Luxury and Tradition
Setting sail on Sea Cloud II invites one back to a more elegant mode of travel — and a more intimate Europe.
Setting sail on invites one back to a more elegant mode of travel — and a more intimate Europe.
I opened the door to what is, without question, the most luxurious ship accommodations I have had in over 40 years of cruising.
It’s nearing 10:00 p.m. and Sea Cloud II is about to depart St. Malo under a ceiling of puffy, silver clouds. Most of the ship’s 94 guests are at the ship’s rail enthralled by the view — the lights of the historic fortress are the only illumination on this balmy evening. It’s the Feast of the Assumption today and a procession through the streets of the old town is underway, haunting chants from its participants wafting across the water and up to us on the Lido Deck.
As our ship begins to glide out of its berth, something remarkable is happening all along the St. Malo dock. People are assembling, the vision that is Sea Cloud II luring them closer. It begins slowly but quickly grows to hundreds of onlookers, dazzled no doubt by the tall masts, the rigging, the gleaming woods, and the polished brass of a vessel that casts them back to an early era of sea travel.
My fascination with Sea Cloud II began in much the same way. It was in 2001, while sailing aboard a megaship, that I first glimpsed the newly built Sea Cloud II skimming across a sapphire Caribbean Sea, her 23 white sails billowing in the breeze. I stood spellbound until she was out of sight, silently vowing that one day I’d experience her magic.
I boarded Sea Cloud II in Portsmouth, England, a city filled with maritime history including Nelson’s flagship HMS Victo
ry and The Mary Rose Museum, which is built around the hull of Henry VIII’s fleet, discovered by divers and brought to the surface in 1982 — nearly 500 years after she sailed. Sea Cloud II is part of the Hamburg-based Sea Cloud Cruises, a line whose 87-year-old flagship, Sea Cloud, holds its own maritime history, having originally served as the private yacht of Marjorie Merriweather Post and E.F. Hutton. Portsmouth is a fitting embarkation point for my 9-day sailing to Brittany, Normandy, and the Basque Country.
A stroll up the gangway delivered me to the ship’s reception area, a warm and inviting space where amber lighting, elabo- rate crown molding, polished brass and woods, and original oil paintings are reminiscent of an elegant hotel of yesteryear. With the ship’s diminutive size (3,489 grt), I expected my junior suite, located just off reception, to be cozy at best. Instead, I opened the door to what is, without question, the most luxurious ship accommodations I have had in over 40 years of cruising.
The décor is a riot of detail, from the sitting area with its silk-upholstered period love seat and armchair to the fireplace, an electric one that casts a warm glow. An oil painting above the fireplace is illuminated by its own spotlight, stunning wall molding adorns the entire suite and a nook, off the entryway, offers two closets and ample storage behind beautiful burled mahogany doors. In a nod to modern times, a flat-screen TV is nestled in a lovely armoire that also hides a refrigerator and glassware while the bed, a queen, is outfitted in plush linens, a drape above providing a dramatic frame. Brass accents glint off hardware and even the ceiling’s sprinkler nozzle is gleaming brass! The gilded theme continues in the marble bathroom with tub and — I’m not kidding — a delicate golden design even adorns the toilet paper.
Cycle past the coastal villages, fields of wildflowers, rocky coastlines, and dramatic cliffs that so inspired Monet, Cezanne, Renoir, and Boudin.
Shipmates and Sailors
If you’re unfamiliar with Sea Cloud II, you’re not alone. Until recently, the five-star Sea Cloud II was marketed almost exclusively in Europe and the ship continues to attract primarily German-speaking guests but features onboard communication — from announcements to menus to lectures — in both German and English. On my sailing, I was one of only seven native English-speakers but quickly learned that the German, Swiss, and Austrians who compose most of the passenger roster speak English as well as I do.
The real common language aboard Sea Cloud II is, as you’d expect on a classic windjammer, the language of sailing. While superb dining, activities, itinerary, and luxury certainly play a role in the Sea Cloud II experience, there is no doubt that it is her traditional mode of sailing that most dazzles guests and, if my shipmates are any indication, keeps them returning year after year.
What a sight! When wind conditions are right (and they were nearly every day of our 9-day cruise), the crew gets to work, assembling on deck to tackle their maneuvers as sailors did two hundred years ago. Climbing the rigging to dizzying heights like a determined band of tightrope walkers, these young men and women station themselves throughout the maze that is
Sea Cloud II’s masts to manually tighten, loosen and adjust the 32,000 square feet of sails until they are fully unfurled to catch the breeze and propel Sea Cloud II silently through the water, the wind and waves the only hypnotic sounds. For many, this ancient seafaring tradition is all the entertainment they need.
Unlike most cruise ships, Sea Cloud II offers no swimming pool (there is, however, a swim platform that may be lowered into the sea to allow guests to take a dip in the ocean when conditions allow and ample deck chairs for sunbathing), no casino, and no production shows. Instead, an overview of upcoming ports or historical lectures are held in the ship’s lounge or library and sailing buffs can visit the bridge at any time to learn more about Sea Cloud II’s nautical equipment. Relaxing? Absolutely. And most guests like it that way.
Exploring Shoreside
If you’d prefer a more active experience, hop an eight- gear back-pedal bike (or an e-bike) and ride off with the terranova cycling excursion package like I did! Occasionally offered aboard Sea Cloud II, this optional program is designed for riders of every level ( I walked the bike up a few of the tougher inclines) and combines sightseeing and cycling for a unique and heart-pumping experience that’ll make you ditch the tour bus forever. Cycle past the coastal villages, fields of wildflowers, rocky coastlines, and dramatic cliffs that so inspired Monet, Cezanne, Renoir, and Boudin, and you’ll swear you’ve become a living part of a color- drenched impressionist masterpiece. Visit magnificent sites like Mont St. Michel, stop for a picnic lunch amid a picturesque setting, and get to know your shipmates (who will willingly explain the concept of bike gears to a clueless American who never used them before).
Best of all, all that cycling — as much as 23 miles a day — allowed me to indulge (almost) guilt-free in Sea Cloud II’s divine culinary offerings, and complimentary wines with lunch and dinner, served in either the ship’s formal dining room or, more often, up on deck buffet-style: Hot al dente pasta, swirled in a massive wheel of Parmigiana-Reggiano that coats each strand to perfection; jumbo — and I mean jumbo — crabs and grilled seafood; savory barbecued meats; the largest raw oysters I’ve ever seen; sumptuous desserts and chocolates; and that heavenly cheese platter with the sweet-and-savory mustard preserve that I could devour by the spoonful.
It’s been a long time since that day when I first marveled at
Sea Cloud II as she skimmed across the Caribbean Sea and silently vowed that I would one day experience her magic. Now that I have, I can only say that it was certainly worth the wait. Note: The terranova cycling program will next be offered aboard Sea Cloud II • on the April 24-May 1, 2019, sailing from Cadiz to Barcelona.
A CAPTAIN WHO DANCES WITH THE WAVES
Sea Cloud II might adhere to many centuries- old seafaring traditions, but when it comes to the position of captain, the ship shatters the male- dominated norm.
Kathryn Whittaker, a woman from Ottawa, Ontario, was named captain of Sea Cloud II in April 2018, and in that capacity oversees every department and directs all nautical and technical officers.
Whittaker’s journey to the helm of Sea Cloud II wasn’t typical — Ottawa isn’t exactly a hotbed of maritime activity nor is Whittaker’s family a seafaring one. “I studied theater at university,” she states, “I wanted to be a dance teacher!”
The quick- smiling Whittaker got her first taste of the sea aboard tour boats in Toronto Harbor and then decided to take off to the Caribbean for a couple of years, supporting herself by crewing aboard sailing vessels and yachts. She quickly discovered a love for the sea, acquired certifications and her captain’s license at various Canadian maritime schools and joined Sea Cloud II as a deck hand in 1996. Before her appointment to captain, she served as the ship’s chief officer.