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To: Seabourn Goddess I - Master, Officers and Crew Seabourn Goddess II - Master, Officers and Crew From: Atle Brynestad Date: 13 July, 2001 Subj: Purchase of Vessel It is with great pleasure that I can inform you that my company has acquired the Seabourn Goddesses from Cunard Line. These ships represent the ultimate in yacht cruising and, together, we will build upon the strong values of the vessels to take them to an even higher level. My small team and I have an extensive background in the cruise industry. I have personally been involved as an investor in Sea Goddess and Royal Viking Line, and was the founder and owner of Seabourn Cruise Line until the merger with Cunard Line. Together with my management team, who all come from the original Seabourn Cruise Line, I look forward to working closely with each of you. A brief background of the team: Willy Kristensen, Maritime Operations Willy's extensive background goes back to Royal Viking Line and NCL, and he joined Seabourn in the very beginning. He continued at Cunard as Vice President of Technical and Marine Operations. Graeme Adams, Finance Graeme has a background from finance at Royal Viking Line and NCL, joining Seabourn at the very beginning. Graeme moved to Miami to continue with Cunard after the merger. Sigurd Galteland, Purchasing, Sigurd's background extends from purchasing at Royal Viking Line and NCL, and also joined me at Seabourn in the very beginning. He continued as Purchasing Director at Carnival for the Cunard fleet. Thomas Carlson, Hotel Operations and Maritime Personnel Tom joined Seabourn as Hotel Manager in 1994. Prior to that he served as Purser and Hotel Manager on Sea Goddess, and various shipboard positions at Cunard and NAL. He later became Personnel Director for Seabourn, and many of you will remember him from his recruitment meetings in your individual countries. We will be all be working closely with you to ensure that the guests will continue to receive the ultimate yacht experience available at sea. Some members of the team will visit the Seabourn Goddess I at Cannes on 19 July before visiting the Seabourn Goddess II at Portofino on the 20th. They will hold a general meeting with all officers and crew to assure you of our visions of the future for yourselves and your ship. As stated in the message from Pam Conover, we intend to maintain all schedules, onboard product delivery, and existing tariff agreements at the time of takeover. This purchase happened very quickly and we may not be able to answer all of your questions. We have many tasks ahead of us to tend to, and will keep you informed of our progress along the way. All of the most important basic items are already in place; beautiful ships, excellent officers and crew, high service standards, and an established guest base. The crew will be part of a small family where each person, regardless of position, can make a difference. Our small company hopes to continue the fine standards that your ship is known for, and can only do so with everyone's help. I realize that change is always somewhat frightening and painful, and often causes people to feel uncertain about their futures. As we sail into the future, we will keep you informed of our progress so that everyone is kept up-to-date on the happenings in our company and onboard your ship. Sincerely, Atle Brynestad |
| Seabourn Goddesses Sold to Former Seabourn Owner |
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MIAMI, July 13, 2001 - Former Seabourn Cruise Line owner, Norwegian industrialist Atle Brynestad, has purchased the two boutique cruise ships, Seabourn Goddess I and II, from Cunard Line Limited, operator of Seabourn Cruise Line. Brynestad, founder and original owner of Seabourn, a consistent award-winner under his chairmanship, will take delivery on September 1, 2001. Brynestad also previously served as Chairman of Cunard Line Limited and was a Carnival Corporation board member. Terms of the sale were not announced. Brynestad said he planned to continue to operate the two, 4,260-ton, 116 guest ships on their schedules as published by their previous owner, through the spring of 2002. The luxury super yachts will then undergo major refurbishment. Several Brynestad associates who originally started Seabourn Cruise Line are expected to participate in the future of the two boutique vessels. The small twin cruisers were introduced in 1984 and 1985 as Sea Goddess I and II and are widely recognized as the prototypes of the intimate, ultra-luxury yachting experience. New bookings and charter inquiries will be accepted by the U.S. General Sales Agent, North Star Tours, 239 Commercial Boulevard, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308. Telephone is 1 800 431-1511. Fax is 1 954 351-7133. No further announcements from Brynestad will be made at this time. |