Sea Cloud Cruises has lined up its first President's Cruise for the Americas, and it's a proper showcase voyage. Company president Kevin Smith will host guests aboard the tall ship Sea Cloud Spirit from July 20 to 27, 2027, on a week-long run from Bilbao in northern Spain down to Lisbon — timed to mark one year since he took the role.
What sets this apart from a standard hosted sailing is the ship itself. Sea Cloud Spirit is a square-rigger, and when the crew climbs to set the sails by hand, the whole deck stops to watch. Smith flagged that moment as the trip's defining image — a nod to the teamwork tradition the line likes to trade on. He and his wife Christina will join guests for dinners, deck evenings and a sundowner, keeping the tone informal rather than corporate.
The route reads like a greatest-hits list of Spain's green north coast. There are calls at Gijón, A Coruña and Vigo, plus Porto's Leixões port in Portugal, with excursions reaching inland to Oviedo and Santiago de Compostela and out to the Islas Cíes, the protected island group off Vigo with some of Galicia's best beaches. The finale is a scenic run up the Tagus River into Lisbon — one of the more dramatic city arrivals in European cruising.
Two extras sweeten the package. A pre-cruise programme from July 18 to 20 covers Bilbao and the Rioja wine country, and the voyage itself opens with a private after-hours evening at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, letting guests take in Frank Gehry's titanium curves and selected works without the daytime crowds.
Food leans regional: Basque pintxos, Galician seafood, and wine pairings from Rías Baixas and the Douro Valley woven into the onboard dining.
Fares start at $7,995 per person, which puts this firmly in the premium expedition-style bracket — but Sea Cloud's sail-powered ships carry far fewer guests than a modern cruise liner, and hosted-president sailings tend to attract a loyal, repeat clientele. If you've ever wanted to watch a tall ship under full sail on the Bay of Biscay while someone from the company's top table refills your glass, this is the week to do it. Expect it to fill early given the 2027 dates and the small-ship capacity.
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