Royal Albatross (ship)

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RoyalAlbatross.jpg
The Royal Albatross sailing along Singapore's East Coast
History
Civil Ensign of Singapore.svgSingapore
NameRoyal Albatross
OwnerTall Ship Adventures Pte Ltd
OperatorTall Ship Adventures Pte Ltd
Port of registryLangkawi International Yacht Registry (LIYR)
BuilderDentons Ship Yard, Charleston, SC, USA
Launched2001
Renamed2011
Homeport Singapore
Identification
Statusactive

Royal Albatross is a privately owned, four-masted barquentine, luxury superyacht. She operates from her home berth at Resorts World Sentosa on the island of Sentosa, Singapore. Royal Albatross is a luxury tall ship with four masts, 22 sails, more than 200 ropes, three decks and is comparable with a luxury yacht; but looks and operates like a galleon. Her sails and rigging were designed by Jim Barry who designed the ship for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. [1] After a 5.5-year reconstruction, Royal Albatross has a passenger capacity of 200 (alongside) and 149 (sailing) on a continuous upper deck. [2]

Contents

Royal Albatross started her life in Chicago where she was known as Windy II, cruising the Great Lakes prior to a journey in 2008 that brought her over 15,000 kilometres (9,300 mi) from the temperate climates of North America to the tropical waters of South East Asia. She was the first U.S. certified four-masted barquentine since 1920. [3] Since arriving in Singapore, approximately 360,000 hours were invested in re-designing, re-fitting and certifying Royal Albatross to operate commercially in Singapore and beyond. Her current specifications features 22 sails, 650 square metres (7,000 sq ft) of canvas, and over 60,000 RGB lights.

Background

In 2001, Royal Albatross was first launched as Windy II, the twin sister of tall ship Windy and operated on the Great Lakes from Navy Pier in Chicago. Windy II was renamed Royal Albatross in 2011.

In 2008, when the Royal Albatross first arrived in Singapore, she was certified by the U.S. Coast Guard and was licensed to carry a maximum of 150 passengers. However, the Marine Port Authority of Singapore did not recognize the license granted under the U.S. Coast Guard and agreed to issue a license to sail in Singapore waters but with a limit of 60 persons onboard. In 2009, an extensive transformation process started for Royal Albatross when she was moved to Lumut, Perak, Malaysia to undergo hull strengthening, steel fabrication, ventilation works, exterior carpentry and engine room fitting. She was essentially stripped to her bare hull and then rebuilt. There were no regional shipyards with tall ship experience so facilities were rented and an international team of experts was recruited to advise, manage and train a new crew to work on the ship. The reconstruction process in Lumut lasted two years before Royal Albatross was moved to begin her next phase of construction.

In 2011, the Royal Albatross moved to Puteri Harbour in Johor, Malaysia to begin works on her electrical systems, internal piping and interior carpentry. The process took another two years before moving back to Singapore for the final stage of the reconstruction. In 2013, the Royal Albatross moved to Raffles Marina in Singapore to complete her six-year transformation process with detailing, furnishing, and crew training. She also attained her certifications in 2013. The Royal Albatross was rebuilt from the keel up to be a luxury super yacht while maintaining her traditional Barquentine Class A certification while complying with RINA class, International Load-line and passenger safety requirements of the Marine Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Royal Albatross is certified as a commercial passenger ship in Singapore and international waters under the RINA Certification and is licensed by MPA to carry 162 passengers on board.

Capacity and specifications

Capacity

Specifications

Awards and recognition

In 2017, the Royal Albatross received recognition at the Maritime and Shipping Awards 2017 and was awarded the APAC Excellence Award: Best Unique Superyacht. [4]

In 2022, the Royal Albatross received the Outstanding Attraction Award, along with Mandai Wildlife Reserve, at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2022. [5]

Notable Appearances

The Royal Albatross has appeared as locations for several movies and TV shows. Notable appearances includes:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Party like a celebrity on Singapore's first luxury tall ship". 13 April 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  2. ↑ "Singapore's Most Captivating Thrills" . Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  3. ↑ "Schooner Man". 2 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "Maritime & Shipping Awards 2017". www.apac-insider.com. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "2022 RECIPIENTS". www.singaporetourismawards.gov.sg. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  6. ↑ hermes (14 October 2016). "Sail and dine on Batman's yacht from $195 a person". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "My Guardian Angels BTS: Zoe Tay's Cruise Adventure《单翼天使》幕后花絮之豪华游艇惊险记". MeWatch (in Chinese). 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
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