After years of delays, Sea Cloud Cruises' new ship, the Sea Cloud Spirit, was delivered this month and will sail its maiden voyage on Sept. 14, a 10-day roundtrip from Rome.
The 136-pasenger, masted vessel will spend the fall in the western Mediterranean and the upcoming winter in the Canary Islands. It is the line's first new ship in nearly 20 years.
The Sea Cloud Spirit is the third ship in the Sea Cloud Cruises fleet, joining the Sea Cloud and the Sea Cloud II. The Sea Cloud is the oldest sailing passenger ship in the world, the line said, and will celebrate its 90th birthday this year.
The Sea Cloud Spirit will offer flexible dining times (both inside and outside), 25 balcony cabins, a spa and on-deck fitness area and an interior design Sea Cloud says is "elegant with a classical, yacht-style feel."
Like its sister ships, the majority of the Sea Cloud Spirit's trips will be powered by its roughly 44,100 square feet of sails, the line said.
The Sea Cloud Spirit's completion has long been delayed. The project launched in 2008, when the ship was under construction at another shipyard that went bankrupt. Its August 2020 debut was then postponed due to pandemic-related issues at the shipyard in Vigo, Spain, where work was completed.