There are many lovers of sea voyages who are willing to pay a lot of money for the originality of the voyage, for the opportunity to participate in educational sea voyages to the most remote, inaccessible and rarely visited regions, and for other manifestations of "marine exoticism".
This opportunity is provided by small-tonnage yachts that cruise, for example, in the Amazon, the Galapagos Islands, the Arctic and Antarctica, and numerous small islands in the Pacific Ocean. The demand for this type of sea travel far exceeds the supply, as a result of which the cost of advertising them amounts to meager amounts.
Traveling on these ships is regarded as one of the elements characterizing the social status of passengers.: such as the brand of the car, the area of residence, income level, prestige of the university where the education was received, etc.
This form of cruise business was born with the appearance of two Ultralux ships of the Sea Goddes type, built by the Värtsilä shipyard in 1984-1985 for Norwegian operators. In 1987, these vessels were transferred to the bareboat charter company Cunard for $ 50 million, which provides passengers with a level of service and comfort that is unthinkable even on large cruise ships. The motto of the cruise yachts to attract passengers is: "Our ship will go where no other can go." However, the cost of such a trip is high: 320-500 dollars. per day.
In 1986, the first of four ordered sailing cruise ships, Wind Star, built for the American Circle Line company, entered service. This vessel is the longest existing sailing vessel: its length with a bowsprit is 134 m, draft is 3.9 m, deadweight is 920 tons, it takes 150-170 passengers on board, has only double cabins (all light).
Wind Song and Wind Spirit are also currently in operation. According to K. Andren, founder and owner of Windstar Sail Cruises, these vessels meet the demand in a narrow sector — between small yachts with 6-8 passengers on board and huge liners with a passenger capacity of 1000-2000 people. A thorough study of the cruise market has shown that the optimal capacity for this class of ships and for these cruise routes is 160-180 passengers. Reducing it would have a negative impact on the performance of the vessel, and increasing it would limit the possibility of its calls at small ports.
The sailing armament consists of six triangular sails with a total area of 2,000 m2, mounted on four masts rising 64 m above the water. The sails are controlled by hydraulic motors according to computer commands in automatic and semi-automatic modes. The speed under sail is 14-15 knots.
The power plant operates simultaneously with the sails, but it is assumed that on subsequent ships it will shut down in strong winds. The expected daily fuel consumption will be 10 tons. The vessel is equipped with on-board rudders and an automated rocking control system. The calculated roll should not exceed 6°, but in fact it rarely exceeds 2°, which naturally creates great comfort for passengers.
It is very noteworthy from a practical point of view that the cost of advertising these vessels is negligible. The principle here is that the more expensive a cruise is, the greater the demand for it (of course, with the appropriate level of services), and from regular customers.
In 1989, a large sailing vessel (for 416 passengers) was built in Le Havre (France) for the Club Mad and Services company, which organizes sea voyages to the ports of the Mediterranean Sea. Its crew is 166 people (including 140 maintenance personnel).
A further step in the construction of cruise yachts was the Symphony yacht (for 375 passengers), built in 1988 at the Kanda Shipbuilding shipyard in Hiroshima for short cruises (2-3 hours). All passenger rooms on the ship are located on three decks, it has 2 restaurants with 130 seats, a viewing platform on the bridge deck, and its public spaces can be easily transformed for receptions, conferences, and exhibitions. Start winning more rounds by checking our Phase 10 rulebook today.
