Start-up UK-based cruise line Tradewind Voyages believes launching now can give the trade a boost ahead of its first sailing next May. Lucy Huxley reports


D


uring lockdown, not everything has come to a grinding halt. A group of travel


industry professionals has been working hard behind the scenes to bring a new one-ship cruise line to market, to go on sale in September and operate its first sailing, from the


UK, in May 2021. Golden Horizon is the world’s


largest square-rigged sailing vessel and will sail under the new brand Tradewind Voyages. A highlight of the first season


will be a British Maritime voyage, with the ship anchoring off the Isle of Wight for the annual Cowes Week Regatta fireworks display. In total, nine voyages will be


offered from the UK, with seven departures from Harwich and two from Glasgow. Northern European itineraries will feature Denmark, Iceland, the Norwegian fjords, the Baltics and a journey to Norway’s North Cape. The five-masted tall ship has been


built to sail globally, using the wind wherever possible. In September 2021, Golden Horizon will travel east through the Suez Canal, following the Maritime Silk Route to Jakarta, and on to Bali. Itineraries in late 2021 and into 2022 are being finalised and will feature Australia, the Indian


10 2 JULY 2020


The plan is to


sell 95% through agents. We hope they will be excited by this new, beautiful ship


Ocean, Japan, Alaska, the Americas


and the Pacific Islands. Golden Horizon also has polar


classification, enabling it to sail in the Arctic and Antarctic. Crucially, the ship will aim to


offer some of the most-sustainable voyages at sea by sailing without propulsion engines for around 70%


of each season. Golden Horizon will carry up to


272 passengers and the new owners claim it will combine the adventure and romance of a historic sailing vessel with the luxury and facilities expected of a boutique cruise ship.


Experienced team The team behind Tradewind Voyages are well-known in cruise circles. The chief executive is former Saga


Cruises chief operating officer Stuart McQuaker, a former commander


in the Royal Navy, who served on HMS Illustrious. He is supported by sales and


Stuart McQuaker travelweekly.co.uk


marketing director Jeremy McKenna, formerly of P&O Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line; head of marketing and distribution Amanda Norey (formerly Darrington), who has previously held roles at Royal Caribbean and Kuoni; and product director Oliver Hammerer, formerly of Carnival UK and Holland America Line, who will oversee product and hotels operations. Tradewind Voyages is based in


new offices in Hadleigh, Suffolk, and aims to recruit a team of about 15 people initially. Among those already on board as business development managers are Rachel Healey, formerly


Amanda Norey


New line to put win


PICTURE: Reverie Doo/Tome Marcina


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