Royal Clipper

Career

Name:	Royal Clipper
Owner:	Star Clippers
Port of registry:	Malta
General characteristics
Type:	Cruise ship
Tonnage:	5,000 GT
Length:	439 ft (134.8 m)
Beam:	54 ft (16.5 m)
Draft:	18.5 ft (5.6 m)
Propulsion:	Masts: 5 Sails: 42 Sail Area: 56,000 ft² (5,202.6 m²) Engines: 2 Caterpillar 3516 diesels
Capacity:	227 passengers (Max)
Crew:	106

Royal Clipper is a steel-hulled five-masted fully rigged tall ship used as a cruise ship. She was designed by Polish naval architect Zygmunt Choreń, for Star Clippers Ltd. of Sweden, and built using an existing steel hull that was modified by the Gdańsk Shipyard. The ship was designed as a sailing holiday cruiser for the Polish coal miners, her first name was Gwarek (in ancient Polish it means The Miner). She was sold because of financial problems. The Merwede shipyard completed the ship's interior in July 2000. The renovations included frescography murals by Rainer Maria Latzke completing the ships' Mediterranean interior.^[1] Her design was based on Preussen, a famous German five-mast Flying P-Liner windjammer built in 1902.

Star Clippers claims that she is the largest "true sailing ship" built since Preussen. She is listed in Guinness World Records as the largest square-rigged ship in service, with 5202 square metres of sail. Her sails can be handled with a crew as small as twenty using powered controls.^[2]

Royal Clipper cruises the Mediterranean during the summer. During the winter she offers Caribbean trips through the southern parts of the Lesser Antilles area. Because of her size, she can visit smaller ports that larger cruise ships can't reach. Transatlantic crossings are available between seasons.^[3]