For the past several years, we have followed the construction of the newest and largest square-rigged luxury passenger cruise ship built for the Star Clipper cruise fleet — the Flying Clipper. Recently, the 300 passenger, five-masted bark has been seen on trials off Split. Unfortunately, the ship, built by the Croatian shipyard Brodosplit, is also sailing in limbo.
Total Croatia News reports that the 70 million euro contract between Brodosplit and Star Clippers owner Mikhail Krafft has recently been terminated because both sides claimed that it had been violated: Krafft had exceeded delivery deadlines for masts and rigging and the Split shipyard failed to meet the conditions for completion. The dispute is moving towards arbitration, but, according to unofficial information, negotiations over a possible compromise are also in progress.
In the meantime, the ship is sailing under the name Brodosplit 483. Brodosplit told Seatrade Cruise News it is no longer obliged to hand over the ship to the buyer and is free to dispose of the newbuilding adding ‘there is a great deal of interest in this unique vessel.’
The new ship is modeled after the five-masted France II of 1912. She will set 68,000 square feet of sail, or over twice the sail area of the clipper ship Cutty Sark. She is said to the largest square-rigged ship in the world.
Star Clippers owns and operates the ship that had been the world’s largest, the five-masted Royal Clipper. The company also operates the sister ships, Star Clipper and Star Flyer, which are four-masted barquentines.
No jacobs ladders in the rigging. I presume that the sails are set by electricity?
There’s probably an elevator inside each mast with buttons for each yard arm level 🙂
Short on Ratlins so no running up aloft an over preponderance of deck houses will cause no end of windage, just think of what happened to the 7 mast schooner Thomas Lawson bet she has got large engines if anything like Royal Clipper but will suit those who can afford to sail in her and sit and drink cocktails and think they are sailing.
“Think they are sailing?” With 68,000 square feet of canvas, the ship will move primarily by sail with generators running to keep the drinks cold. And yes, the generators can also drive the electric motors to turn the propellers.
I sailed on the Star Flyer, the four-masted barquentine, many years ago and she sailed beautifully. Her square sails are set and furled by hydraulic motors in the yards like the Royal Clipper and the Flying Clipper.
Black Pearl is’nt bad either – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qipWHayS-c