The former Caledonian Sky recently completed its 35th year of service, after originally debuting on May 28, 1991.

Part of a series of ships ordered for Renaissance Cruises, the yacht-style vessel was built at the Nuovi Cantieri Apuania Shipyard in Italy as the Renaissance Six.

After seven years sailing for its original owners, the 114-passenger ship was sold to Sun Cruises in 1998, becoming the Sun Viva 2.

The vessel spent two days sailing for the brand in Asia before being acquired by Star Cruises and becoming the Megastar Capricorn.

As part of the company’s multi-product strategy, the 4,200-ton ship was placed in the upscale market while continuing to sail in Asia.

In mid-2000, the Capricorn marked the debut of the company in the Middle East region with a year-round deployment from Dubai, UAE.

As reported by Cruise Industry News at the time, the operation also marked the first time a cruise line planned significant operations in the region on a year-round basis.

The operation in the Arabian Gulfproved to be short-lived with the Capricorn leaving the fleet in early 2001.

The vessel was sold to United Kingdom-based Hebridean Island Cruises and renamed Hebridean Spirit for itineraries in the British Isles, the Scottish Highlands and Northern Europe.

The vessel underwent a refurbishment to cater to the company’s passengers before being christened by Princess Anne during a ceremony on July 3, 2001.

The Hebridean Spirit was taken out of service in 2009, entering an extended layup before being acquired by Noble Caledonia in 2011.

Rejoining two of its sister ships, the vessel was renamed Caledonian Sky for exploration cruises around the world.

In addition to the British company, the ship also sailed for two Australia-based brands, APT Touring and Travelmarvel, as well as Fiji-based Captain Cook Cruises, over the past 15 years.

More recently, the Caledonian Sky was sold to startup Blue Zephyr Cruises, which plans to launch service in the Greek Islands.

After acquiring the ship in late 2025 and renaming it Blue Zephyr, the Greece-based company plans to launch service during the summer of 2026.