Sea Cloud Cruises, SAILING SHIP, was the world's largest yacht when built as the Hussar in Germany in 1931 for Post Cereal's heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post and husband E.F. Hutton. However, she was not the owner for long. The U.S. government leased her for US$1 a year during World War II.
After having several private owners, the Sea Cloud was abandoned in Panama and purchased in 1978 by German businessmen, who added cabins and facilities for up to 64 passengers to operate her as a fare-paying cruise vessel. She carries 30 sails that add up to 32,000 sq ft when all are aloft. Her cruising speed depends on the wind, but her diesel engine can propel her up to 12 knots to maintain the schedule.
The Sea Cloud was the start of Sea Cloud Cruises, a firm that has added two riverboats for cruising Europe's waterways from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to the Black Sea. A second sailing vessel, Sea Cloud II was added in 2001, and a third, Sea Cloud Hussar, is under construction.
Many museum and alumni groups chartered this historic ship year after year, but with the Sea Cloud II joining her, the latter's more uniform cabin accommodations make her more popular for democratic group travel. Individuals now have a greater opportunity to sail, as the historic Sea Cloud is less often chartered. This 360-ft vessel grosses 2,532 tons, and American or European captains command an international crew of 60, many with years of service.
Depending on the departure, the passengers may be mostly North Americans or have a mix that includes Europeans and South Americans. She is a sought after experience by the well-heeled. Gratuities are extra and US$15 per day is sugggested.
Late spring, summer and early fall, she is based in the western and eastern Mediterranean for mostly 7-day cruises. Some shore trips are included. In the late fall, she makes a transatlantic crossing to take up Caribbean cruising from Barbados, Antigua and Curacao to call at ports in the Leeward and Windward Islands, the Dutch Antilles and to Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica in the Western Caribbean.
Mornings in port to do casual shopping or to participate in informal shore excursions (included) set the stride for the day. It's back onboard for the delicious and attractive buffet lunch and then set sail for the afternoon with time to help with the sails or just sit and watch. Life is luxurious aboard the Sea Cloud and nothing ashore is terribly important.
Breakfast buffets and formal dinners (with open seating) are in the original dining room and saloon. The dark paneling, oil paintings, and fireplaces give guests the impression of dining on a large yacht (which of course she was), and the navy and gold china, silver napkin rings, candles and fresh flowers at dinner confirm the elegant impression. Local specialties, such as spiny lobster, and complimentary wines are served at lunch and dinner. Stunning luncheon buffets are served on the promenade, and stewards will help guests take their selections up to the open deck. On some evenings, a popular pianist accompanies crew members who sing sea shanties before and after dinner.
Cabins 1 to 8 are original to the ship and look like Waldorf Towers suites. Marjorie's Suite (1) has an opulence to rival Versailles, with a blue-canopied bed in antique white with gilt accents, Louis-Philippe chairs, an etched floor-to-ceiling dressing mirror, an elaborate marble fireplace, chandeliers, ceilings with intricate plasterwork and a grand bath finished in Carrara marble. To port, Cabin 2 showcases dark paneling, deep red appointments, a large mahogany secretary and highback chairs, leaving little doubt that this was E.F. Hutton's more masculine domain. Antique furnishings in diverse styles create different moods in the other original cabins complete with marble baths, fireplaces and port holes.
Most passengers book one of the 26 cabins added in 1979 and refitted numerous times. Nautically styled and roomy, they have paneling, brass fittings, pastel fabrics, large windows, and marble baths with showers. The week's social highlight is "Open House," when formally attired passengers sipping champagne and nibbling canapes tour the cabins.
Whether one occupies a grand original stateroom or a more recent addition makes no difference to one's social life aboard, and no ship is cozier in this respect. Hurry if you have a hankering, because the Sea Cloud is likely to be retired in 2010 due to new safety regulations that come into effect.
