bay WA-Broome WA-Komodo Island Indonesia-Lembar Indonesia-Benoa (Bali Indonesia)2250
February 18, 202216-day "Southern Indian Ocean sailing" - Benoa-Christmas Island Australia-Cocos Islands Australia-Rodrigues Island Mauritius-Port Louis (Mauritius)2470
March 6, 202213-day "Mauritius, Madagascar and East Africa" - Port Louis-Reunion Island-Toamasina Madagascar-Vohemar Madagascar-Antsiranana Madagascar-Nosy Komba Island Madagascar-Nosy Sakatia Island Madagascar-Moroni Comoros-Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)2250
March 19, 202213-day "Tanzania to the Seychelles" - Dar es Salaam-Zanzibar Tanzania-Astove Island Seychelles-Alphonse Island Seychelles-Desroches Island Seychelles-Victoria (Mahe Island Seychelles)2080
April 1, 20226-day "Exploring the Seychelles Archipelago" roundtrip from Victoria (Mahe Island Seychelles)1250
April 7, 20227-day "Indian Ocean Paradise" - Victoria-La Digue Island Seychelles-Addu Atoll Maldives-Colombo (Sri Lanka)1720
April 17, 202212-day "Sri Lanka to Kuala Lumpur" - Colombo-Hambantota Sri Lanka-Trincomalee Sri Lanka-Andaman Islands India-Banda Aceh Sumatra Indonesia-Koh Adang Island Thailand-Langkawi Island Malaysia-Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)1900
May 1, 20227-day "Northern Mediterranean Secrets" roundtrip Palma de Mallorca to Valencia, Port-Vendres, Tarragona1800
May 8, 20227-day "Hidden Gems of the Northern Med" roundtrip Palma to Palamos, Sete, Cassis, Mahon-Menorca1800
May 15, 20227-day "Irresistible Islands and Rivieras" roundtrip Palma Alghero Sardinia, Ajaccio Corsica, Le Lavandou, Sanary-sur-Mer1800
May 22, 20228-day "Riviera Delights" roundtrip Palma to Saint-Tropez, Antibes, Portofino, Livorno2050
May 30 & June 20, 20227-day "Island Gems and the Cote d'Azur" roundtrip Civitavecchia-Rome to Villefranche-sur-Mer/Nice, Porto Torres Sardinia, Porto Santo Stefano1800
June 6 & 27, 20227-day "Rome, Corsica and the Amalfi Coast" roundtrip Civitavecchia to Lipari Island (Aeolian), Amalfi, Elba Island (Portoferraio)1800
June 13 & July 4, 20227-day "Italy's Islands and the Amalfi Coast" roundtrip Civitavecchia to Porto Venere, Bastia Corsica, Sorrento, Naples1800
July 11, 202210-day Civitavecchia to Split relocation (Ponza Island, Sorrento, Stromboli Island, Taormina Sicily, Gallipoli, Durres, Kotor, Korcula, Hvar2550
July 21, 202210-day "Venice and the Wonders of Croatia and Slovenia" roundtrip Split to Dubrovnik, Piran, Venice, Porto Corsini/Ravenna, Pula, Rab, Zadar, Sibenik2550
July 31, 202210-day "Croatia Highlights" roundtrip Split to Trieste, Rovinj, Losinj Island, Dubrovnik, Mljet Island, Vis Island, Brac Island2550
Aug 10, 20229-day "Croatia and the Greek Islands" roundtrip Split to Korcula, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu Island, Sifnos Island, Hydra Island2550
Aug 19, 20227-day "A Greek Grand Tour" roundtrip Piraeus-Athens to Kefalonia Island, Katakolon-Olympia, Monemvasia, Milos Island, Nafplio-Mycenae1800
Aug 26 & Sept 16, 20227-day "Greek Island Hopping" roundtrip Piraeus to Santorini Island, Rhodes Island, Kos Island, Patmos Island, Mykonos Island, Paros Island1800
Sept 2 & 23, 20227-day "Greece and Turkey's Ancient Wonders" roundtrip Piraeus to Naxos Island, Leros Island, Kalymnos Island, Bodrum, Kusadasi-Ephesus1800
Sept 13, 20222-day relocation from Monemvasia to Nafplio550
Oct 4, 20222-day relocation from Monemvasia to Nafplio, with Milos Island550
Oct 7, 20229-day relocation from Piraeus to Palma de Mallorca, with Souda Crete and Oristano Sardinia2300
Oct 16, 202210-day from Palma de Mallorca to Santa Cruz de la Palma, with Cartagena, Malaga, Casablanca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria2550
Oct 26, 202214-day "Canaries to the Caribbean Voyage" - Transatlantic crossing from Santa Cruz de la Palma to Bridgetown Barbados1850

Bookings were opened in September 2020. However, in early-March 2021, Tradewind Voyages announced (in a press release) that the brand's inauguration (and Golden Horizon's Inaugural Cruise) is rescheduled for July 1st ("Eastern Coastal Contrasts" itinerary roundtrip from Harwich). The next itineraries were "Scotland East to West" (July 6, from Leith-Edinburgh), "West Coast Gems of Scotland" (Jul 15, from Greenock-Glasgow), "Maritime Cities of the Northwest" (July 21, from Greenock-Glasgow) and "Rounding the South West" (July 25, from Liverpool). Tradewind's cruise program from August 4 onwards remained unchanged.

The "Maritime Silk Route" itineraries were replaced by "All Inclusive Dubai" (Arabian Gulf) and "Indonesian Islands Collection" series (including "A passage to Singapore" /14-day repositioning cruise from Dubai to Singapore). All affected bookings received 100% cash refund or 110% refund in FCC (future cruise credit).

(deployment/itinerary changes) In August 2021, Tradewind announced Golden Horizon's Caribbean 2021-2022 winter season, replacing the previously planned Australian deployment. The changes were due to Australia's ongoing COVID-related international travel uncertainties. The Australian season was replaced with homeporting in Bridgetown Barbados (November 11, 2021, through March 31, 2022) and visiting the islands St Barts, St Vincent, Mayreau/Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Kitts. The Caribbean season had to end with a 15-day Transatlantic repositioning crossing from Barbados to Lisbon. However, in October 2021, this program was also canceled.

For more information see the ship's Wiki page.

Tradewind Voyages 2022-2023 itineraries

Tradewind Voyages 2022-2023 itinerary program (announced in June 2021) was divided into 4 collections that included a total of 23 different itineraries. Prices per person (per itinerary group) started at:

  • GBP 1100 ("Antipodean Summer - Crossing the Tasman Sea"), GBP 1800 ("South Pacific Collection - Pearls of French Polynesia", GBP 2100 ("West Coast Americas - Colours of the Mexican Coast") and GBP 3200 ("North Pacific - Contrasts of Japan".
  • The program's signature destinations included Southeast Asia, Japan (May-June 2022), Alaska (and the Aleutian Islands), Arctic Russia, Canada USA, Central and South America (August-October 2022/El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chile), Pacific Ocean Islands (Easter Island, Pitcairn Islands, French Polynesia, Tonga, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands), Australia New Zealand (2023).

Golden Horizon's Maiden Voyage was eventually rescheduled for May 1, 2022, leaving out of Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Spain). The inaugural season (in the Mediterranean) included a total of 23x itineraries (see the above table of canceled cruises) visiting ports in the Western Med (Spain, France, Italy), Adriatic Sea (Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia) and the Eastern Med/Aegean Sea (Greece, Turkey). The canceled Meditteranean 2021-2022 programs included homeporting in Palma, Civitavecchia-Rome, Split Croatia, Piraeus-Athens. The season had to end with the 14-night Transatlantic crossing (themed "Canaries to the Caribbean Voyage") followed by the Caribbean season (winter 2022-2023) with homeporting in Barbados (Bridgetown).

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Golden Horizon Wiki

The cruise ship Golden Horizon (fka Flying Clipper) is a close replica of "France II" - French sailing ship built in 1913 by Chantiers et Ateliers de la Gironde shipyard (Bordeaux). The sailing cargo ship was ordered in 1911 by the company Societe Anonyme des Navires Mixtes and served the shipping route connecting Rouen France with Australia, New Caledonia (Noumea, Grande Terre island) and the USA.

The ship ran aground in July 1922 (on Teremba Reef / Urai Bay, approx 110 km northwest of Noumea) while en-route to Europe and loaded with chrome ore. As the shipowner refused to pay for towage, the wreckage remained at Ouano Reef until 1944, when was destroyed by US aircraft bombing it for target practice.

The original France II ship had a total of 38 sails (including 20 square, 12 staysails, 4 fore, 2 spankers), total sail area 68350 ft2 (6350 m2), 4 lifeboats, cargo capacity 7420 tons, crew capacity 50, max speed 20 mph (32 kph).

sailing ship France II

Flying Clipper (Golden Horizon) is larger than France II, but its sails and rigging are exact copies. The cruise ship has a steel hull (with teak decking) and is ice-strengthened. This 5-masted square-rigger has 36 sails (total sail area 68320 ft2 / 6347 m2) and its largest mast has height 63 m (207 ft) and weight 24 tons. Hull's ice-class allows the vessel to navigate in all oceans, including Arctic and Antarctica. Its max speed is 23 mph (37 kph) under sails or 18 mph (30 kph) under diesel engine power (two engines, diesel-electric propulsion, fuel tanks capacity 800 tons, fuel consumption 2 tons MDO-diesel per hour), total energy consumption 4200 kWh. Under sail power (with both engines off), the ship can navigate for ~400 hours (16,5 days) or ~11100 km (6900 mi). The propulsion is based on 2x independent electric motors - larger (2500 kWh) and smaller (1700 kWh).

The ship's cargo capacity is 2000 tons. The powerplant-generated electricity allows ~400 hours of cruising without refueling. There are 6x lifeboats (doubling as tender boats for landings), 8x liferafts, 4x speed boats, 2x small boats.

Golden Horizon cruise ship (Flying Clipper)

In June 2015, KfW IPEX Bank GmbH (the largest subsidiary of KfW / German government-owned bank) provided a syndicated loan to finance the ship's construction. In June was also signed the corresponding agreement with the shipowner DIV Group Ltd (1990-founded). The bank provided a tranche (a portion of the money) covered by export credit guarantee from the Croatian export credit agency HBOR.

Golden Horizon cruise ship (Flying Clipper)

In late-January 2017, Mikael Krafft (Star Clippers' CEO) officially confirmed that due to delay in construction (caused by the shipyard's financial problems), the boat's initially planned inauguration (August 2017) was pushed back to 2018, and subsequently to 2019 and 2021 (May).

Golden Horizon cruise ship (Flying Clipper)

On June 10, 2017, was the vessel's launch at Brodosplit Shipyard (Split Croatia). It was registered / hull designation as "Brodosplit 483".

 

Flying Clipper/Golden Horizon is the world's first sail ship built to comply with IMO's SRtP (Safe Return to Port) requirement introduced by SOLAS in 2009. The SRtP was prompted by the ever-increasing size/capacity of passenger ships as the bigger the vessel is the longer evacuation lasts. The SRtP defines how long the ship should remain safe for evacuation or to be able to safely return to port without evacuating its passengers.

In early-December 2020, the shipowner (DIV Group Ltd) announced that its subsidiary BSM (Brodosplit Ship Management) will provide the vessel's Deck-, Engine- and Hotel management services. As of 2021, BSM also manages the DIV Group-owned cruise ships Klara (IMO 9781827, 2019-built), Katina (IMO 9712838, 2015-built) and Monet (IMO 7045803, 1970-built). DIV Group's President is Tomislav Debeljak.

When the ship was arrested in Dover UK (July 15, 2021/accident report) was announced that the vessel is registered to the offshore company XB Ahts Hero Shipping (Marshall Islands), with director Vedrana Debeljak (Tomislav Debeljak's sister).

Tradewind Voyages Caribbean 2021-2022 itineraries (canceled)

Next tables show the two itineraries planned (later canceled) for Golden Horizon's 2021-2022 Caribbean program. The season (Nov 11, 2021, thru April 7, 2022, based on homeporting in Bridgetown Barbados) was announced in August and canceled in October 2021.

(MAIDEN VOYAGE) 7-day "Undiscovered Caribbean" itinerary

Date / TimePort
11 NovDeparting from Bridgetown
13 NovCharlotteville, Tobago
14 NovSt Georges, Grenada
15 NovMayreau Island, Grenadines
16 NovKingstown, St Vincent Island, Grenadines
17 NovSoufriere, St Lucia Island
18 NovArriving in Bridgetown

7-day "Caribbean's Hidden Gems" itinerary

Date / TimePort
18 NovDeparting from Bridgetown
20 NovIles des Saintes, Guadeloupe
21 NovRoseau, Dominica
22 NovFort-de-France, Martinique
24 NovPort Elizabeth, Bequia Island, Grenadines
25 NovArriving in Bridgetown

7-day "Icons of the Caribbean" itinerary

Date / TimePort
25 NovDeparting from Bridgetown
27 NovGustavia, St Barthelemy Island
28 NovBasseterre, St Kitts Island
29 NovFalmouth, Jamaica
01 DecRodney Bay, Pigeon Island, St Lucia
02 DecArriving in Bridgetown

(eastbound Transatlantic crossing Caribbean-Europe) 15-day from Barbados to Lisbon (US$2000)

Date / TimePort
07 AprDeparting from Bridgetown
08 AprSoufriere, St Lucia Island
18 AprPonta Delgada, Sao Miguel Island, Azores
22 AprArriving in Lisbon, Portugal

Prices started from USD 1800 (GBP 1300 / EUR 1550) per person with double occupancy.