The visitor and education centre

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The Spirit of Cardiff visitor centre is located in 'The Tube', a unique bulding on the waterfront which we share with the official Cardiff visitor centre.

The Tube -- home to the Spirit of Cardiff visitor centre

        This futuristic looking building is made from a steel frame, supporting plywood panels covered with a weatherproof skin. It has won several architectural awards including a RIBA Gold Medal and a Highly Commended in the Sunday Times Building of the Year Awards 1991.

The entrance to the visitor centre

        The visitor centre is a showcase for the whole project. You can sit inside a reproduction of the Spirit of Cardiff's cabin, and see just how cramped it's going to be for the crew (four men in the space of a small caravan for a couple of months!). There is state of the art Raymarine navigation equipment for you to try, as well as lots more information about the project and the team's progress. There is a network of PCs where you can enter your details onto the ship's log and register for updates.

Inside the visitor centre looking out over Roath Basin

        One of the future developments planned for the visitor centre is the installation of a sophisticated web cam which will allow you to look at Cardiff Bay, the barrage and everything around. To get an idea of what you will be able to see, click the button below to open up a new window with a panorama taken from the roof of the centre.