Santa Maria Manuela

Some of her trips allow passengers to disembark to explore various islands, while others are voyages of more than 800 miles to new places, and still others give you a chance to explore below the surface at some of the most amazing diving locations in the world! These trips start, end and explore Lisbon, the Azores, Porto Santo, the Ilhas Desertas, Funchal, Porto, Bordeaux, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde! There are plenty of beautiful places to sail and each trip has something for everyone.

The Santa Maria Manuela was built in 1937 in Lisbon. At that time she was a vessel used for transporting cod that was caught on small boats called dories. Fishermen used to board the Santa Maria Manuela for six-month missions to fish cod. Still many of her voyages start or end in Lisbon!

The Santa Maria Manuela has cabins for 2, 4 or 6 people to best accomodate you or your group. Each cabin has bunk beds, closets with hangers, extra shelves, air conditioning and a bathroom with a shower. Some cabins also have a port hole for a great view of the sea from the comfort of your cabin! Much of the interior of the Santa Maria Manuela is wooden, but everything that is not wood is of a light color that makes the interior bright even without much natural light. As there are two floors below deck, some cabins are below the water level so there are no port holes for natural light!

There is a multipurpose room just below deck that is used for dining as well as to pass the time. All of the guests on board can sit and eat dinner together in the comfortable chairs and booths here or turn on the LCD television to watch a movie about the history of the ship. This room also includes a bar where you can purchase alcoholic beverages for a reasonable price or grab a snack or espresso free of charge any time throughout the day. Meals to be served in this room are prepared in a professional kitchen located on the upper deck that has the capacity to prepare 150 meals per day! The interior of the Santa Maria Manuela is not entirely spacious because you are living on a boat, but it is certainly comfortable and makes for a cozy vacation on the water.

Every day on board may be a bit different, but each day without fail includes pleasant conversations and sharing of stories with the passengers and crew, delicious food, and the gentle rock of the waves. You may find many people lying out on the deck in a lounge chair with a book, playing cards with new friends in the dining area or just enjoying the sun and breeze. You will also find many people making the most of it as a learning experience. The crew would love your help hoisting and trimming the sails and you are also more than welcome to join the crew on the bridge to learn about some of the instruments they use on board.

If you would like to read more about the experience of sailing on the Santa Maria Manuela, visit our blog!