DOWN IN BERMUDA LAVA ISLAND RELICS ZIP

While I’m a big fan of better fitness centers on ships, this is one change that I am sad to see. The top deck library which will soon be transformed into an oceanivew gym. But on sailings where only a few native English speakers are on board (as was the case with my voyage), an American can feel just a tad out of place. Announcements are made in both German and English, and the crew easily switches between the two languages. The company markets internationally, and the on-board program, officially, is bi-lingual. The vessel’s operator, Sea Cloud Cruises, is a German company, and often a large percentage of the passengers on board are German. ONE NOTABLE QUIRKįor an American traveler, there is one small quirk to sailing on Sea Cloud II. With the sails up, it can do at least seven or eight knots. But it’s tradition at the line to have Sea Cloud II operate under wind power alone whenever possible. Under motor power alone, it can run at speeds of up to 12 knots. One of the things that they’ll explain to you is that, like most modern sailing vessels, Sea Cloud II has engines and a propeller for propulsion as well as sails. Sea Cloud II operates under an open-bridge policy in which visitors are almost always welcome. You even can stop in the bridge to talk sailing with the officers of the watch. Walking around Sea Cloud II’s graciously curved teak deck, with its endless coils of rope and winches and other gear needed to operate a giant tall ship, you’ll also find crew members only too happy to explain how it all works. The Sea Cloud II’s top deck is lined with classic teak lounge chairs facing out to the sea. In contrast to what you’ll find on so many recently built cruise vessels, the experience on Sea Cloud II isn’t about being amused at sea. Its top deck, known as the Lido Deck, doesn’t even have a pool or a hot tub.

DOWN IN BERMUDA LAVA ISLAND RELICS ZIP

If you’re the sort of cruiser who doesn’t think a ship is complete without a smorgasbord of gee-whiz amusements on its top deck - you know, go-kart tracks, zip lines and the like - Sea Cloud II is definitely not the vessel for you. But among large sailing ships that can be booked for multi-day cruises, it still ranks among the loveliest. Unlike Sea Cloud, which was created as a private yacht for Postum Cereals heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post (and was, at one time, the largest private yacht in the world), Sea Cloud II doesn’t have a storied history. Unveiled in 2001, it is a bigger, more modern sister to the 64-passenger Sea Cloud, a legendary sailing ship that dates to the 1930s and has operated as a cruise vessel since the 1980s. One of just two ships in the Sea Cloud fleet, Sea Cloud II was designed to offer a taste of what crossing the world’s oceans was like before the arrival of modern motor vessels without the hardships that were common for travelers of that era. The 94-passenger Sea Cloud II tied up in Agadir, Morocco. While it’s modeled on classic sailing vessels of old, it was built just 18 years ago and features such modern comforts as spacious cabins with marble-lined bathrooms, an upscale restaurant and spa services. Still, it’s no relic of the grand age of sail. A THROWBACK TO A BYGONE ERAĬarrying just 94 passengers, Sea Cloud II is a three-masted barque of the sort that hasn’t been common on the world’s oceans for more than a century. As I saw recently on a nine-night voyage from Malaga, Spain, to Morocco and the Canary Islands, Sea Cloud II also is an elegant vessel with an intimate and upscale on-board experience.įor more great Quirk圜ruise features delivered to your inbox, sign up for our monthly newsletter. It is an old-style tall ship that, above all, is about an authentic sailing experience. This is where the allure of Sea Cloud II begins. Most large sailing ships that offer multi-day trips, such as those operated by Windstar and Star Clippers, have automated sails. In the (small) world of large sailing ships that can be booked for multi-day cruises, there only are a handful of vessels where the sails still are set the old-fashioned way with crew climbing into the rigging. We are underway, sailing under the power of the wind alone.Įven for a seen-it-all traveler like me, the setting by hand of the many sails of Sea Cloud II - there are 23 in all - is an exhilarating sight. Soon the massive Sea Cloud Cruises‘ vessel - four decks high and 384 feet long - catches the wind and surges forward. The crew shimmy along the horizontal “yards” with the confidence of trapeze artists.

Down in bermuda lava island relics