The standard for the new ship was already set: If the new SEA CLOUD II was to sail the Kiel waters with her legendary sister, she could only be a true windjammer with five-star luxury on board. And one more thing was beyond doubt from the start: The second ship from SEA CLOUD CRUISES should also be a square rigger. Because only a square rigger can give passengers the best possible sailing experience.

After these major factors were decided, more questions arose: Would it be possible to construct a square rigger for sailing with the fewest number of crew? And would it be possible to find a shipyard to build such a ship at a justifiable cost?

Hermann Ebel and his team set out to search. The adventure of the SEA CLOUD II had begun.

From the start SEA CLOUD II was planned as a “genuine” barque – a three-masted sailing ship with two fully rigged masts and a spanker. SEA CLOUD CRUISES decided on a traditional, manually set rig, as was custom in the 20th century. During planning, reference was made to the 1908 standard work by Mittendorf on this topic – the “bible” for square riggers to this day.

It soon became clear: Even in the planning stages, the construction of such a sailing ship is a complicated matter. The regulations of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) played an important role, as did fire safety and stability regulations.

"We were practically pummeled by regulations”, remembers Hermann Ebel. And the first plans did fall through: “With all of the exits, the SEA CLOUD II would have been a floating staircase!” But finally a path appeared: Ship architects drafted a hull and rig; and interior designers from Partner Ship Design in Hamburg joined the team as another important member.

Step by step on the drafting table, the SEA CLOUD II became a real ship – now they just had to find an appropriate shipyard.

The first partner for the SEA CLOUD II’s construction was a Finnish shipyard. The teamwork was successful at first, and the SEA CLOUD II was commissioned in Finland. But difficulties arose: The shipyard’s district government could not or would not offer bank guaranties for the necessary downpayment. Work was interrupted, and finally the partnership was terminated. A stroke of luck for SEA CLOUD CRUISES, because the shipyard went bankrupt shortly thereafter.

Now the search for a shipyard began anew. Soon came talks with the Astilleros Gondan, S.A. shipyard in Figueras. Established in 1925, they had built an excellent 25-year reputation but had not yet constructed a large, luxury sailing ship for cruises. As the shipyard put in their bid for the SEA CLOUD II, they also had an interesting new ship on their launchway: The Spanish Nautical Ministry had contracted Astilleros Gondan to build a sailing ship for training.

Captain Bodo Franz, chairman and technical director of SEA CLOUD CRUISES, quickly went to evaluate their future partner. Although there were some reservations, his appraisal was generally positive. And the Spanish shipyard received the order to build SEA CLOUD II.

While searching for an appropriate partner for the SEA CLOUD II’s rigging, SEA CLOUD CRUISES discovered the city of Wolgast on the Peene river. There, shipbuilder Detlev Löll runs a construction office and shipyard under the name Navicom. The SEA CLOUD II was a special challenge for him and his team. After all, this was about rigging the all-time largest barque.

Piece by piece, boat and shipbuilders, welders, turners and smiths in Wolgast produced the complete upright and running gear – a bewildering and fascinating mixture of more than 13 miles of rope, steel wire and plastic cable. In the meantime, a sail maker in Poland produced 24 new sails. The masts were built at the Spanish shipyard..

Simultaneously across Europe, pieces of a gigantic puzzle were created, and they were just waiting to be put together.

It was hoped that the SEA CLOUD II with full sail would float up the River Elbe for the harbor anniversary in 2000. The shipyard was still within the planned timeframe until the ship’s initial launch in March 1999. But repeated delays led to the SEA CLOUD II being delivered 12 months late.

In particular, there were problems completing the interior. The renowned designer El Corte Ingles was experienced with outfitting large cruise ships, but had some difficulties producing the high quality custom interior for the SEA CLOUD II. During construction, they were forced to hire new personnel, which cost not only money, but time.

Instead of mid-January 2000, therefore, the barque was delivered on 29 December 2000 – and even then she was not completely finished. The contractual fault period of 120 days did not begin to cover the resulting losses. But, according to owner Hermann Ebel, “What should we have done? Our pride wouldn’t let us give up on the project. And above all, bookings for the new ship were running well. Our motto was ‘grin and bear it!’

For the SEA CLOUD II the big day came on 6 February 2001 – twelve months later than originally planned, but now with symbolic meaning. Because 70 years earlier her older sister, the legendary SEA CLOUD, was christened at Kiel’s Germania shipyard.

On the day of her christening the SEA CLOUD II stood at the wharf of the Canary harbor city Las Palmas, beautifully polished after a stormy Atlantic crossing. And after an equally turbulent flight godmother Sabine Christiansen arrived on time. The TV host had been owner Hermann Ebel’s first choice – and the journalist and SEA CLOUD enthusiast eagerly agreed.

Introduced by her colleague, longtime news anchorman Wilhelm Wieben, she spoke, “I christen you the ‘SEA CLOUD II’ and wish you and those who sail with you across the world’s oceans, a good trip always and ever six inches of water under your keel” – and with a skillful swing, Sabine Christiansen broke the champagne bottle into a thousand pieces across the ship’s bow.