Blue Clipper

History OF The Blue Clipper

Tall Ship Blue Clipper was built in 1991 at Feab Marstrandsverken in Sweden. In 1992 the famous brandy company Hennessey chartered Blue Clipper to celebrate the anniversary of the first delivery of cognac from France to Shanghai 120 years earlier. Painted white and with the name ‘Spirit of Hennessey’ Blue Clipper repeated this historic voyage. She has appeared in various TV programmes and TV commercials including the Trade Winds TV series starring Hugh Johnson. Following this, she went into private ownership and sailed in Mediterranean waters under a Maltese flag.

Maybe Sailing acquired the ship in 2016. After an extensive maintenance period the ship sailed to London to begin a 5 month tall ship Regatta, the 2017 Rendez-Vous. The ship was one of only four vessels to complete the whole race, travelling over 10,000 nautical miles visiting Portugal, the Canaries, Bermuda, USA, Canada and France. This Regatta was to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Canadian Federation. It was an extremely successful regatta for Blue Clipper and her crew, placing either 1st or 2nd in four of the five race legs.

2018 marked a new chapter for the vessel, as she was repainted Blue and travelled North once more to visit the Arctic before heading to the Caribbean for some winter sunshine.

2019 saw Blue Clipper returning to the UK, heading up to Iceland before crossing the North Sea to spend the summer in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, participating in the International Tall Ship Races and exploring the Kattergat and Skagerrak.

At the beginning of 2020 Blue Clipper returned across the Atlantic from her winter season in the Caribbean to whole new world of COVID-19. After a period of quarantine in Portugal Blue Clipper is undergoing refit.

2021 will see Blue Clipper make the journey across Biscay and up the West coast to spend the summer in the highlands and Hebridean Islands before heading north to the Orkneys and then back down the East coast.

About the ship

Blue Clipper is a three masted gaff rig schooner. This means that the sails are rigged to run from forward to aft along the length of the ship. There are 10 sails, with an area of 675m2. She has a steel hull and teak deck, steel masts and wooden booms/topmasts.

Below deck Blue Clipper has three main compartments. Furthest forward is the forepeak, with 4 trainee berths and 2 crew bunks. In midships we have the guest accommodation with 7 twin ensuite cabins.  Furthest aft there is the crew quarters, with 4 twin cabins and shared bathroom. The engine room and lazarette are also located at the aft of the ship. At full capacity the ship can accommodate 28 people. The deckhouses are home to the galley, the saloon and the wheelhouse.

The ship usually sails with 8 crew, made up of experienced permanent crew and eager volunteers, wanting to put their sailing knowledge and experience to good use.

MealS

All meals are served in the saloon, and are included in the voyage cost.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served and voyage crew will be able to help the cook on board produce delicious meals for their fellow crew mates.

Bar

There is the opportunity to purchase alcoholic and fizzy drinks from the bar during meal times, at anchor and when the vessel is alongside in port.

Payments for drinks is done via a TAB system, which can be prepaid by purchasing a drinks voucher at the time of booking or can be paid in cash or by card at the end of your voyage.

Please bear in mind that alcohol can affect stability and judgement, and exercise extreme cautions when moving around the ship after drinking. Each person is aware of their limits, and while we wish you to enjoy your time on board Blue Clipper it is extremely important not to endanger the safety of yourself or your crew mates through excessive drinking.

When taking part in a watch, please remember that you will be the eyes and ears of the ship and refrain from drinking in the four hours leading up to your watch time and while you are on watch. It is not possible to climb the rig after consuming alcohol.

Merchandise

We have some great clothing items to purchase as a souvenir of your time with Blue Clipper. This can be purchased at the time of booking or you can purchase on board and pay for at the end of your voyage.

Laundry

We are able to do laundry on longer passages, depending on the sea conditions. If you would like to do laundry on board please speak to the hospitality manager or stewardess on board. The fee for laundry service is £5 per load. Please note that Maybe Sailing does not accept liability for damage to clothing caused by this service.

All our voyages are dependent on the COVID-19 situation and the local state regulations.