2023-11-30 10:40:35
I want her to look beautiful!” says captain Vukota Stojanovic, who could be his mother-in-law’s favorite with his tall, athletic figure and friendly brown eyes. His lady is completely rigged and is a real eye-catcher. But the man in his mid-thirties is not courting an attractive young woman, but rather a ship, the Sea Cloud Spirit. He had all the sails of the three-masted ship set. As on all ships of the Hamburg shipping company Sea Cloud Cruises, sailing takes place by hand in the traditional manner. To do this, a dozen or so sailors climb into the masts to loosen the fastenings of the sails and later pull them down to the deck using cable winches, so-called winches. In the evening the sails are lowered again, always watched eagerly by the passengers. The Hamburg cruise line is the only one that still sails in this traditional way. Other sailing cruise ships can raise the sails with the push of a button and hydraulics.
On our journey from Barcelona via Palamós in Spain, La Ciotat and St. Tropez in France to Corsica and the final port of Nice, there are only around 50 guests on board, almost as many as crew members. The captain is not a grumpy sea dog, but is happy about all the passengers who come to him on the bridge to talk shop, chat about the weather, handball or the next port. The concept is called “Open Bridge”. Only when a ship’s pilot helps the captain with navigation or maneuvers is carried out does a thin barrier rope hang in front of the entrance to the wheelhouse.
#Mediterranean #sailing #ship #Sea #Cloud #Spirit