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The world's largest sailing ship by length overall is the 220-metre Orient Express Corinthian, a sailing cruise ship with rigid sails that has been in service since spring 2026. Among the tall ships with square sails currently in service, the 138-metre Sea Cloud Spirit leads (as at November 2026).
The essentials at a glance
- Longest sailing ship: Orient Express Corinthian, 220 m, three masts each with 1,500 m² of rigid sail, flag: France.
- Longest square-rigged tall ship in service: Sea Cloud Spirit, 138 m, three masts.
- Largest sail area in service: Royal Clipper, five masts, around 5,000 m² across 42 sails.
- The Golden Horizon carries even more sail area at 6,345 m². She is not in service and was sold in September 2026.
- The Gorch Fock is 89.3 m long (overall) and carries around 1,800 m² of sail.
Which is the largest sailing ship in the world?
By length it is the 220 m Orient Express Corinthian; by sail area in service it is the Royal Clipper; and among the square-rigged ships in service it is the Sea Cloud Spirit.
By length overall
The Orient Express Corinthian was christened in Saint-Nazaire in April 2026, and her first season took her to the Mediterranean and the Adriatic. She is 220 m long and 25.2 m wide. Her three tiltable carbon-fibre masts rise around 100 m and each carries a rigid sail of 1,500 m², around 4,500 m² in total. She also has an engine running on liquefied natural gas. She is rated at 26,200 GT (gross tonnage).
Another cruise ship with a modern rig is the Wind Surf. She measures 187 m including the bowsprit and carries seven computer-controlled roller-furling sails on five masts.
By sail area
The Royal Clipper sets 42 sails with around 5,000 m² on five masts. That is more than the Corinthian with her three rigid sails. The Golden Horizon carries more canvas at 6,345 m², but she is not in service.
By classic rigging
If by a “tall ship” you mean a vessel with yards, then among the ships in service you end up with the Sea Cloud Spirit. This three-masted full-rigged ship from 2021 is 138 m long, carries 28 sails with about 4,100 m², and her main mast stands 57.9 m above the waterline.
Square sails are four-cornered sails that hang from crossbeams called yards. A full-rigged ship carries them on all masts. On a barque, the aftmost mast has no yards, only fore-and-aft sails such as the gaff sail. On a barquentine, only the foremost mast is square-rigged. A topsail schooner is a schooner that also carries square sails on the foremast.
Length, hull length, sail area: why rankings contradict each other
Most lists give the length overall, that is, from the tip of the bowsprit to the stern. Hull length or waterline length are often considerably shorter.
One example is the Wind Surf: at the waterline she measures 162 m, and 187 m with the bowsprit. The Alexander von Humboldt II is 65 m overall, but only 57 m of hull. Depending on which figure a list uses, a ship can move up or down several places.
Sail area is not a fixed measure either. For the Kruzenshtern, for example, there is no single value, but a range of 3,400 to 3,800 m². Gross tonnage describes the enclosed volume and says nothing about weight. In international tall ship regattas, square-rigged ships start from more than 24 m in length and all others from more than 40 m in Class A.
Ranking: the largest active tall ships (as at November 2026)
This list only includes ships with a classic rig, that is, with square sails, that are in service. It is sorted by length overall.
| Vessel | Rig | Length overall | Sail area | Year built | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Cloud Spirit | Three-masted full-rigged ship | 138 m | approx. 4,100 m² | 2021 | Malta |
| Royal Clipper | Five-masted full-rigged ship | 134 m | approx. 5,000 m² | 2000 | Malta |
| Sedov | Four-masted barque | 117,5 m | 4.192 m² | 1921 | Russia |
| Sea Cloud II | Three-masted barque | 117 m | 2.700 m² | 2001 | Malta |
| Star Flyer and Star Clipper | Four-masted barquentine | 115,5 m | 3.365 m² | 1991/1992 | Malta |
| Kruzenshtern | Four-masted barque | 114,5 m | 3.400–3.800 m² | 1926 | Russia |
| Juan Sebastián de Elcano | Four-masted topsail schooner | 113,1 m | 3.151 m² | 1927 | Spain |
The Chilean training ship Esmeralda is the same length as the Elcano, at 113.1 m including bowsprit. Slightly shorter are the Sea Cloud of 1931 (109.5 m), the Polish Dar Młodzieży (108.8 m), the Italian Amerigo Vespucci (101 m) and the Norwegian Statsraad Lehmkuhl (98 m).
The two Russian four-masted barques Sedov and Kruzenshtern are still in service as training ships. In 2022, Russian ships were not admitted to the Tall Ships Races.
Golden Horizon: the longest square-rigger is out of service
The Golden Horizon is a replica of the France II: a five-masted barque with 36 square sails, a length of 162.2 m and a sail area of 6,345 m². She was built in Split, originally under the name Flying Clipper. After her charterer ceased operations in 2022, she lay idle in Croatia for several years. In September 2026 she was sold and taken to Malta. Whether and when she will take guests on board again is uncertain (as of November 2026).
How long is the Gorch Fock? German tall ships compared
The Gorch Fock is 89.3 m long overall, 12 m wide and has a draught of 5.5 m. The three-masted barque carries ten square sails, three gaff sails and ten fore-and-aft sails, with a total area of around 1,800 m².
The Sail training ship of the German Navy was built in Hamburg in 1958 and is stationed in Kiel. Under sail she reaches speeds of up to 18 kn.
The Roald Amundsen is a brig, that is, a two-master with square sails on both masts.
| Vessel | Rig | Length overall | Sail area | Year built | Home port |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorch Fock | Three-masted barque | 89,3 m | approx. 1,800 m² | 1958 | Kiel |
| Alexander von Humboldt II | Three-masted barque | 65 m | 1.360 m² | 2011 | Bremerhaven |
| Thor Heyerdahl | Three-masted topsail schooner | 49,83 m | 830 m² | 1930 | – |
| Roald Amundsen | Brig | 49,80 m | 850 m² | 1952, brig since 1993 | Eckernförde |
The German connection goes beyond the German flag. The Sedov was built in Kiel in 1921, and the Kruzenshtern in 1926 as "Padua" for the Hamburg shipping company F. Laeisz at Tecklenborg in Geestemünde. The present-day Statsraad Lehmkuhl came from the same yard in 1914, then as "Großherzog Friedrich August". The Sea Cloud was also built in Kiel, in 1931.
Historic giants: Preußen and France II
The largest pure cargo sailing ships were built in the early 20th century. The two best known were around 147 m long and had five masts.
The Preußen was launched in 1902 by Tecklenborg in Geestemünde for the Laeisz shipping company. The five-masted full-rigged ship carried 5,560 m² of sail. In November 1910 she collided with a British ferry in the English Channel and was lost on the cliffs near Dover.
The French France II measured 146.5 m and was rated at 5,633 GRT (gross register tons, an old measure of volume). Her auxiliary engines were removed again in 1919. On 12 July 1922 she ran aground in a storm off New Caledonia.
Where can you join the crew of a tall ship?
For example on the Alexander von Humboldt II (Bremerhaven), the Roald Amundsen (Eckernförde), the Thor Heyerdahl and the Statsraad Lehmkuhl. The Gorch Fock is not one of them: she trains the next generation of naval personnel.
The Alexander von Humboldt II takes up to 54 Crew members with no prior experience who are permanently assigned to the watches as trainees. The Roald Amundsen takes up to 32 trainees, the Statsraad Lehmkuhl up to 150. How a day on board unfolds and how much you get stuck in yourself is covered in our article on traditional sailing ships to join as crew.
In summer you can also visit many tall ships in port. Major gatherings in Germany are the Hanse Sail in Rostock and the Windjammer Parade of the Kiel Week.
Frequently asked questions
Which sailing ship has the largest sail area?
In service, it is the Royal Clipper with around 5,000 m². The Golden Horizon carries 6,345 m², but is not in service.
How many sails does the Gorch Fock have?
23: ten square sails, three gaff sails and ten fore-and-aft sails. Together they total around 1,800 m².
Do private sailing yachts count?
Not in this ranking. It covers ships that take guests, trainees or cadets on board. Private superyachts and wind-powered freighters should be considered separately.
Head out on a big voyage yourself
You don't need a 100-metre ship to experience long passages under sail. On Törnfinder you will find Mile building, where you can build up nautical miles and night watches. If you would rather travel as a guest on a large sailing ship, take a look at the listings for sailing cruise.
