Sea Cloud Cruises has picked its square-rigged Sea Cloud Spirit for a special President's Cruise in July 2027: seven nights sailing from Bilbao in Spain's Basque Country down to Lisbon, departing July 20 and arriving July 27.
Hosting the voyage is Kevin Smith, the line's President of the Americas, marking one year since his appointment. He and his wife Christina will be on hand throughout — dinners, deck evenings and a sunset get-together — the sort of hosted sailing where the line's leadership is genuinely around rather than a name on the itinerary.
The ship is a big part of the appeal. Sea Cloud Spirit is a three-masted sailing yacht carrying just 136 guests, and her sails are set by hand. One highlight built into the schedule is a full day under sail, plus a finale along the Tagus River into Lisbon — a memorable way to arrive in Portugal's capital.
Cultural and food programming leans on the route. In Bilbao there's a private after-hours visit to Frank Gehry's Guggenheim, with access to selected works. The menu follows the coastline: Basque pintxos, Galician seafood and wines from Rías Baixas and the Douro Valley.
Ports include Gijón, A Coruña and Vigo in Spain, plus Leixões for Porto. Excursions reach inland to Oviedo and Santiago de Compostela, and out to the Islas Cíes, the protected Atlantic islands off Vigo with some of Galicia's finest beaches. There's also an optional two-night pre-cruise program in Bilbao and Rioja wine country, running July 18–20, 2027, if you want to ease in before embarkation.
Fares for the sailing (code SCS-2725) start at $7,995 per person based on double occupancy, subject to availability. For anyone weighing up a small-ship cruise on the Atlantic side of Iberia, this one bundles a rare manual-sail experience, big-name museums and pilgrimage-city excursions into a single week — and with 136 guests max, it's a very different atmosphere from a mass-market megaship. Fans of Sea Cloud's hosted sailings will want to book early.
