Rhea

A Ship That Feels Like It Was Built for You

Rhea is a 54-metre Bermuda ketch sailing with a maximum of 18 guests. She is the newest of three related vessels, slightly larger in cabin count than her companions, and fitted throughout to a premium standard that reflects her 2017 build. Her 1,000 square metres of working sail give her a presence at sea that belies her modest guest count; under full canvas in a good breeze, Rhea is a serious sailing ship.

She sails a seasonal programme across the Caribbean, the Atlantic, and the Mediterranean, with itineraries shaped by the logic of a sailing vessel: routes where the wind and geography are favourable, anchorages where a ship of her size can arrive first and leave last, passages long enough to feel like genuine voyages rather than day trips.

Under Canvas

The Bermuda ketch rig is efficient and well matched to Rhea’s programme. The two masts, main and mizzen, work together to give the ship balance and drive across a range of sea states. The crew manages the canvas professionally, and guests who want to assist or simply observe are welcome in the working areas of the deck. Those who want to sail but have never done so will learn something about what sailing actually involves. Those who already know will find the standards high.

At anchor, Rhea opens to the sea. Swimming from the hull is available in most anchorages; snorkelling equipment is aboard. The arrival in a quiet bay, often before any other vessel has found it, is one of the defining pleasures of a voyage on a ship of this size.

Cabins and Comfort

Rhea was built with careful attention to the details that matter on a small ship: the berth lengths, the bathroom proportions, the ventilation in a warm climate, the noise levels at sea. The Long Cabin specifically addresses the question of berth length, a double bed at 2.10 by 1.70 metres, designed for guests who have found short sea berths uncomfortable on other voyages. The Deluxe Cabin is the more standard option, generously proportioned and finished to a consistent premium level throughout.

Eighteen guests, thirteen cabins, and a crew who are present rather than invisible: this is the hospitality that a small sailing ship can offer and a large vessel cannot.

Who Sails on Rhea

The guests who return to Rhea, and many do return, come for a specific combination of qualities: real sailing, real places, very few people, and a social atmosphere that develops organically over a week at sea. The mix of nationalities and backgrounds that tends to congregate on a ship like this creates conversations that would not happen elsewhere. The shared experience of a passage, an anchorage, a sunset from a deck that belongs, briefly, to eighteen people, is the thing that makes this type of voyage genuinely different from other ways of travelling.

We are pleased to discuss which Rhea itinerary is right for you and which cabin category will serve you best. Please speak to our team before booking.