Sea trials for Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady confirm a smooth ride

The ship sailed from Genoa to Marseille Nov. 15 to 18, and then back from Marseille to Genoa, Nov. 27-30.

Sir Richard in the house

Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson embarked in Marseille, touring the ship with wife Joan and children Sam and Holly, as well as Virgin Voyages CEO Tom McAlpin, Chief Commercial Officer Nirmal Saverimuttu, SVP of Design Dee Cooper and CEO of Virgin Atlantic Shai Weiss.

Branson ceremoniously painted the outline of the Virgin flag on the hull where the Virgin Voyages logo will appear.

Smooth and quiet ride

Virgin Voyages said the sea trials confirmed Scarlet Lady is smooth, stable and quiet, gliding through the water in various weather conditions.

‘We’re one step closer to getting our sailors (passengers) on the Scarlet Lady and are grateful for all that have chosen to join us on this adventure,’ McAlpin said.

Sneak-a-peek sailings in March

The inaugural voyage is scheduled to embark April 1. Before that are two sneak-a-peek sailings on March 26-29 and March 29-April 1.

Scarlet Lady will operate in the Caribbean year-round from PortMiami, while Virgin Voyages’ recently announced its second ship, Valiant Lady. will cruise the Mediterranean from Barcelona starting in May 2021.