Launching a cruise operation in the middle of a pandemic may raise eyebrows, but Tradewind Voyages chief executive Stuart McQuaker believes the 272-passenger, sail-powered, 8,770-gt Golden Horizon will be an ideal cruiseship in the post-coronavirus period.
Using wind instead of diesel fuel will also be of benefit in an era where enlightened travellers are seeking to reduce the impact their vacations have on the environment.
“This ship really is the ship of the moment,” McQuaker said. “It is a small ship that uses nature to propel itself. It has a lot of space on its wide, open decks, and will visit remote places.”
Much of the groundwork for setting up Tradewind Voyages has been done during the UK’s lockdown.
MCQuaker noted that half of the company’s 15-strong team have been working remotely and have yet to meet each other in person.
“It has been a bit tougher to get organised, but we are fortunate that we don’t face the same challenges and financial pressures that cruise lines with existing operations do," he said. "I can’t bear the thought of what it must be like. I have huge sympathy for them.”
Short lead time
McQuaker believes a cruise start-up ideally should have a lead time of 18 months to market and sell its product. Tradewind Voyages has less than a year.
“We have a short lead time but, given that nobody is buying cruises right now, we are not at the disadvantage we would have been," he said.
McQuaker and his team expect to be kept very busy in the 10 months before their ship sets sail.
The marketing plan is being put into action, and sales will begin in September.
Also underway is a tender process to secure third-party technical and hotel management services.
“Outsourcing the management functions of the ship is the right thing to do at this stage of our life,” McQuaker said.
The company might revisit this policy and handle vessel functions in-house at a later stage of its development, most probably when it has built up its fleet to four vessels.
