thomas spirit yacht

Thomas Spirit wins Yachtbroker.com award

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – YachtBroker.com has named the “Thomas Spirit,” a 115’ Christensen, the “2004 Mega Yacht Award Winner,” a release said recently.

The award is given to the yacht that had been meticulously maintained, and is in seemingly better condition today then it was when it was built.

“We are pleased to offer this outstanding award to the Thomas Spirit and its owners,” YachtBroker.com said. “We looked at many yachts and decided that the Thomas Spirit was the most deserving. Although we were informed that the vessel is for sale, the owner of the Thomas Spirit was delighted that his yacht received such outstanding recognition.”

The owners will receive a 3-foot trophy and an award plaque. In addition, YachtBroker.com will send award plaques to the crew and captain of the Thomas Spirit for their involvement in keeping the vessel in such pristine condition.

YachtBroker.com said it considered yachts that were in both the YachtBroker.com and UsedBoats.com database.

• For more of the latest news, click here .

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related Articles

Boating Industry names 2024 40 Under 40

Winnebago reports decreases for Q2 2024

Suntex joins forces with Almar Marinas

MarineMax announces Florida Keys expansion

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

THOMAS SPIRIT

Pleasure craft, current trip, current position, information.

The current position of THOMAS SPIRIT is in The Coastal Waters of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia with coordinates 48.93143° / -123.66702° as reported on 2018-05-28 21:09 by AIS to our vessel tracker app. The vessel's current speed is 10.8 Knots

The vessel THOMAS SPIRIT (MMSI: 367634610) is a Pleasure Craft It's sailing under the flag of [US] USA .

In this page you can find informations about the vessels current position, last detected port calls, and current voyage information. If the vessels is not in coverage by AIS you will find the latest position.

The current position of THOMAS SPIRIT is detected by our AIS receivers and we are not responsible for the reliability of the data. The last position was recorded while the vessel was in Coverage by the Ais receivers of our vessel tracking app.

Featured Company

Last port calls, most visited ports (last year).

• Motorcycles
• Car of the Month
• Destinations
• Men’s Fashion
• Watch Collector
• Art & Collectibles
• Vacation Homes
• Celebrity Homes
• New Construction
• Home Design
• Electronics
• Fine Dining
• Baja Bay Club
• Costa Palmas
• Fairmont Doha
• Four Seasons Private Residences Dominican Republic at Tropicalia
• Reynolds Lake Oconee
• Scott Dunn Travel
• Wilson Audio
• 672 Wine Club
• Sports & Leisure
• Health & Wellness
• Best of the Best
• The Ultimate Gift Guide

Boat of the Week: This Classic 70-foot ‘Gentleman’s Yacht’ Is All High-Tech Beneath Its Wooden Skin

The spirit p70 looks like a boat from the 1930s, but its list of modern technologies includes lithium batteries to power the house systems., howard walker, howard walker's most recent stories.

• This 1967 Shelby GT500 Has Been Reimagined to Perfection. Now It’s up for Grabs.
• One of Ferrari’s Earliest Formula 1 Cars Is Now Up for Grabs
• Aston Martin Unveils Its Fastest Vantage Road Car Ever. Here’s What We Know.
• Share This Article

Spirit Yachts ’ flagship P70 may look like an extra from The Great Gatsby , but this oh-so-elegant wooden motoryacht, with its gleaming mirror-varnished mahogany and classic flag-blue paint, is new from the keel up.

The 71-footer was built by Britain’s Spirit Yachts for an experienced Norwegian owner who fell in love with the timeless lines of the company’s classic wooden sailboats, but wanted the style to translate to a powered yacht.

Related Stories

Architects and fashion designers are penning yachts, and it’s changing how they’re made.

• Airliners Are Trying Radical New Wing Designs to Improve Fuel-Efficiency

Taking a Bow: How Yacht Makers Are Rethinking the Rear End

If the Spirit name sounds familiar, this was the builder that has enthusiastically supplied yachts for Daniel “007” Craig to sail in those epic James Bond romps Casino Royale, and the newest, No Time to Die.

Note the beautiful grain of the quarter-sawn sapele mahogany on the exterior.  Courtesy Spirit Yachts

But according to Sean McMillan, Spirit Yachts founder and chief designer, the owner didn’t simply want a classic-looking cruiser with a retro Roaring Twenties vibe that would sit at a marina. He wanted a boat that could go places. “The brief was to build a motoryacht capable of cruising from Britain’s south coast, across the North Sea to the Baltic and on to Norway, at an average speed of 18 knots. And he wanted the boat to go there and back—that’s over 1,000 miles—without having to refuel,” McMillan told Robb Report .

To meet the challenge, McMillan and a dedicated team of eight woodworking craftsmen, turned to the same wooden boatbuilding techniques they use to craft Spirit’s range of classic sailboats, including the recently launched 111-foot masterpiece Geist . That involved creating a framework using tough sapele hardwood. To this, longitudinal strips of Douglas fir were screwed and bonded to build the hull shape. Then, on top of this, multiple layers of Japanese kaya wood were glued diagonally to deliver carbon-fiber levels of strength and rigidity.

“It creates a hull that is immensely strong and light. The P70 weighs just 24 tonnes, which is almost half the weight of similar-sized fiberglass counterparts,” explains McMillan.

The lines have a retro feel, but the boat was designed to be a fast ocean-runner, capable of reaching 29 mph, but able to run in rough seas.  Courtesy Spirit Yachts

Lighter weight also allowed smaller than usual engines to be mounted in the P70’s over-sized engine room. The twin 800-hp six-cylinder MAN turbo diesels are capable of delivering a top speed of 29 mph, with cruising at a more relaxed 20 mph.

Without doubt, it’s the lines of this timelessly elegant 1930s-style “gentleman’s” motoryacht that sets it apart. But the process of creating such a head-turning profile wasn’t easy. The owner, a highly experienced and knowledgeable boater, had firm ideas on what he wanted. It resulted in McMillan modifying the design more than a dozen times.

“He really liked the style of some of the Spirit power boats I’ve designed over the years. So, we combined the flared bow and tumblehome stern from our Spirit P40 with the 1930s style of our sailing yachts, and applied it to a larger motoryacht design,” he explains.

The main salon.  Courtesy Spirit Yachts

The result is nothing less than a piece of floating art, with a classic slender waist—the beam spans just 16.5 feet—and that tall, proud bow. And there are some lovely classic design features, like the stainless-steel engine vents on the cabin sides that were inspired by those from a classic ‘50s Mercedes-Benz 300SL.

“To keep the sleek, uncluttered look, we did away with the typical stainless handrails, and lowered the level of the deck to make it safe and easy to walk around the yacht,” says McMillan.

Below decks, the slightly unconventional layout requested by the owner includes a central wheelhouse, a rich, leather-lined salon area forward, and a spacious galley and dining area aft. And on the lower levels, the master suite is in the bow with twin guest cabins at the stern.

The outer helm on the flybridge leads into the main wheelhouse a few steps down.  Courtesy Spirit Yachts

The quality and attention to detail are exceptional. You can understand why it took a team of three painters almost seven months to varnish the bare-wood interior. From start to finish, building the yacht at Spirit’s yard in Ipswich, on Britain’s east coast, took almost three years.

But while the P70 looks classic and elegant in its design, beneath the skin it’s packed with some of the latest maritime technology. That includes a bank of lithium-ion batteries that can power the yacht’s air conditioning and zero-speed stabilizers while at anchor overnight, without cranking-up the generator.

“Wooden motoryachts like this are the future,” says McMillan. “They’re light, sustainable, have a great strength-to-weight ratio, are highly fuel-efficient, and, as our P70 shows, can be turned into things of real beauty.”

It took three painters seven months to varnish the interior.  Courtesy Spirit Yachts

The price of a new P70 starts at £4 million, or roughly $5.5 million.

Read More On:

• Motor Vessel
• Sailing Yacht

More Marine

This New 262-Foot Superyacht Lets You Mix and Match 3 Interior and Exterior Designs

Rossinavi Just Launched a Custom, Full-Aluminum 164-Foot Superyacht

Culinary Masters 2024

MAY 17 - 19 Join us for extraordinary meals from the nation’s brightest culinary minds.

Give the Gift of Luxury

Latest Galleries in Marine

8 Fascinating Facts About ‘Nero,’ a 295-Foot Superyacht Inspired by a 1930s Classic

Palm Beach Vitruvius in Photos

More from our brands, hermès u.s. president diane mahady on the growing home category, arizona’s sweet 16 run a bright spot amid $30m budget shortfall, ‘imaginary’ review: a sinister teddy bear and too much schlock metaphysics, joan jonas, a performance art pioneer, gets the super-size moma retrospective she deserves, the best yoga blocks to support any practice, according to instructors.

THOMAS SPIRIT

Similar boats.

Important note: for the migration of FleetMon products into MarineTraffic platform, we are discontinuing all account logins here by 25.02.2024 . Please ensure, that you have saved or migrated all data from FleetMon platform and that your MarineTraffic account is ready for your future use.

If you are interested in general access please check here and for Global AIS data & inteligence to power your projects please go here .

THOMAS SPIRIT

• Latest Event ●●●●●● All Events
• AIS Name THOMAS SPIRIT
• IMO —
• MMSI 316043959
• Callsign —
• Year Built —
• Length 24 m
• Draught — / — / — Avg/Min/Max
• Speed 1.6 kn / 1.9 kn Avg/Max
• Deadweight ●●●●●●
• Gross Tonnage ●●●●●●
• AIS Class —

Current Voyage & ETA Changes

Current location, position received, navigation status, eta sent by vessel ais, eta calculated by fleetmon, vessel and fleetmon eta difference, actual time of arrival.

• Vessel Datasheet
• ETA Reports Log
• Port Call Log
• Historical Track
• CO2 Emission Log

Do you know more about the THOMAS SPIRIT?

Share your knowledge with the community. Information will be published after a short review.

Generic Vessel data

Capacities tonnage and cargo facilities, historical data, contacts ship communication, wiki further interesting facts, incidents, history and more.

• Pricing & Plans
• Vessel Database
• Chartering Position List
• Vessel Photos
• Vessel Fleets
• Port Database
• Port Coverage
• Business Register
• Live Tracking

Tracking & Monitoring

• Fleet Management
• Event Alerting
• CO2 Emission
• Vessel Schedules
• Port Calls Log
• Vessel Events
• SAP Freigth Monitor
• FleetMon Explorer
• Zone Monitoring
• GPS Satellite Trackers
• Historical Tracks
• Route & ETA by FleetMon
• Planned Arrivals

API & Developers

• FleetMon API

Business Intelligence

• Maritime News

Be Part of FleetMon

• Community Dashboard
• AIS Partner

Help & Support

More fleetmon.

• Research & Development
• Press & Media
• Jobs & Careers

Share Vessel THOMAS SPIRIT

Vessels see all 0 vessels, my last visited vessels, my last visited ports, top visited vessels.

Dear valued user,

As you are aware of our migration project of FleetMon into MarineTraffic, we have almost finalized all necessary steps. The discontinuation of all FleetMon product offerings is imminent.

Therefore, we are terminating our product offering here and a login is no more possible.

If you have not yet accepted our offering for an assisted migration and you need help to set up your account on MarineTraffic, please reach out to us:

• either via this request form
• or by email

If you need any last-minute transfer of your MyFleet or MyAreas please contact us, and we will assist you in a smooth transfer and minimise any disruptions for you.

We are excited to inform you about the merger between FleetMon and MarineTraffic, which will give you more services and tools in your online account. To make sure you have a seamless and effortless transition, our FleetMon Support Team will be taking care of the process for you.

We will create a new MarineTraffic account using the information from your FleetMon account. This includes your username, name, email address, address, telephone and mobile number, as well as your company name and affiliation (if applicable). After you log in to your new MarineTraffic account, we kindly ask you to reset your password for added security. Of course, you will continue to be able to use your FleetMon account for the time being (we will let you know the next steps about this at a later date).

Rest assured, all your subscriptions, whether monthly or yearly, will be matched accordingly. Your My Fleets and Tags, along with your Credit Points, will also be transferred to your new MarineTraffic account. Additionally, we will assist you in smoothly transferring your My Zones.

With your new MarineTraffic account, you will have access to all its features and services during the remaining duration of your FleetMon subscription. If your contract with FleetMon has already expired, there's no need to worry. We are offering a free trial period of two months, allowing you to experience and explore all the fantastic features MarineTraffic has to offer before deciding on a suitable subscription plan. If you encounter any issues or have any questions, contact our support team directly. They will be more than happy to assist you with your new MarineTraffic account.

We would also like to express our appreciation to the photo community for the incredible photos you have contributed over the past few years. Your contributions are invaluable, and we want to ensure that your efforts are preserved. Therefore, we kindly ask you not to transfer the photos manually. Rest assured, we are actively working on a technical solution that will automatically match and include your uploaded photos in your new MarineTraffic account.

We understand that this merger may bring some changes to the online services you are accustomed to. However, we are confident that once you start using your new MarineTraffic account, you will be delighted with the enhanced services and capabilities it provides, making it a seamless continuation of your previous experience.

For additional information, we recommend reviewing the Terms of Service , User Agreement and Photo Copyrights provided by MarineTraffic to familiarize yourself with the details of the new services.

Your browser is out of date!

It is great that you want to track the seven seas! Unfortunatly your browser is out of date. To view our website correctly you need an up to date browser. It is a security risk for you to use an old browser by the way. Update your Browser now

Professional BoatBuilder Magazine

The esprit of spirit yachts.

By Nic Compton , Sep 29, 2023

The sleek 52′ (15.85m) Flight of Ufford, launched in 2007, was campaigned hard and successfully by Spirit Yachts cofounder Sean McMillan. The traditionally styled wood/epoxy sloop has become the yard’s most popular model to date.

T he James Bond movie franchise has never shied from any chance to include a yacht in the narrative and as part of the set. And given the urgent nature of the glamorous secret agent’s business, these have tended to be fast powerboats, starting with the Fairey Huntresses and Huntsmen in  From  Russia With Love  (1963) through to the Glastron GT150 speedboat, which performed a spectacular 120 ‘  (36.6m) leap in  Live and Let Die  (1973), and a clutch of Sunseekers in subsequent films. In 2006, while filming  Casino  Royale , the filmmakers decided to do something a bit different. Alongside their usual high-velocity petrol-fueled fare, they featured a sailing yacht: a 54 ‘  (54 ‘  9 “ /16.7m) sloop with a long counter stern and seemingly acres of flawless varnish, which James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) sailed into Venice during a romantic interlude in the film.

Cast in the enviable role was the Spirit 54 designed and built by British boatbuilders Spirit Yachts, located in Ipswich, Suffolk, on the east coast of England. And if that wasn’t enough notoriety for the somewhat obscure custom builder, the producers repeated the trick in the 2021  No Time to Die , this time using a Spirit 46 (46 ‘  6 “ / 14.15m) sailing yacht for James Bond to sail around Jamaica during his “retirement” scenes.

The 54′ (16.7m) Soufrière was built for the 2006 James Bond franchise movie Casino Royale. Her brief appearance in the film making her way up the Grand Canal in Venice added the cachet of an international luxury brand to Spirit’s already sterling reputation as a yacht builder.

The pairing was in many ways a marriage made in heaven. Just as James Bond has come to symbolize the aspirational best of British wit, style, and appetite for adventure, Spirit Yachts offers the best in bespoke sailboats, combining high-performance modern hulls with a classic aesthetic and a price on par with Bond’s generous expense account. The formula has inspired a devoted following and led to a unique line of yachts, steadily increasing in size over the years, from the original 37-footer (11.5m) built in 1993 to its biggest creation so far, the 111 ‘  (33.8m)  Geist , launched in 2020.

Spirit Yachts is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023, so it seemed the perfect time to visit its expanded boatyard facility in Ipswich, where Spirit has become an increasingly important part of the regeneration of the disused docks and looks set to play an even bigger role as plans for a company-centered boatbuilding university take shape. The year started with the announcement of a major management reshuffle. Founder and chief designer Sean McMillan (now 72) is in effect taking semiretirement, handing ownership to a consortium of Spirit yacht owners and the day-to-day running of the company to Management Director Karen Underwood and the office’s newest recruit, Production & Design Director Julian Weatherill.

McMillan at the drafting table.

Yet the first person I see when I walk through the office door is McMillan, looking as suave and relaxed as James Bond himself, and bearing a roll of drawings for his latest design. No surprises there. Spirit Yachts has always been inextricably linked with this former-art-student-turned-boat-bum-turned-boatbuilder-turned-company-director. It turns out that he’s staying on as a consultant for the next three years, before fully retiring from the scene. Though it seems to me unlikely that will ever really happen.

“Sean is hanging on to the bits he likes [the designing] and letting go of the bits he doesn’t like [running a busy boatyard],” says Underwood, with a cheerful chuckle. She has worked in the marine industry for the past 25 years (including 15 years at Oyster Marine), and you get the feeling the company is in very safe hands.

She and McMillan are meeting a client at 11 a.m., so after a lengthy chat, newly promoted Marketing Director Helen Porter shows me around the yard. “We’ve had both sheds full of new builds for the past three years, catching up with pent-up demand after COVID,” she says. “We’ve had three 72s, one 68, one 52, and two 30s. We’ve now finally got space to take on some refurbishment projects, one for a couple who has been waiting a couple of years. The 52 in-build over there is Spirit hull number 80—or Sean’s 100th boat, if you include the ones he built before Spirit Yachts.”

A Spirit 72 in the busy yard in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, last June. At the time, the 30-year-old company was building its 80th hull.

It’s all a long way from the cottage in Saxmundham, about 18 miles (29 km) north of Ipswich, where I visited McMillan and his then-business-partner, Mick Newman, in 1994. They had just built their first boat, the Spirit 37, in a disused cowshed at the back of Newman’s house, and I had come to interview them and take photos of the boat for what would turn out to be the first-ever test sail of a Spirit yacht. Not that any of us had the slightest inkling of what was to come.

It all seemed to be a bit of a laugh. Sean had already had his fingers badly burned when his company, McMillan Yachts, had gone bust in the global financial crisis a few years earlier. Those boats were strip-planked gaffers, usually with modern underwater hull shapes and fancy joinery that fairly shouted out, “I am a wooden boat!”

“I was already playing with the visual joke about having a traditional-looking boat which is very modern below the waterline,” McMillan says. Not everyone got the joke, however, and after building a dozen boats, the company ground to a halt.

Back in ’94, he had joined forces with Newman—a former barge sailor—to create something completely different. The original Spirit 37 was inspired by the skerry cruisers of the Baltic, with their improbably tall rigs designed to catch the wind blowing over the tops of the flat islands, and their long, narrow hulls for optimum speed rather than comfort. But the new partners wanted to push the type to its limit by building the boat in super-lightweight materials and with a modern underwater shape—that McMillan joke again.

The first Spirit 37 (11.5m) was built in 1994, inspired by the tall-rigged skerry cruisers but with a modern hullform. She sailed beautifully and spurred multiple orders for boats of the same type and form.

The Beginning of Spirit Yachts

The first Spirit 37 was by any standards an extraordinary boat. With her long overhangs and narrow 7 ‘  (2.1m) beam, she looked superficially like a classic yacht from the 1920s, but underwater her bulb keel and skeg rudder told a more contemporary story. A judicious use of modern materials—including a strip-planked hull sheathed with fiberglass set in WEST System epoxy—meant the boat turned out exceptionally light: just 2 tons (4,000 lbs/1,814 kg), with an impressive 60% ballast/displacement ratio. It had a retro-looking fractional rig with knocked-back mast (curved aft at the top) combined with a modern-looking T-section boom and full-battened mainsail. The double cockpit and modern deck fittings suggested she was a serious racing boat, while the black walnut trim set it all off to dramatic aesthetic effect. Below decks, the boat had only sitting headroom, despite her 37 ‘  length, and the fit-out was stylish but spartan.

The Spirit company logo, a distiller’s retort flask, is set in the deck of the Spirit 52 Oui Fling

The pair named the boat the Spirit 37, not from any spiritual conviction but due to the volume of spirits consumed during her construction—hence the distiller’s retort flask in the logo. They had considered calling her the Hashish 37, but wisely decided against that in the end.

On the water, the boat proved nothing short of spectacular, clocking 11.7 knots on that first trial (a record she would take many years to break) and as light and responsive on the helm as an overgrown dinghy. She was every bit the fun boat McMillan and Newman had intended, but at that time she was a complete anomaly. The Spirit of Tradition class had yet to be created, and there were only a handful of identifiable “modern classics” in existence—mostly big cruising boats from the boards of Bruce King and André Hoek.

“[Back then] we were whistling in the dark,” McMillan later told me. “We had no idea whether there was a ‘retro’ movement or not. We just built the boat we wanted, which was fun and of a size we could relate to. Luckily, it struck a chord.”

The Spirit 46 Reprobate reveals the modern bulb keel and spade rudder that contribute to her remarkable turn of speed as she sails hard on the wind.

The Spirit 37 was one of the standout boats at the Düsseldorf boat show in January 1995 and was quickly snapped up by a German buyer, who sailed her for the next 25 years. The company also received two orders for 33 ‘  (10.1m) versions of the boat that would satisfy size restrictions on European lakes. Since then, Spirit Yachts hasn’t looked back.

The 37 was followed in 1996 by the 46 (14m), complete with carbon fiber mast, teak decks, and a serious turn of speed, reaching 18 knots on plane (though, according to my notes, McMillan claims he once got 26 knots out of a 46). Ten 37s were eventually built, as well as a dozen 46s. McMillan is keen to emphasize that no two Spirit yachts are identical, as they are all custom built, and even the 37 has three slightly different hull shapes, never mind the various interiors and deck layouts.

The year 1996 was a significant milestone in another way: it was the first time the Antigua Classics featured a dedicated class for modern classic yachts, and by a happy coincidence it named that class Spirit of Tradition. The Mediterranean classic-yacht circuit eventually followed suit in 2003. Suddenly it seemed that Spirit Yachts’ eccentric foray into imaginative boat design was not so contrary after all and was in fact on the leading edge of a new and growing movement. The bad boys of British boatbuilding were trendsetters in a glittering new vein of yachting.

Crucial to all this was McMillan’s background in fine art, for while he is just as concerned with performance and seaworthiness as other designers are, it is his willingness to take aesthetic risks that has set him apart in what is an intrinsically conservative industry.

After her role in the Bond film, Soufrière collected real-world silver racing in Ireland and at the Classics Week in Cowes.

“I take the view that yacht design is an art with science applied,” he says. “You have to have an instinctive understanding of how the hull moves through water. I gained that by sailing tens of thousands of miles as a delivery skipper, by leaning over the side of the boat and watching the hull, by getting more curious and studying hydrodynamics, and by going out and doing it. Some of the boats were great, and some not so great, but I learned a lot along the way.”

Despite its growing success, the business remained in the old cowshed behind Newman’s house until 2003, when they had to erect a temporary extension to build a 70-footer (21.3m), which was a full 10 ‘  (3.1m) longer than the shed itself. That was the final straw, and the following year the company moved to bigger premises at the old docks in Ipswich.

The slightly shorter Spirit 52 was spun out of that success, including the flush-decked Spirit of Tradition racing machine Oui Fling.

Bond Effect

If you had to imagine what a James Bond sailing yacht would look like, it would probably be a modern classic with exaggerated hull lines and a generous helping of shiny deck gear. So, it was almost an inevitability that sooner or later Spirit Yachts’ classy finish and understated power would attract the creators of the world’s most famous secret agent—and the 54 ‘   Soufrière  was duly built for the 2006 Bond movie  Casino Royale , complete with a luxurious interior comprising two cabins, en suite heads, and (that rarest thing on a Spirit yacht of that era) full standing headroom. The yacht was shipped to the Bahamas and sailed to Puerto Rico, then shipped to Croatia and sailed to Venice, where she is said to have been the first sailing yacht to go up the Grand Canal in 300 years (albeit under power).

All these efforts yielded just a few minutes of footage in the final film, but it was enough to turn Spirit Yachts, until then mainly a British success story, into an international brand. Following the release of Casino Royale , inquiries at the yard increased fourfold—though more often than not the phone went quiet when a price was mentioned. Not everyone, it seems, has a Bond-caliber budget.

Soufrière  turned out to be exceptionally fast and, under her new real-life owner, won a string of trophies at home in Ireland and at the annual British Classics Week in Cowes. Her success prompted McMillan to build a slightly smaller version for himself. Launched in 2007, his 52 ‘   Flight of Ufford  has proven equally competitive, regularly clocking speeds of up to 16 knots and winning British Classics Week three years running in 2014–16—though since 2017 he has had to take turns at first place with the stripped-down, flush-decked 52-footer  Oui Fling , built for Baron Irvine Laidlaw of Rothiemay. McMillan’s proudest moment on his boat, however, was being invited to join the Queen’s Jubilee Pageant on the Thames in 2012—the only modern yacht to be summoned.

The year 2007 was also a landmark for a more somber reason, as McMillan’s longtime business partner, Mick Newman, died in a plane crash. Sadly, he would never see the full flowering of the company he helped to create.

The 111′ (33.8m) Geist, designed for the owner of a 52 who wanted a larger version, was built mostly of sustainable timber, except for the teak decks.

The 52 went on to become the yard’s most popular boat to date, no doubt helped by McMillan’s enthusiastic campaigning of  Flight of Ufford  on both sides of the Atlantic. It also led to the yard’s biggest and most challenging commission. After the Spirit 52  Happy Forever  hit a rock in the Baltic, she went back to the Spirit yard for repair, and while her owner (a young German shipowner) stopped by to check progress he spotted a design McMillan was working on. He asked him to design a 90 ‘  (27.4m) version, and when that wasn’t quite right, asked that it be drawn out to 100 ‘  (30.5m), then 105 ‘  (32m) and, finally, 111 ‘  (33.8m). While the yacht’s hull grew longer with each design iteration, her freeboard remained unchanged—she just got sleeker and more stunning each time.

The result was  Geist , the Spirit 111, said to be the biggest single-masted wooden boat built in Britain since the J-Class  Shamrock  in the 1930s. Not only that, but the yard claimed it was “one of the most environmentally friendly sailing superyachts ever created.” Built mostly of sustainable timber (except for those endless teak decks), it boasted a 100-kW Torqeedo electric engine served by four banks of lithium-ion batteries that could be recharged by the propeller while under sail.

Belowdecks, the owner specified that he wanted only organic shapes—there should be no straight lines and no sharp corners. It was a challenge that the Spirit workforce (with some help from the design agency Rhoades Young) rose to, creating a cocoon-like interior with rounded bulkheads, curved seating and sideboards, and shell-like beds that seem to hover in space. Storage space is mostly hidden behind panels with sensor-activated doors that open to the touch. It was quite simply, as Underwood puts it, “a floating work of art.”

“Building the hull wasn’t a problem; that’s our bread and butter,” says Yard Supervisor Adrian Gooderham, who has worked at Spirit for more than 20 years. “But building the interior was a challenge, especially as they wanted the veneers to match, even in the sink areas, where it comes down the bulkhead onto the countertop, down the side, then onto the shelf, and down again—all matching. If there was a defect in any part of it, you’d have to find another veneer and start again.”

Most of the internal joinery was farmed out, but Gooderham built the distinctive saloon table—56 curved legs arranged in a circle, with a round glass top that bolted to the top of each leg. “Quite complex,” he admits.

Geist’s curvaceous bulkheads, settees, and house structure were built with flawless veneers, glass surfaces, and the absence of trim that could conceal any gaps.

Building Clean

The company’s commitment to the environment stems from its early days when, McMillan points out, just choosing to build in wood would label you as a crank. He still feels just as strongly about it now.

“You can’t build boats and not be concerned about the environment,” he says. “The implications for the yachting industry are dire, yet 99.9% of companies are banging out petrochemical products with no attempt to deal with end of life. There has to be a point when you stand up and say, ‘This cannot be right.’ We are gradually getting rid of diesel engines and trying to build boats that have minimum impact on the planet.”

Laminating diagonal sipo wood veneers over the Douglas-fir strip planking yields a stiff monocoque hull built mostly of renewable wood.

Over the years, the company has refined its focus. Early on, they stopped using Brazilian mahogany when their supplier couldn’t guarantee it came from a sustainable source. They switched to sipo, a similar timber grown as a commercial crop. More recently, they stopped using teak for decks and tried using the teak-substitute Lignia. When that company went bust amid concerns about the durability of the product, Spirit switched to using Douglas-fir, which has proven a good substitute. Various test panels with the alternative decking material are being continuously monitored, in part thanks to an accelerated-aging test tank on loan from electronics supplier Raymarine.

In 2020, they launched the first all-electric Spirit 44E (13.4m), fitted with an Oceanvolt sail drive powered by lithium-ion batteries that can be recharged by two large solar panels on the afterdeck or, while under sail, by the spinning propeller. Her decks were made of Lignia, and her sails were fabricated with 4T Forte recyclable cloth, courtesy of OneSails, which makes most of Spirit’s sails.  Avvento  was shipped to her owner’s home in British Columbia, Canada, where she cruises in remote areas for weeks at a time with no need for external energy supply. Her owner jokes that he’s more likely to run out of food than run out of electricity. Nearly half of Spirit’s new builds are now fitted with electric engines, though McMillan is quick to acknowledge that, environmentally speaking, they are not the “perfect panacea” due to the use of rare metals in the batteries.

Recently the yard has experimented with replacing teak decking with quarter-sawn Douglas-fir.

Bcomp’s flax fiber is a promising alternative to glass fiber laminate for exterior hull sheathing on Spirit’s 30-footers

More recently, Spirit Yachts has been applying flax cloth in place of fiberglass to sheathe their 30-footers—Bcomp’s ampliTex flax 350-g/m 2 biaxial (+/–45°) 1270mm and ampliTex flax twill 2/2, no twist, 1000mm, 300-g/m 2 —and will apply it to the bigger boats once they are happy with its performance. (See “ Flax  Boats,”  Professional BoatBuilder  No. 197, page 44.)

“We had to be much quicker with the glue when laying up the flax, as it is very absorbent,” says Gooderham. “We had to be precise with the quantities of resin, and we had to post-cure in a tent at 25°C [77°F] during the fairing process.”

The Spirit 44E Avvento was the first Spirit yacht with an electric sail drive powered by lithium-ion batteries. She also sported sails made of recyclable sailcloth.

They are also experimenting with bio-based resin in nonstructural areas and hope to use it more extensively in due course.

And there are many other, smaller ways the company earns its eco-credentials, as Helen Porter explains: “We recently replaced our plastic paint trays with sugar cane trays, and we’ve replaced our paint brushes and rollers with low-carbon-footprint products. We’re using vacuum bags made out of recycled materials. We’ve discovered we can reduce waste timber by 20% by using CNC to cut wood. So, we are constantly chipping away in the background. The goal is always to lower the carbon footprint of a yacht as much as possible.”

She makes the point that in most instances, the more sustainable solution will offer other benefits such as reduced noise, cheaper running costs, or greater self-sufficiency, meaning there is less need to call on expensive marinas. When the benefits are fully explained, she says, nine times out of 10 the client will opt for the more sustainable option.

Once again, the company’s once-unorthodox stance has served them well, and while most of the marine industry is playing catchup on burnishing their environmental credentials, Spirit finds itself in the vanguard of the movement. Underwood estimates that as many as 60% of their customers “have sustainability in their minds. They are living and breathing it already. They have an electric car. They have a ground-source heat-pump system at home. That’s why they come to us.”

Custom cabinetry and accommodations are strategically built-in before the cabin structure is sheathed.

Another sign of the times for Spirit Yachts is a greater emphasis on boat interiors, something designer Tom Smith, who trained partly in Italy, is happy to go along with. “The interior never used to get as much attention as the exterior. Now it’s just as much,” says Smith, who heads a team of four designers at the yard. “Lots of people want their yachts to be as comfortable as their homes. That should be possible, as long as you’re clever. I hate it when people say that yacht design is a compromise. There’s no reason to compromise; you just have to be clever with the design.”

In practical terms, that has meant a shift away from traditional wood paneling toward lighter colors, including white satin painted panels. The company is also collaborating with textiles companies to try out new color palettes including cloths made from recycled bottles.

Spirit Yachts Under Power

In recent years, Spirit has added a few powerboats to their stable of designs—from a couple of retro-styled launches, the P40 (12.2m) and P35 (10.7m), to a more substantial 70 ‘  motoryacht, the P70, designed to cross the North Sea from the U.K. to the Baltic and back at 18 knots. Even here, the company is keen to emphasize the designs’ eco credentials, noting that it can build the boats lighter than their GRP equivalents, which means they require smaller engines and therefore have greater fuel efficiency. It’s a virtuous circle that again benefits the client by saving them money in running costs.

Spirit’s most spectacular powerboat to date had finally completed its trials stage when I visited the company in June 2023. The F35 looks every bit like one of those classic North American speedboats from 100 years ago. Long and narrow, with sensuously shaped varnished topsides and foredeck, it appears the epitome of 1920s elegance. But, like her sailing sisters, the F35 has a secret hiding underwater: foils. Power her up to 14 knots or so and she will free herself from the tedious limitations of wetted surface area and fly largely above the water at up to 30 knots (though 22 knots is her cruising speed).

Spirit Yachts joined forces with BAR Technologies (better known for its  America ’s Cup simulation and design) to create this electric foiler with a range of 100 miles at 22 knots. This is a major step forward in electric boating, and all with a classic aesthetic that you don’t expect to perform so efficiently—that old McMillan joke again.

McMillan is rightfully proud of his new design and, back in the office, shows me a video of the boat in action on Lake Maggiore in Italy. Halfway through, the F35 is joined by a copy of the Crouch-designed  Baby Bootlegger , a curvaceous 1924 American mahogany speedboat that inspired his design. (See Paul Lazarus’s “How Fast Will It Go?” in PBB No. 169, page 62.) The family resemblance is clear—though, as McMillan points out, their performance is quite different. The old boat with its 220-hp (165-kW) combustion engine leaves a vast wake, while the big foiler at speed barely dimples the lake surface.

She’s clearly the future of motorboating—fast, elegant, and clean—especially once safety and ethical concerns around some lithium-ion batteries are resolved or competing alternative fuels become viable.

I’m keen to see the roll of plans McMillan has brought in for scanning—he still works in the early stages with pen and paper before submitting his drawings to CAD for the development and production stages—but it turns out they’re top secret. All he will say is that they are for an “extremely radical” electric foiler, considerably bigger than the F35. Even at 72, he is still clearly excited by this latest project.

An F35, the latest model in Spirit Yacht’s sparse line of powerboats, is an electric-powered fully foiling tribute to the mahogany runabouts of the 1920s.

Spirit Yachts’ Academy and Beyond

McMillan is willing to talk about another project close to his heart: the new Spirit Academy. In the past the company was able to recruit staff from all over the world to work in the yard, but that has become more difficult since Brexit, and like most companies in the boating sector, Spirit has suffered a skills shortage. The solution McMillan decided on is to set up a training center in a disused building right next to the yard. The Spirit Academy will be the first university-standard boatbuilding college in the world, training students to a high skill level so they come out ready to start work using modern tools and materials. The course of study will comprise most aspects of boatbuilding, including design, rigging, and sailmaking. The only thing that won’t be in the curriculum is fiberglass construction, which McMillan is convinced will soon “come to a crashing halt.”

He said he hopes to start restoring the building this autumn, with the first intake of students possible as early as fall of 2025. The plan is to enroll two classes a year of 12 students each for a two-year course, with a total of 48 students when it’s fully up and running.

Meanwhile, Spirit Yachts will continue building its distinctive brand of high-quality wood/composite yachts. Despite recent forays into powerboats, sailing yachts will continue to be their focus, particularly in the 60 ‘ –90 ‘  range (their “sweet spot,” according to Underwood). The new 72-footer is particularly popular right now, with three built in two years—one for charter (with a cabin forward for paid crew), one for racing, and the third for bluewater cruising.

McMillan shows no signs of slowing down, and neither does the company he created in a disused cowshed all those years ago. At last, it seems the world has caught up, and the McMillan joke of delivering modern performance boats with vintage aesthetics is one we can all understand.

About the Author:   Nic Compton is a freelance writer/photographer based in Devon, U.K. He lived on boats in the Mediterranean until the age of 15 and worked as a boatbuilder for many years before swapping his chisel for a pen and his router for a computer. He sails a Rhode Island–built Freedom 33, currently based in Greece.

Read more Companies , Construction , Design , Uncategorized articles

• Candela’s Faith in Foiling Ferries

In the rarefied world of fully foiling electric boats with carbon hulls and appendages, sensor-based digital ride control systems, and hefty price tags, Candela grabbed the spotlight by delivering on… Read more »

• Australia II Wing Keel Controversy – Part 2

A tank-testing laboratory team in The Netherlands convinced Australian challengers to rely on performance-prediction data and analysis that helped create the 12-Meter that made America ’s Cup history.

• Australia II Wing Keel Controversy – Part 1

A tank-testing laboratory team in The Netherlands convinced Australian challengers to rely on performance-prediction data and analysis that helped create the 12-Meter that made America’s Cup history.

Recent Posts

• Learn Electrical Systems from Nigel Calder
• PRO-SET Epoxy Named an Official Supplier for New York Yacht Club American Magic, Challenger for the 37th America’s Cup
• Companies (83)
• Construction (105)
• Design (159)
• Drawing Board (10)
• Education (24)
• Environment (16)
• Events (21)
• Materials (48)
• Obituary (17)
• People/Profiles (48)
• Products (16)
• Propulsion Systems (31)
• Racing (16)
• Repair (37)
• Rovings (314)
• Short Cuts (3)
• Sponsored Partner News (13)
• Systems (80)
• Task Sheet (1)
• Uncategorized (26)
• Wood to Glass (7)

ProBoat.com Archives

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• Boat Pro Home
• Pricing Plan
• Superyacht Insight
• Product Features
• Premium Content
• Testimonials
• Global Order Book
• Tenders & Equipment

No Time To Die: How Spirit Yachts became the official boat of James Bond

Related articles.

With a Spirit 46 making an appearance in the latest James Bond film, No Time To Die , Spirit Yachts founder and CEO Sean McMillan gives an insight into the 007 filming process. 

In the recently-released James Bond film No Time To Die , Daniel Craig’s 007, now retired from active service, is cruising the waters of Jamaica on board his own Spirit 46 sailing yacht . Bond is well known for appreciating the finer things in life and his choice of a Spirit 46 aligns the builder with the likes of Aston Martin cars and Omega watches.

“I think it suits the Bond character very well,” says Spirit Yachts chief executive Sean McMillan. He emphasises that, unlike the gadgets Bond is given on the job, the yacht he sails reflects the agent’s personal taste.

“While appreciating the very best of everything, and having had on many occasions access to the very best of everything, when it comes to making his own personal decisions [I think] he would choose to have something that was exquisitely good, that was probably very beautiful, but there was nevertheless an extremely practical expression of what he wanted to do in his life,” he says.

Casino Royale

So how did the Ipswich-based shipyard become a staple of James Bond’s discerning taste? The journey began back in 2006 when production company Eon Productions was working on Daniel Craig’s first foray into the Bond role - Casino Royale . “We just got a telephone call one morning which was a little surprising,” recounts McMillan. Once he was reassured that no yachts would be harmed in the making of the film, McMillan was on board.

“As luck would have it, we happened to have one yacht that was brand new and fitted the bill, so off we went,” remembers McMillan.

The yacht McMillan refers to is the 16.4 metre Spirit 54’ Soufrière, which hosts Bond and Vesper Lynd as the couple cruise through Venice. Filming took a total of six months and involved shipping and cruising the yacht to various locations. The yacht even made history as the first sailing yacht to go up the Venetian Grand Canal in 300 years.

During filming McMillan was charged with directing Craig on board and ensuring Bond appeared a convincing experienced sailor.

At times, this involved McMillan lying on the floor – out of shot – barking instructions up to Craig as the cameras rolled. “By the time you've got cameras, cameramen and soundmen on a very small boat, there's not much room,” says McMillan. He adds however that “everybody just muddles on and gets along with it. There's no real difficulty about it at all because everyone wants the same end goal.”

Technicalities of the Casino Royale filming process also involved removing and replacing the yacht’s rig 10 times to ensure the yacht could fit under multiple canal bridges. “That was tricky, but the end result was two minutes in the film, and it did absolute wonders for us,” says McMillan.

The spotlight cast on Spirit Yachts thanks to Casino Royale affected the company “very favourably”, says McMillan. As a direct consequence of the 2006 film, the company sold three boats and benefited from “considerable” interest. One buyer even contacted Spirit immediately after watching the film. “He told me he stayed right through the credits to find out who made the boat and rang us up the next morning,” says McMillan. The story has a happy ending, directly resulting in the sale and delivery of a Spirit 60.

No Time To Die

It wasn’t long after work got underway on the much-anticipated No Time To Die that McMillan received a familiar phone call. It was Eon Productions approaching McMillan for Spirit’s involvement in Daniel Craig’s Bond finale. “The whole process started again,” McMillan says.

The production team wanted a boat small enough to be sailed independently by Bond but still looked “used and well-loved”. They landed on a 14m modern-classic Spirit 46, which was due to undergo a winter refit. “[Eon] said, ‘no, leave it like that, with that slightly end of season, slightly used look about it’,” McMillan says. “They didn't want her to be pristine, although we did of course.”

The yacht was shipped over to Jamaica where McMillan once again joined Craig at the helm. “He hadn’t forgotten anything at all,” he says, describing Craig as a “capable chap.”

“I think once he’s learned something, he doesn’t have to relearn it at all,” added McMillan. The Spirit founder reminisces fondly on the experience, recounting that, with the sailing instruction in hand, he was even able to “enjoy the sunshine and drink a bit of rum.”

The Spirit 46 is now back with her owners, who recently cruised her around the Long Island Sound. Spirit Yachts, meanwhile, has been enjoying the attention from the film release, with McMillan suggesting that it will once again have a positive impact on enquiries and brand awareness.

As for the future, McMillan hopes the partnership will mean more appearances on screen “I think it would hopefully mean that every now and again, we will certainly be involved,” hints McMillan, adding that the partnership “is a very nice accolade to have.”

Similar yachts for sale

More stories, most popular, from our partners, sponsored listings.

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Spirit 46 to feature in new James Bond film

• Toby Heppell
• September 8, 2021

Released at the end of September the new James Bond movie, No Time To Die will feature a Spirit 46 adding it to the list of sailing films

Spirit Yachts has announced a partnership with EON Productions, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios (MGM) and Universal Pictures International. The partnership sees a Spirit 46 feature in the upcoming film No Time To Die in UK cinemas from 30th September and in the U.S. from 8th October 2021.

Spirit Yachts’ partnership with the James Bond films began when a Spirit 54 yacht was chosen to feature in the 2006 film Casino Royale , in which James Bond and Vesper Lynd can be seen cruising into Venice onboard a Spirit 54.

The coming Bond movie will feature the Spirit 46, one of the British yard’s original classic style yachts.

Photo: No Time to Die / LLC and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc.

Other sailing films

This is not the first time sailing has featured in major Hollywood blockbusters, to varying degrees of success.

There have been some decent examples, most recently we saw F50 catamarans featured in Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending Tennet , and before that Adrift  based on the book Red Sky in Mourning  – Tami Oldham Ashcraft’s true account of sailing into a Pacific hurricane, dismasting, and then sailing solo under jury rig for 41 days alone to Hawaii.

Looking further back there was actually a great deal of decent multihull sailing within the otherwise pretty ropey Waterworld and a great catamaran scene featuring Piers Brosnan in the remake of the Thomas Crown Affair. 

And of course, who can forget Wind , the 1980s America’s Cup film, from which the sailing community was gifted the immortal words ‘break out the Whomper’.

No Time To Die will be released in UK cinemas from 30th September and in the U.S. from 8th October 2021.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams. Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

ON TEST: Spirit 44e – the sustainable future of sailing?

• Theo Stocker
• November 1, 2020

A wooden boat that blazes a trail for modern technology and sustainability sounds too good to be true. Theo Stocker went to see if the Spirit 44e is as good as promised

Product Overview

Spirit yacht 44cr electric.

• Most sustainable yacht available today
• Sails beautifully
• Stunning looks
• Limited accommodation for length
• Upkeep of wooden boat

Manufacturers:

Price as reviewed:.

Boats have been built out of wood since Noah first put axe to tree, but when it comes to cutting-edge yachts, timber is right back at the top.

Spirit Yachts have been building head-turningly pretty wooden yachts with stiff, lightweight laminated wooden hulls since 1993, including the largest wooden yacht built in the UK since the 1930s in the shape of the Spirit 111 , launched this year.

But away from all the fanfare, the Ipswich-based yard has also just launched Avvento , smaller sister to its 47 and 55 Cruising Range yachts.

Far from being a lesser vessel, however, the Spirit 44 Cruising Range Electric Boat (44e for short) hides advances in sustainable technology under its gleaming topsides that offer a glimpse into the future of boat building.

Unrecyclable fibreglass and sails, toxic antifoul, and fossil-fuel propulsion are replaced by sustainably sourced timber, self-sufficient electric propulsion and zero-carbon emissions.

The proud new owner is Vincent Argiro, a retired technology entrepreneur who lives and sails in British Columbia in Canada.

Explaining his motivation to go for such a radical concept, he said: ‘My first sailboat was also the first of its kind to be built all-electric. I have never owned anything else, nor will I.

‘To me, it is a terrible corruption of the beauty and simplicity of sailing to add internal-combustion propulsion to it.’

She is built, Spirit claims, to last a hundred years and to be largely recyclable when the time does come. In the intervening century, she will burn no hydro-carbons whatsoever with not even a backup generator on board, or, for that matter, any obvious renewable energy sources. I was curious to see how she worked.

THE TEST VERDICT

The Spirit 44e is a fabulously expensive boat given her limited accommodation and shorter than average waterline length, if you are going to judge her by volume.

As managing director Nigel Stuart says: ‘You need to think about her volume relative to her waterline rather than overall length.’ That’s a nice idea, if you have the luxury of not worrying about marina fees.

You can get a lot of boat for this kind of budget, so why would you buy the Spirit 44e? Firstly, she is drop dead gorgeous. From her sleek lines to her dovetail joints, there is no part of the boat that is not a pleasure to look at.

Then, she is utterly engaging to sail. Lightweight, powerful and responsive, helming her will put a smile on your face, while she should cope equally well with the rough stuff. Finally, she is light years ahead of most production yachts in terms of environmental impact.

I would opt for the smaller rig and higher boom, and I’d like narrower cockpit seats. Most owners would opt for a backup diesel generator for peace of mind, though with new battery tech on its way, unlimited range is within reach.

The Spirit 44e goes a very long way to prove that yachts can be built and run in a sustainable way.

Would the Spirit 44e suit you and your crew?

This boat isn’t about mass-market appeal, but who wouldn’t fall in love given half a chance? In reality, for the kind of cruising most sailors really do, weekends and a few weeks here and there, she is luxuriously comfortable for a cruising couple with occasional guests. Liveaboard cruising is more of a stretch, but entirely feasible, while she’ll also do well racing round the cans.

There’s plenty of entertaining space, particularly on deck once you’re in harbour, and if you don’t mind the stares, she turns heads wherever she goes.

Very few boats out there could hold a hydrocarbon-free candle to the Spirit 44e. Even Noah might have been tempted to leave his animals for this boat.

Enjoyed reading this?

A subscription to Yachting Monthly magazine costs around 40% less than the cover price .

Print and digital editions are available through Magazines Direct – where you can also find the latest deals .

YM is packed with information to help you get the most from your time on the water.

• Take your seamanship to the next level with tips, advice and skills from our experts
• Impartial in-depth reviews of the latest yachts and equipment
• Cruising guides to help you reach those dream destinations

Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram.

SPIRIT YACHTS

MODERN CLASSIC YACHT DESIGN & BUILD

Based in Suffolk on the east coast of the UK, Spirit Yachts has a portfolio of custom, wooden sail and power yachts ranging from day sailers to superyachts.

From humble beginnings in the Suffolk countryside, Spirit Yachts now operates from a large waterside facility with a team of highly skilled designers, naval architects, boat builders, cabinet makers, electricians and engineers.

TIMELESS ELEGANCE

Spirit Yachts’ contemporary, elegant design style is world-renowned. Subtle variations on 1930s classic yacht design with long overhangs, low profiles and smooth lines, married to contemporary underwater profiles and the latest technology, are synonymous with Spirit’s modern classic cruising, racing, and power yachts.

Spirit yachts are designed to be as beautiful in 100 years as they are today.

“THE SPIRIT TEAM IS WITHOUT DOUBT THE BEST IN THE WORLD WHEN IT COMES TO A UNIQUE BUILD EXPERIENCE AND A TIMELESSLY BEAUTIFUL YACHT.”

WORLD-CLASS WOODWORK

Spirit Yachts comprises a talented team of craftsmen and women who are passionate about and dedicated to the highest standards of boat building.

Using hand-selected timber sustainably sourced from responsibly managed forests, Spirit yachts incorporate the beauty of wood with the latest modern technology for sailing performance and a luxury guest experience.

SUSTAINABILITY

WOOD IS AT THE HEART OF EVERY SPIRIT YACHT.

Wood is a natural, sustainably-sourced boat building material offering beauty, a favourable strength-to-weight ratio, and durability. Spirit Yachts is committed to the environmental sustainability of its wood and is meticulous in sourcing the highest quality timber from responsibly managed forests and regulated suppliers.

SPIRIT NEWS

LATEST STORIES

Spirit yachts appoints australasia dealer, spirit c72 on display palma boat show, spirit c72 shortlisted for prestigious classic boat award, spirit yachts set to showcase new designs at boot düsseldorf, owner interview: my first season on a new spirit 72, our spirited fastnet adventure, my spirit journey: 72dh owner interview, stay in the loop.

" * " indicates required fields

• Inquire Now
• YACHT SEARCH
• Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yachts
• $1 – $25,000 Yachts
• $26,000 – $50,000 Yachts
• $50,000 – $100,000 Yachts
• $101,000 – $200,000 Yachts
• $200,000 – ∞ Yachts
• Turks and Caicos
• Virgin Islands
• Spain & Balearic Islands
• New England
• Tahiti & South Pacific
• More destinations
• Charter Advice

St Thomas Yacht Charters

Reserve your 2021 or 2022 yacht charter in st thomas and the virgin islands.

Yacht charters in St Thomas offer a unique combination of cosmopolitan luxury and Caribbean charm.

The island, a 32 square mile tropical paradise, has a wide array of shoreside amenities like world-class golf courses and fine dining restaurants, as well as incredible beaches, snorkeling spots, and nearby islands to explore. That makes St. Thomas one of the Caribbean’s most popular yacht charter destinations.

A St. Thomas yacht charter offers a chance to explore the USVI’s most amazing destinations, from the stunning Magens Bay Beach (one of the world’s most beautiful according to Conde Naste) to nearby St. John with its lush jungled trails and immaculate beaches. Bottom line, a yacht charter in St. Thomas allows guests to escape, unwind and enjoy all the charms of the Virgin Islands.

St. Thomas Yacht Charter Highlights

• Duty-free shopping
• Exceptional beaches
• Top-tier beachfront golf courses
• Outdoor adventures, hiking and ziplining
• Laid-back vibes

Showing 1–4 of 91 results

282.2ft / 84m

239.6ft / 71m

228.6ft / 68m

223.7ft / 67m

St Thomas Yachting: When to Go

A St. Thomas yacht charter is wonderful at any time of the year. Peak season is considered mid-December through April, with heightened interest in charters around Christmas and New Year’s. Summer months offer more tranquility with fewer yachts and visitors.

Cruising Conditions

Thanks to the easterly trade winds, protected bays and short passages, St. Thomas is home to some of the best cruising grounds in the Caribbean. The trade winds provide a steady breeze, averaging between 10 to 20 knots, which pick up slightly around Christmas. Visibility is excellent throughout the year.

St. Thomas is also blessed with beautiful weather. Temperatures hover in the mid-70s to mid-80s for most of the year, before peaking in the upper 80s in the summer months.

St Thomas Yacht Charters – What to See & Do

Whether you prefer the tranquility of a hidden beach or the bustle of a port town, St. Thomas yacht charter itineraries offer days packed full of adventure. From snorkeling beautiful Caribbean reefs to hiking lush jungles, there’s something for everyone to enjoy here. Some must-see attractions include:

Paradise Point – The largest city in the Virgin Islands, Charlotte Amalie is a hub for shoreside adventures. If you go, take the Skyride Tram to the summit of Paradise Point. At the top enjoy panoramic views of the harbor and city.

The 99 Steps – Another Charlotte Amalie must-see, the 99 steps were built in the mid-18 th Century, and ascend the city’s famous hilly terrain and offer incredible views of the harbor.

Snorkeling and Diving – Thomas is a prime destination for divers. Some hotspots include Coki Point Beach, a lively beach with a near-shore reef, the Wit Shoal II, a wreck dive, and Tunnels of Thatch, volcanic tunnels near Thatch Cay.

Duty-Free Shopping – The best duty-free shopping in the Caribbean can be found in St. Thomas. Start at The Shops at Yacht Haven Grande, where numerous luxury brands have outposts. Dronningens Gade, the main commercial street in Charlotte Amalie, is another favorite destination, with numerous markets and eclectic shops.

Magens Bay Beach – This stunning beach, located on a protected heart-shaped bay, features calm aquamarine waters that are perfect for swimming and kayaking. Parkland abuts the beach, where you’ll find numerous walking trails, an arboretum, and coconut groves. Other great beaches include Secret Harbour and Lindqvist Beach.

Mahogany Run Golf Course – This world-class golf course is nestled between the rolling hills and the sun-soaked shoreline. A must-play course, Mahogany Run might be most famous for the Devil’s Triangle, a three-hole stretch that towers 200 feet over the Atlantic Ocean inlet.

How to Get There

The island is served by an international airport, located in bustling Charlotte Amalie. Cyril E. King Airport offers nonstop flights to East Coast hubs in the U.S., including New York, Miami, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Atlanta, and Charlotte. Flights are also available to other Caribbean destinations.

Ferry service is also available between St. Thomas and St. Croix, or between St. Thomas and Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

Marinas in St Thomas

Crewed charter yachts will dock in one of these marinas in St Thomas:

• Yacht Haven Grande A modern, upscale marina serving mega yachts. The marina has 46 mega yacht slips, with accommodations for yachts up to 200ft with a maximum draft of 25ft.
• Crown Bay Marina A centrally located marina near Charlotte Amalie. The marina has 200 berthing slips with accommodations for up to 16 super yachts of 200ft.
• American Yacht Harbor (at Red Hook) Located on the west side of the island. The marina has 123 berthing slips with accommodations for yachts up to 120ft with a maximum draft of 10ft.

Start Planning Your Yacht Charter in St Thomas

Our charter specialists will help you select the perfect yacht and crew for your cruising vacation and plan all the details of your luxury yachting vacation. Contact us today!

Destinations

• Crewed Catamaran Charter Greece
• Crewed Yacht Charters Mediterranean
• From Miami to Bimini By Boat
• Florida Keys Boat
• Sailboat Rental Caribbean
• Yacht Charter South Of France
• Private Charter Nassau Bahamas
• Charter a Yacht Amalfi Coast
• BVI Boat Rentals
• Boat Charters Boston Ma

Yachts & Yacht Builders

• Sherakhan Yacht
• Never Enough Yacht
• Spirit Yachts
• Azimut Yachts
• Motor Yacht Seven Sins
• Lurssen Yachts
• Sunreef Yachts Charter
• Hatteras Sport Fishing Boats

Luxury Charters

• Luxury Boats
• Anguilla Boat Charters
• Yacht Bahamas
• Catamaran Charter Exuma Bahamas
• BVI Catamaran Charter with Captain
• Abaco Yacht Charter
• Turks and Caicos Sailing
• Boat Charter Croatia
• Yacht Charter Ibiza

Set your search criteria to find the perfect yacht

• Alaska Australia Bahamas BVI Caribbean Croatia Florida France Galapagos Greece Indonesia Italy Malaysia Maldives Mexico Mediterranean New England Norway Spain Thailand Tahiti Turkey
• Motor Yacht Catamaran Sailing Boats
• 2 4 6 8 10 12 12+

Search by yacht name

• CruiseMapper
• Scrapped Cruise Ships

Thomson Spirit

Former names: thomson spirit (marella), ms spirit, ms patriot, ms nieuw amsterdam.

Cruise line Scrapped Cruise Ships

Specifications of Thomson Spirit

•   Review
•   Wiki

Thomson Spirit Review

Review of thomson spirit.

The 1983-built Thomson Spirit cruise ship (fka "Marella Spirit") was a leased vessel owned by Holland America Line ( Carnival Corporation 's subsidiary company). The boat was launched as " ms Nieuw Amsterdam " and since 2003 was operated under a long-term charter (expired in 2017) by the UK company Marella Cruises (formerly "Thomson Cruises").

According to the shipowner Holland America Line , the ship left Marella's fleet on October 28, 2018, to join Celestyal Cruises renamed as "Celestyal Spirit". Sadly, on October 29, the vessel (renamed "Mare S") left port Piraeus-Athens to Alang India ( shipbreaking yard ) where was scrapped in November. The ship's identification numbers were 8024014 (IMO) and 248368000 (last MMSI, Malta- flagged ).

Decks and Cabins

Thomson Spirit has a total of 627 staterooms (in 10 grades) including 21x Suites, 424x Oceanviews, 203x Inside, 21x Single cabins. Most staterooms are sized 145-175-ft2. Only 4 are wheelchair-accessible rooms. The largest accommodations are the Suites (430 ft2).

Standard inside and outside cabins are rather spacious (for an older-designed liner) and have good storage space. Lots of the outside staterooms have portholes rather than standard windows. Higher-grade outside cabins are larger-sized.

The boat has 10 decks , of which 9 are passenger-accessibel and 8 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Unlike other Thomson cruise liners, the Compass Rose Dining Room on Thomson Spirit offers open-seating dining for all 3 meals. The other major restaurant is the 24-hour casual Lido Restaurant. There's also the poolside Terrace Grill and Sirocco's, a reservations-required dining venue with a cover charge.

Follows the complete list of Thomson Spirit restaurants and food bars.

• Compass Rose Restaurant (serves breakfast, lunch and 6-course dinner; meals are open seating)
• Sirocco’s (an intimate à la carte restaurant which offers real dining experience; cover charge is applied, onboard reservation is required)
• Lido restaurant (with al-fresco dining area and self-service buffet, open 24 hours a day; twice a week international theme nights are held)
• Terrace Grill (the place for lunchtime BBQs, salads and pizzas served on the open deck; another possibility is the 24 hours a day room service, an extra charge applied).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The five bars on Thomson Spirit are with stylish atmosphere. Among them is the Horizons - a sophisticated bar with live classical music and spotlight cabarets. The Raffles Bar features a central piano bar and is ideal for pre-dinner drinks. The Lido Bar is next to the pool, outdoors. The lounges onboard Thomson Spirit are Explorers’ Lounge, playing relaxing live music, and Broadway Show Lounge, with top comedies and West-End-style shows. High Spirits also provides live music plus game shows and a late-night disco.

Follows the complete list of Thomson Spirit lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Broadway Show Lounge (600-seat, features grand production shows with dance, acrobatics, comedy and games); Mezzanine Lounge & Bar (on the top level of Broadway Lounge)
• Broad Street Shops (duty-free shopping arcade with boutiques selling watches, fine jewelry, Thomson Cruises logo merchandise, luxury perfumes, fashion clothes, liquor, tobaccos, convenience goods); Boutique (luxury Spa cosmetics, beauty products)
• Photo Gallery & Shop; Card Room; Browsers’ Corner (Library); Cinema
• Explorers’ Lounge (features live piano music and daily Afternoon Tea; home to The Coffee Port bar for specialty coffees and teas served with complimentary desserts; wi-fi hotspot)
• Casino (served by its own Bar)
• Raffles Bar (piano bar for pre-dinner drinks, with panoramic sea views)
• Lido Bar (open 11:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.; serves the pool deck area)
• High Spirits (disco nightclub, with its own bar, a stage for live performances, dance floor; offers live music, film screenings, game shows and dancing classes during the day)
• Main Pool area (paddle pool for kids, swimming pool, sunbathing area; served by an alfresco Lido Bar)
• Thomson Kids’ Club (play area, complimentary; offers supervised age-appropriate activities for kids 3-11 yo); Video Games Arcade; Graffiti's Teen Area
• Oceans Spa & Gym (Wellness Centre: Massage Rooms, Saunas, Beauty Salon, Relaxation Area; The Gym has a separate Aerobic Studio)
• Adults-only pool deck area (swimming pool, whirlpool, sunbathing area)
• Horizons Lounge & Bar (observation lounge with panoramic sea views; has a dance floor and offers live classical music and jazz performances, as well as cabaret performances in the evening)
• Sports deck (tennis tables, combined sports courts for basketball, football, tennis).

Itineraries

Thomson Spirit itinerary program (for Thomson Cruises) was based on roundtrips from homeports Marmaris Turkey and Limassol Cyprus Greece .

For Marella Cruises, Spirit operated 7-day roundtrips from homeport Malaga Spain , visiting ports in Portugal (Leixoes, Lisbon, Portimao), Spain (Cadiz, Mahon Menorca, Barcelona, Valencia, Cartagena), France (Toulon), also Gibraltar (UK).

Thomson Spirit - user reviews and comments

Photos of thomson spirit.

Thomson Spirit ship related cruise news

Marella Spirit Sold for Scrap

Former Marella Spirit (Thomson Spirit) cruise ship that had until recently been operated by British company Marella Cruises under charter, has...

•   show more news

Other Scrapped Cruise Ships cruise ships

• American Glory
• Amusement World
• Black Watch
• Carnival Ecstasy
• Carnival Fantasy
• Carnival Fascination
• Carnival Imagination
• Carnival Inspiration
• Carnival Sensation
• Carnival Tropicale
• CMV Columbus
• CMV Magellan
• CMV Marco Polo
• Costa Concordia
• Costa neoRomantica
• Costa Victoria
• Golden Iris
• Grand Celebration
• Leisure World
• Marella Celebration
• Marella Dream
• MS Titanic 2
• mv Discovery
• Orient Queen
• Pacific Jewel
• Pride of Burgundy ferry
• Pride of Canterbury ferry
• Pride of Kent ferry
• Pullmantur Horizon
• Pullmantur Monarch
• Pullmantur Sovereign
• Saga Pearl II
• Salamis Filoxenia
• SeaDream Innovation
• SuperStar Aquarius
• SuperStar Gemini
• SuperStar Libra

Thomson Spirit Wiki

MS Thomson Spirit cruise ship is the longest-serving vessel in Thomson UK's fleet. The ship was built as ms Nieuw Amsterdam (link to the Holland America ship). In 2000, the vessel was taken over by United State Lines (now defunct) and renamed "ms Patriot", before chartered by Celestyal Cruises . In 2002, it was sub-chartered by Thomson and in May 2003, following a drydock refit, started operations as "Thomson Spirit".

Most of the cruise passengers are from the UK, but much younger than those on other lines popular with British cruising market. Longer itineraries attract the mid-40s and upwards couples. During school holidays, there are many families too.

Fun fact is, that during the 2014 Winter Olympics (Russia), the ship was used as a floating hotel - together with Celestyal Olympia and Grand Holiday ( CMV Magellan ).

In July 2017, Thomson Cruises announced that it extended the time of Thomson Spirit with the fleet, sailing the ship until the end of summer 2018 due to overwhelming customer demand. Thomson Spirit, which was due to cruise for the final time in November 2017, was based in Palma in April 2018, before moving to Malaga in May. Clients had the opportunity to see the best that Western Mediterranean has to offer - big city favorites like Barcelona , Lisbon and Civitavecchia-Rome , as well as lesser-known Spanish gems like Mahon , Roses and Tarragona . The last cruise of Thomson Spirit (themed "Continental Coasts" was scheduled for October 21, 2018. Then, the ship joins Celestyal Cruises .

Next table shows the liner's last cruise for Marrela (7-day roundtrip from Malaga, themed as "Continental Coasts").

The following table shows the ship's last pre-scheduled cruise for Thomson UK. The 7-day itinerary (themed "Ancient Affair") was supposed to be roundtrip from Cyprus. Prices started from USD 770 pp (double occupancy).

Thomson Spirit refurbishment 2014 review

Note: The 2014 refurbishment made the boat a "Platinum ship". During the drydock refit, private step-out balconies were added to 19 Suites and Deluxe Balcony cabins located on top deck 9 (Eagle Deck).

• Preplanned tours
• Daytrips out of Moscow
• Themed tours
• Customized tours
• St. Petersburg

Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.

‘British Invasion’ headed to La Jolla Music Society’s 2024 SummerFest, led by triple-threat Thomas Ades

This year’s lineup features nearly 20 artists from England, along with such acclaimed non-Brits as cellist Alisa Weilerstein, pianist Conrad Tao, clarinetist Anthony McGill, violinist Augustin Hadelich and jazz harpist Brandee Younger

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

The British are coming! The British are coming!

Sixty years after The Beatles led a sonic “British Invasion” of the United States in 1964, La Jolla Music Society will stage one of its own during the 2024 edition of its chamber-music-and-beyond SummerFest. This year’s 19-concert edition will open July 26 and run through Aug. 24.

While the lineup features such acclaimed non-Brits as cellist Alisa Weilerstein, pianist Conrad Tao, clarinetist Anthony McGill, violinist Augustin Hadelich and jazz harpist Brandee Younger, nearly 20 of this year’s performers will be coming here from England. They include oboist Nicholas Daniel, clarinetist Mark Simpson, violinist Jack Liebeck, guitarist Sean Shibe and the Grammy-nominated three-woman, five-man London vocal ensemble Voces8.

Credit for this upcoming aural takeover goes to acclaimed pianist Inon Barnatan, now in his sixth year as SummerFest’s globe-trotting music director. His theme for this year’s edition is “Inside Stories,” and one of those stories has a decidedly Anglo tone.

“I play in the U.K. a lot and there’s kind of a ‘British Invasion’ happening in the beginning of this year’s festival, with people we don’t get to hear very often,” said the Israeli-born Barnatan.

“Some of them do perform in America, but not all of them or in this capacity. These are people I play with, admire and want to bring to La Jolla to see how they interact with American audiences. And Thomas Adès is coming back this year, which I consider an absolute triumph.”

Classical Music

SummerFest 2023 to showcase three-dimensional music great Thomas Adès

British artist will be featured as a composer, pianist and curator in a wide range of works. ‘He is a towering figure in music,’ says SummerFest Music Director Inon Barnatan

July 30, 2023

Make that a triple triumph.

The undisputed hit of last year’s SummerFest, Adès dazzled audiences here as a pianist, musical curator and composer-in-residence. He is returning in all three capacities this year, making him the first repeat composer-in-residence in the event’s history. He will also be featured as a conductor this year.

‘Love at first sight’

“I loved La Jolla and the festival at first sight, and when Inon invited me back for a second consecutive year I didn’t hesitate,” said Adès, via email from England.

Neither did Barnatan.

“Until now, I’ve had a different composer-in-residence every year,” Barnatan noted. “But Thomas’ 2023 residency was so successful and so musically compelling — and the audiences reacted so beautifully to him — that I thought: ‘There’s no way I will pass on an opportunity to do this again with him!’

“To show further respect to Thomas, this year we will feature him not only as a composer and pianist, but also as a conductor and a teacher — his only composition student, (Spain’s Francisco Coll), wrote a piece we are performing Aug. 1. And after having Thomas do our ‘Takeover at The Jai’ concert at last year’s SummerFest, this year we are having him do his ‘Takeover’ in the Baker-Baum Concert Hall.”

Adès will conduct SummerFest’s July 26 opening program at the Baker-Baum. The concert, part of the event’s Synergy Initiative, is billed as “A Deal with the Devil.” It will feature Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No. 1, S. 514, Tartini’s Sonata in G Minor for Violin and Continuo “The Devil’s Trill,” Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 in A Minor and Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier’s Tale).

The Stravinsky piece will include an actor and two-dimensional paper puppets created by England’s The Paper Cinema, whose work combines puppetry, music and theater with video technology and film. Making its La Jolla debut, The Paper Cinema is likely the first act in SummerFest history that has also been featured at both the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and the Glastonbury rock-music festival in England.

The Paper Cinema’s inclusion in SummerFest adds yet another dimension reflecting music director Barnatan’s ever-widening artistic focus — and his expanding coterie of new and repeat collaborators.

“Inon’s energy and musicianship attract such irresistible artists to the festival,” Adès said. “I’m delighted to become a returning member of the La Jolla family.”

That sense of community has been foundational for SummerFest since soon it debuted in La Jolla in 1986.

Festival musicians stay as guests in the homes of La Jolla Music Society supporters. The artists not only perform concerts together but also participate in free SummerFest workshops, educational programs and discussions. They also dine together after most concerts.

‘A welcoming spirit’

“Inon is very much a welcoming spirit and, in some ways, SummerFest feels like summer camp,” said Todd Schultz, La Jolla Music Society’s CEO. “Inon has a great international reach and is a very collaborative and very democratic artist. That makes him a really good partner to have for a chamber-music festival.”

Barnatan returns to SummerFest after a busy concert season as a solo artist. Last weekend Barnatan performed with the Detroit Symphony. This coming weekend, he’ll guest with the Cincinnati Symphony. In April, Barnatan will be in Japan for concerts in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

This follows concerts earlier this year and last fall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian Opera and Ballet, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and renowned soprano Renée Fleming, with whom he performed in February at La Jolla Music Society’s Baker-Baum Concert Hall.

The personal connections Barnatan makes with other musicians through his international performances are invaluable. Ditto being able to hear gifted performers and composers abroad who may not yet be as well-known here as in their respective homelands.

“Inon performing around the world is a terrific advantage for us to expand the roster and range of artists we present at SummerFest from across the pond,” said Leah Rosenthal, the society’s veteran music director.

“A lot of artists don’t have the advantage Inon does of having a prolific career in the U.S. and overseas. He’s equally at home on stage here, in London, Hamburg and Tokyo. And that has given us the opportunity to invite artists who aren’t as frequently seen on the U.S. chamber-music scene.”

Speaking from his New York City home, Barnatan enthusiastically discussed the advantages of being a performer and festival curator who gets to fulfill both those roles simultaneously in La Jolla.

“Traveling around and meeting different people, both in America and abroad, is a great way to bring something different to SummerFest,” said the pianist, whose most recent album, “Rachmaninoff Reflections,” was released in November.

“When I started as SummerFest’s music director six years ago, I thought about what I wanted the festival to be, and I had two possible and attractive scenarios. One is to have this kind of small family of musicians that come back every year, which there is something wonderful about — a small tight-knit group that comes back every year. And, yes, there are people who come back to play at SummerFest most years.

“But it is also important to keep hearing new people, new musicians, new composers. One of the things I love most is the juxtaposition of old and new, both in terms of musicians and repertoire. And every year, I think I get better at understanding the San Diego community of music listeners, the Baker-Baum Concert Hall and my own ideas. So every year, I kind of stir all these things a little bit, take more risks and hope they pay off.”

Last year’s SummerFest provided a memorable example of Barnatan’s old-new approach. It opened with “Expect the Unexpected,” a concert for which none of the pieces or performers were disclosed prior to the performance, apart from conductor and violinist Alan Gilbert.

The closing night, “Finale: Serenades,” mixed landmark repertoire by Tchaikovsky and other storied composers with Barnatan’s newly arranged version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” for five cellos and piano.

“ ‘Expect the Unexpected’ was a test of the idea: ‘Do you trust me’?” Barnatan said.

“Sometimes, the things you don’t expect are the most delightful, and that was the idea behind last year’s SummerFest theme. This year’s theme is different, but I have the same hope and goal — to mix the classic repertoire by the great composers with things that aren’t expected.”

Barnatan’s voice fairly danced with delight as he discussed this year’s lineup. He singled out, by name, nearly every performer and piece of repertoire that will be performed. His enthusiasm was equally palpable whether discussing Ravel and Rachmaninoff or newer works by Adès and tech-minded jazz pianist Dan Tepfer.

“This year’s theme is ‘Inside Stories,’ meaning the stories behind the music,” Barnatan said. “That provides us with another way to connect with music, to not just listen to music as something that is a passive experience, but to really get familiar with the story behind it. This holds true whether it’s an actual story or about the underlying things that make the music tick.

“It’s a big honor and treat to get all these musical friends together and hang out at SummerFest. It’s fantastic! One of the great things about a festival like this is that it draws so many great artists — because a lot of the SummerFest performers earn a fraction of what they usually earn the rest of the year.

“It’s a labor of love, where we get to be together, musically and socially. After most SummerFest concerts, we have receptions and dinners that the festival itself organizes for the musicians, partly because La Jolla restaurants close terribly early! And also, because part of the fun of the festivals is we get to interact with the audiences and then the musicians get to hang out together after the concerts.”

SummerFest 2024

Unless otherwise indicated below, all concerts are at 7:30 p.m. at The Baker-Baum Concert Hall in The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla. Some events take place in The JAI, the center’s smaller, 144-seat space.

July 26: Opening Night: Synergy: “A Deal with the Devil” — Liszt, Tartini, Paganini, and Stravinsky

July 27: “Danse Macabre” — Ysaÿe, Saint-Saëns, Butler, Adès, Ravel, and Schubert

July 28: “Passions and Storms” — Janáček, Adès, and Beethoven, 3 p.m.

July 31: “Midweek Masterworks: Amadeus” — Mozart, 7 p.m.

Aug. 1: Takeover @ The Baker-Baum with Thomas Adès: Coll, Adès, and De Falla, 7 p.m.

Aug, 2: “Baroque Fantasia” — Telemann, Purcell, Vivaldi, and Rebel

Aug. 3: “Resilience” — F. Mendelssohn, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Schulhoff, and Mendelssohn

Aug. 4: “Suite” — Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, J.S. Bach, and Piazzolla, 3 p.m.

Aug. 7: “Midweek Masterworks: Mozart & Pärt” — Arvo Pärt and Mozart, 7 p.m.

Aug. 8: Jazz @ The JAI: Brandee Younger Trio, 6 p.m. & 8:30 p.m., The JAI

Aug. 9: “Gratitude” — J.S. Bach, Beethoven, and various

Aug. 10: SummerFest Gala, 6 p.m.

Aug. 11: “In Loving Memory” — Ravel, Arensky, and Fauré, 3 p.m.

Aug. 14: “Midweek Masterworks: Notes on a Scandal” — Gesualdo, Debussy, and Franck, 7 p.m.

Aug. 15: Synergy: Jazz @ The JAI: Dan Tepfer, “Natural Machines,” 6 p.m. & 8:30 p.m., The JAI

Aug. 16: Synergy: “Counterpoint II,” world premiere commissioned by La Jolla Music Society

Aug. 17: “California Dreamin’ ” — Rachmaninoff, Rósza, Esmail, Riley, Williams, and Adams

Aug. 21: “Midweek Masterworks: Instrumental Stories” — Bartók, M. Wiancko and Brahms, 7 p.m.

Aug. 23: “The Road to Victory” — Beethoven, Bridge, and Coleridge-Taylor

Aug. 24: SummerFest Finale: “A Song and Dance” — Schoenfield, Williams, Bernstein, and Dvořák

Artists, concerts, dates, venues, and ticket prices subject to change.

SummerFest subscriptions are available now. A complete subscription for all 17 concerts in The Baker-Baum Concert Hall is $1,413 per person for Section A seating and $1,249 for Section B seating. Premium package, which include all 17 concerts in the Baker-Baum shows, plus the two in the adjacent cabaret-styled venue The JAI, are $1,545 per person for Section A seating and $1,363 for Section B seating. Single tickets, partial subscription series, and compose-your-own packages will be available later in the spring.

Tickets and more information are available at the La Jolla Music Society box office at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center at 7600 Fay Ave. in La Jolla; by phone: (858) 459-3728; and online at TheConrad.org .

[email protected]

Get U-T Arts & Culture on Thursdays

A San Diego insider’s look at what talented artists are bringing to the stage, screen, galleries and more.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

More from this Author

Obituary: Bob Boss was a leading San Diego guitarist in many genres: ‘The joy he brought to people was epic’

March 22, 2024

Mojo Nixon to be honored with free posthumous screening of ‘The Mojo Manifesto’ and concert

The three San Diego concerts you absolutely should hear this weekend

March 21, 2024

Lyle Lovett on music, fatherhood, COVID, ‘devious thoughts’ and sports: ‘I’m not man enough to play golf!’

March 18, 2024

Spring arts preview 2024: San Diego grade-schooler Rachel Sanders an eclectic vocal phenom at age 11

March 17, 2024

Spring arts preview 2024: Our top 10 music picks for the season

More in this section.

42 years into touring, heavy metal rock band considers its legacy

Armored Saint bassist Joey Vera talks about changes in the music industry, worries about AI and the next album

March 24, 2024

Bruce Springsteen’s tour, delayed by illness, arrives in San Diego on Monday

The tour, which “The Boss” postponed due to a peptic ulcer, kicked off Tuesday in Arizona with the singer-guitarist in high spirits and fit shape

Solana Beach files lawsuit to delay KAABOO’s return to Del Mar over environmental impacts

A March 11 complaint filed in San Diego County Superior Court details the city’s concerns over issues such as parking, traffic and noise

March 19, 2024

ELO band’s North American farewell tour will make two Southern California stops

The popular 1970s-era rock band, famous for “Evil Woman” and “Mr. Blue Sky,” was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017

Cold War Kids celebrate 20 years with album, tour visiting San Diego on Monday

The Orange County-born indie rock band has gone through lineup changes over the years, but it’s still going strong

March 15, 2024

These are the San Diego concerts you won’t want to miss this week

Our picks include The Lone Bellow at the Casbah, Gilbert Castellanos and his band with student jazz musicians from Mission Bay High School at the Meraki, and the debut of the Sara Petite-led Americana Series at the Kensington Club

Turn Your Curiosity Into Discovery

Latest facts.

10 Facts About Futures Trading That Every Investor Should Know

10 Facts about Americans in Spain

40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

Was this page helpful?

Our commitment to delivering trustworthy and engaging content is at the heart of what we do. Each fact on our site is contributed by real users like you, bringing a wealth of diverse insights and information. To ensure the highest standards of accuracy and reliability, our dedicated editors meticulously review each submission. This process guarantees that the facts we share are not only fascinating but also credible. Trust in our commitment to quality and authenticity as you explore and learn with us.

Share this Fact: