Sitmar Cruises: TSS Fairsea & Fairwind

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With Reuben Goossens

Maritime Historian, Cruise‘n’Ship Reviewer, Author & Lecturer

Please Note: All ssmaritime and my other related ssmaritime sites are 100% non-commercial and privately owned sites. Be assured that I am NOT associated with any cruise or shipping companies or travel/cruise agencies or any other organisations! The author has been in the passenger shipping industry since May 1960 and is now semi-retired, but continues to write article on classic liners and cruise ships in order to better inform cruise and ship enthusiasts for their pleasure!

The TSS Fairsea is seen departing Vancouver for a 14-day Alaskan Cruise in 1972

--PLEASE NOTE: All items & Photographs on this page are the property and thus the Images & are © Copyright - Reuben Goossens--

Page Four

Sitmar Memorabilia and Menus

Welcome to Page Four of the TSS Fairsea and Fairwind feature and the Sitmar line and Sitmar Cruises story, which I am sure you will have found very interesting. If you have reached this page via a server, please head for Page One and commence at the beginning of this extensive feature!

I will commence with Part One with some of my memorabilia item all of which are part of my private collection and I trust that you will enjoy viewing them! Whilst Part Two contains a good number of Menus that are dated from 1972, being the very early years of these fine luxury cruise ships careers, through to 1981.

Part One: Memorabilia

This is my very heavy solid brass on a timber plaque of the Fairsea that is located in my office at home

In 1972 certain travel or shipping agents were presented with a solid brass and timber plaque of the Fairsea, but of course these were only presented to those who sold the most Sitmar Cruises be it the TSS Fairstar as well as the Fairsea and Fairwind over in the United States. Considering we were based far from Sitmar’s deluxe ships in the States, it was far more difficult to sell passage on these here in Australia, but amazingly we did but in smaller numbers. Whilst American travel agents were awarded enamelled Sitmar flags that were placed at the bottom of the plaque and these were presented pending the number of their cruise sales. Obviously in Australia, although we sold a good number of cruises, as Sitmar was one of the most popular lines, we could never compete with the numbers with American agents, for back in those days, flying to America was still considered as being a very long and a tiring and a very expensive return flight across the Pacific!

Below is my beloved “Captains Circle” Glass:

An elegant item of memorabilia a glass with an etched image of the ship seen from the stern and the “Sitmar Captain’s Circle” logo

The glass above has etched on one side is a stern view of the sisters the FAIRSEA or FAIRWIND, whilst beautifully etched on the other side is a circular logo with the words; “Circolo del Comandante Sitmar Cruises,” meaning “Sitmar Cruises Captain’s Circle.” And of course these glasses were given only to passengers that became members of the “Circle” and they would be given this beautiful gift during their cruise. The glass was presented in a beautiful silver foil gift box, with the “Captain’s Circle” logo printed on the lid! In due course there would be many who would have a half a dozen glasses as well as other gifts that were handed out for sailing with the wonderful Sitmar Cruises!

Above is the beautiful silver box that has the delightful circular Captains Club Logo on it

A popular item of memorabilia came from the Fairwind - a Sitmar Cruises Ashtray

This is the elegantly designed Shuffleboard Tournament Trophy, having two badges on a beautiful plaque on maroon velvet

background that says; “Shipboard Tournament - Gran Premio - T.S.S. Fairwind” with the medal at the top showing the ship

Part Two: Menus

Two Captain’s Farewell (Arivederci) Dinner Menus

These are large menus, thus I had to photograph them, but their covers are just beautiful

And sadly I cannot reproduce their original beauty here, but they are simply elegant!

This menu is a Farewell dated May 22, 1972 thus very early in her career

This is much the same menu as the Farewell above, but a year later, dated May 2, 1973

This is the interior of the May 2, 1973 menu, which is almost the same as the later one

Above & below: This is a very special menu; the cover was Art paper, with SITMAR CRUISES embossed

on it, the insert with the menu was a parchment paper and as you can see it was especially for the

TSS Fairwind’s inaugural visit to New York City on May 14, 1977. Just look at that menu, would you not love to have been there?

Above & below: An Asian inspired cover for a luncheon menu on the TSS Fairwind

Below is a Sitmar Cruises paper serviette taken from the deck buffet

“Candlelight Dinner”

On each Sitmar cruise there would be a genuine “Candlelight Dinner” & here is one of the Menus

Above and below: here is the interior of a “Candlelight Dinner” from aboard the TSS Fairsea’s dated August 22, 1980

Two “American Dinner” Menus

The American Dinner’s were extremely popular and this one is from August 26, 1980

Above & below: the American Dinner Menu

Above and below: here is the cover and the actual menu of another American Dinner 8 months later April 29, 1981

Sitmar Cruises INDEX:

Page One … The Ships History - From Liners to Cruise Ships!

Page Two … Deck Plans - 1972, 1973/74, 1985 & 2000.

Page Three … Brochures, Photographs & Other Items.

Page Three B … Sitmar Cruises Final Brochure for 1989, but these cruises never eventuated.

Page Four … Sitmar Memorabilia and Menus.

Page Five … Other Sitmar Cruises Ships to 1988.

Page Six … MV Arcadia, launched as Sitmar FairMajesty

. with a 1998 Author’s Photo Album!

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Please Note: ssmaritime and associated sites are 100% non-commercial and the author seeks no funding or favours of any shape or form, never have and never will!

Photographs on ssmaritime and associate pages are by the author or from the author’s private collection. In addition there are some images that have been provided by Shipping Companies and private photographers or collectors. Credit is given to all contributors. However, there are some photographs provided to me without details regarding the photographer/owner concerned. I hereby invite if owners of these images would be so kind to make them-selves known to me (my email address may be found on www.ssmaritime.com only), in order that due credit may be given.

This notice covers all pages, although, and I have done my best to ensure that all photographs are duly credited and that this notice is displaced on each page, that is, when a page is updated!