A LETTER TO CLUB MEMBERS

Welcome to your second Seabourn Club Herald for 2016. For us here at Seabourn, the last few months have been busy and exciting, filled with important and promising developments for those of you planning voyages on our ships in the year ahead. As you read this, our current three-ship Seabourn fleet is in Europe, where guests aboard Seabourn Odyssey and Seabourn Sojourn are visiting the picturesque cities and UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Aegean Seas. Meanwhile, Seabourn Quest’s guests are touring St. Petersburg’s baroque masterpieces and exploring Norway’s majestic fjords and scenic villages on new Ventures by Seabourn kayaking tours and Zodiac cruises.

The articles in this issue are about places whose factual histories and present-day realities seem inextricably entwined in myth, legend and speculation. Garry Messick contemplates questions about the massive eruption that shattered the Greek island of Santorini long ago. Kevin Revolinski ponders the riddle of a ghost city that gave rise to Bagan’s Plain of Temples. And Rafe Klinger sifts the Arabian sands of Oman to uncover an unexpected desert oasis.

This issue also holds some delightful surprises for Club members. If you have had the pleasure of sailing with Captain Mark Dexter, you will be thrilled to learn that he will command the maiden season of Seabourn Encore in December. And in our Behind the Shield section, learn about the exotic ports and highlights of Seabourn Sojourn’s upcoming Asia season from our Director of Deployment & Itinerary Planning, Tim Littley. And as always, see our Club Gallery featuring pictures from you, showing the fascinating people and places you’ve encountered across Seabourn’s extraordinary worlds.

Nothing would give us greater pleasure than to greet you again soon on the gangway of one of our Seabourn ships. Until then, enjoy your Seabourn Club Herald.