When the 36-passenger Captain Arctic makes its maiden voyage in November in Norway, the 229-foot-long vessel will look every bit the sleek luxury yacht, with its dramatic navy blue exterior, Scandinavian-inspired interiors, a bar serving Nordic gin and aquavit cocktails, and a sauna with a floor-to-ceiling window offering iceberg views.
Purpose-built to handle cold temperatures (-4°) and heavy ice conditions, the ship will cruise Norway in late autumn and winter, the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard in spring and summer, and Greenland in autumn, all while leaving as small a footprint as possible. It will also be propelled by five 115-foot-high aluminum sails. Combined, they will be covered in 21,500 square feet of solar panels.
“In case of strong winds, or for times we need to go under bridges, the three forward sails fold down backwards and the two aft fold forward, like a Swiss Army knife,” explains Sophie Galvagnon, CEO and cofounder of Selar, the French expedition cruise line launching the vessel.
While many cruise lines are betting on liquefied natural gas (LNG), natural gas chilled into liquid (or hydrogen, as for the ocean-going, 998-passenger Viking Libra launching later this year), as a greener alternative to fossil fuels, others, like Selar, are looking to the past to innovate for a more sustainable future—without compromising on the comfort and trimmings today’s cruisers have come to expect.
Looking to the past for future inspiration
Over the millennia, numerous societies have harnessed wind to propel their vessels, including the ancient Egyptians. Sailing ships have ventured to the Arctic since at least the time of the ancient Greeks—Pytheas of Massilia (modern-day Marseille) reportedly reached Iceland in a sailing vessel around 325 B.C.E. In northern Europe, Viking masted longships dominated the seas between the 8th and 11th centuries; they even reached as far as North America.
“We’re just bringing a modern touch,” says Galvagnon, an experienced ice pilot who will also skipper some of Captain Arctic’s voyages.
This new generation of sails aren’t made from traditional materials like canvas. They are highly advanced, crafted out of high-tech materials that include carbon fiber, and take inspiration from designs such as those viewed on the vessels that race in America’s Cup — or, in the case of Captain Arctic, from the aviation world. “[The ship’s sails] have the same profile as airplane wings,” says Galvagnon, who has a decade of experience sailing these waters.
Galvagnon has calculated that, when the wind is blowing at 10 knots—a gentle to moderate breeze—the sails alone should power a cruising speed of 6 knots, or approximately 7 miles per hour (something that should be achieved “most of the time,” she adds). The sun is the other primary energy source. In the worst case scenario, if there’s no wind and nothing left in the solar bank, the ship can turn to biofuel electric engines filled with hydrated vegetable oil, or HVO, which is available in Norway in most harbors, according to Galvagnon. If not, engines can run on regular marine oil.
Sophie Galvagnon is CEO and cofounder of Selar, the French expedition line launching Captain Arctic, which features sleek and modern interiors that evoke a luxury hotel.
Courtesy of Selar
A new era of luxury (sailing) yachts
This year, in particular, is shaping up as a significant one for sails in the cruise industry; alongside Captain Arctic, the 110-passenger Orient Express Corinthian will become the largest sailing yacht in the world when it debuts this summer. A high-tech sail technology has been specifically innovated for the vessel. Known as SolidSail, three 226-feet tall carbon masts have been fitted with rigid sails made from a composite of fiberclass, carbon, and epoxy resin. The masts can tilt and rotate according to wind conditions and guests will be able to swim in a lap pool beneath them.
For French cruise line Ponant, sails are in its DNA: the first vessel in its fleet is sailing yacht Le Ponant, launched in 1991. Now, it wants to channel this heritage to build the next generation of carbon neutral ships, starting with its Swap2Zero project, a futuristic sailing yacht it hopes to deliver around 2030.
The 400-passenger Atlas Adventurer will sail in both polar and warmer waters when it launches.
Courtesy of Atlas Ocean Voyages
Six 118-foot-tall sails will be made from a resin and carbon fiber composite, drawing on technology used in America’s Cup racing. The sails are low enough that the ship can pass under the Panama Canal’s bridges and New York’s Verrazzano–Narrows bridge without any need to retract them.
For Mathieu Petiteau, new-build and research and development director at Ponant, a sailing yacht represents an opportunity to “differentiate the way we offer luxury to passengers.” According to Petiteau, “Being on a sailing vessel is completely different to a motor ship, starting with the vessel itself. For stability, the ship is longer and the superstructure, or upper decks, is lower, which creates more deck space for passengers to be outside, to look at the sea, and the coast.”
Expedition lines embrace the power of wind
Small-ship line Atlas Ocean Voyages, which has built its name around a trio of intimate expedition vessels that cruise in both the polar regions and the Mediterranean, is preparing to start construction of the 400-passenger Atlas Adventurer. Not only will it be the company’s first sailing yacht when it debuts in 2028, but it’s also being billed as the first luxury expedition sailing cruise ship in the world, drawing upon the same SolidSail technology as Orient Express Corinthian.
“We’re known for our port-intensive itineraries, but guests will also want to be in the open sea and sailing, so our itineraries will have to allow for that sailing experience as well,” says president and CEO James Rodriguez. Depending on conditions, the ship will be powered by marine gas oil (or marine-grade diesel), electric propulsion, or sails, with a predicted reduction in overall fuel consumption of up to 40 percent. The ship will also have an ice class rating for polar cruising.
In addition to Atlas Adventurer’s innovative exterior, passengers can enjoy cabins like this Veranda Suite.
Courtesy of Atlas Ocean Voyages
In Norway, Hurtigruten isn’t calling Sea Zero a sailing yacht, but the zero-emissions ship will have two sails covered with solar panels to generate wind and solar energy that can help charge the ship’s batteries. Sails will also play a part in addressing tightening emissions-related cruising restrictions introduced in the country’s fjords, including a ban on fuel-powered cruise ships by 2032. “Sails are quiet,” says Hurtigruten’s COO and deputy CEO Gerry Larsson-Fedde. “There’s also little vibration, and no smoke billowing out the funnel.”
As with Captain Arctic, Sea Zero’s pair of sails can be lowered when conditions require. Larsson-Fedde predicts that, when they are, the spectacle will become a guest favorite. “For instance, what guests take the most photos of is the forklift on the cargo hatch [on Hurtigruten’s Coastal Express ships] because that’s not a common sight on passenger ships. I imagine it’ll be the same with sails,” he says.
Sea Zero also represents a 40 to 50 percent reduction in energy consumption from the current Hurtigruten fleet. For Larsson-Fedde, sails are key to the project.
“Everybody is looking at new fuel types and energy sources which are still very immature,” he says. “What about doing what we can with technology we know works? Isn’t it great that we can take something that we used a hundred years ago and show that those who did this back in the day were some smart people?”
