Sailing the Aegean Aboard the Romantic Sea Cloud II
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For additional reviews, photography and trip videos, view the digital magazine edition of Hideaway Report. { View online or on an iPad® } ANDREW HARPER’S ® SEPTEMBER 2012 | OUR 34TH YEAR AndrewHarper.com candid reviews by a writer who travels incognito and always pays his own way was launched in April 1931, the vessel sailed under that Sailing the Aegean Aboard name until 1935 when, after Post and Hutton divorced, the Romantic Sea Cloud II Post renamed her Sea Cloud. This beautiful four-masted barque later had a colorful history that included active summer. sailing. greek isles. service as a weather ship in World War II and ownership Put these together and they by the dictator of the Dominican Republic, Rafael Trujillo. Eventually, she ended up in Panama, scheduled for a sad promise nothing but pleasure. demise brought on by an invidious combination of tropical I had been pondering a trip heat and humidity. to Greece for some time, but In 1978, a German economist and sailing enthusiast, was daunted by the atrocious Hartmut Paschburg, determined to save this extraordinary vessel with the aid of a group of Hamburg businessmen. economic and political situation. Eight months of extensive renovations brought Sea Cloud But a cruise through the Mediterranean, far from back to life as a cruise ship and, with the exception of a big cities with their potential for unrest, seemed major refurbishment from November 2010 to April 2011, a perfect solution. she has plied the seas since. In 1994, new owners acquired the Sea Cloud and soon decided, owing to the popularity of The vessel that had caught my fancy was the the original, to build a sister ship. Constructed to exacting SEA CLOUD II, part of a three-ship fleet owned by the standards over a period of three years, Sea Cloud II was German company Sea Cloud Cruises. The company’s name launched in February 2001. At 384 feet, she has 29 cabins derives from its first ship, the magnificent private yacht and 16 junior suites on the Cabin and Promenade decks, of heiress and businesswoman Marjorie Merriweather plus two owner’s suites on the Lido Deck, and carries a Post that was a gift from her husband, Wall Street legend maximum of 94 passengers attended by 65 crew. E.F. Hutton. Post oversaw every detail of the design and As we approached the passenger-ship dock in interior appointments. Christened Hussar when she Istanbul’s Karaköy, at the mouth of the Golden Horn, H H IN this issue 5 Cappadocia Revisited … AND ONLINE 1 Greek Island Odyssey 6 Philadelphia Update The Hideaway Report digital Cruising from Istanbul to Athens on The new Barnes Foundation, plus magazine, available free to members the three-masted yacht Sea Cloud II The Rittenhouse Hotel reappraised at AndrewHarper.com, features more than 75 pages of reviews, trip 4 Amanresorts in Turkey 8 Reader Survey 2012 photography and videos. Exclusive Seductive Amanruya debuts on Members list their Top 20 content this month includes the Aegean coast near Bodrum U.S. and International Hideaways additional Reader Survey results. For personalized trip-planning assistance, call (800) 375-4685 or email [email protected] AndrewHarper.com | For comments and inquiries concerning the Hideaway Report, please email [email protected] our driver insisted that we wanted to go to one of the watching Istanbul and its great landmarks, Hagia Sophia large white cruise liners at the far end of the quay. No, I and the Blue Mosque, slide past. Our fellow passengers assured him, we were in search of one with three masts. He seemed to be an international group ranging in age from looked unconvinced. Dockside, a complement of attractive the mid-50s to the mid-60s. young people outfitted in tailored navy uniforms pressed During the night, the Sea Cloud II cruises under the cold drinks and even colder towels into our hands. I have power of its two engines. In our cabin, the only sound boarded some fairly impressive vessels in my day, but we could hear — especially as we were up front toward going on a yacht of this size was a genuine thrill. the bow — was the swish of the sea against the hull. A steward led us to our air-conditioned cabin, which I found this almost hypnotic and, combined with the proved to be a smartly designed space with polished gentle rocking of the waves, highly conducive to a good woodwork that included a custom-made armoire with a night’s sleep. TV and DVD. We also discovered a refrigerator, ample At sea I tend to rise early so I can sit on deck with a closets, a small sitting area adjacent to two large portholes, cup of coffee to watch the sunrise. It was not until 8 a.m. and a very comfortable bed. With dark-blue carpeting, that the captain gave the order to raise the sails. But what well-placed lights and a mirrored dressing table, the cabin a spectacle! There wasn’t a moment that failed to amaze was the embodiment of homey elegance. The bath was me. Designated crew members ascended the masts — of good size, clad in sienna-colored marble and equipped the tallest of which is 171 feet high — and then worked with well-planned storage space that kept all of our their way along the yards. On deck, other crew raced in toiletries at hand. The shower had excellent pressure choreographed chaos to loosen lines. For a while, the deck looked as though a giant had spilled a huge bowl of spaghetti. But in minutes, all the ropes were neatly coiled, and above us, the white sheets billowed as they caught the wind. The three masts carry 23 sails, comprising 32,000 square feet of canvas and managed by 13 miles of rope, steel wire and plastic cable. (The Sea Cloud II ’s sails generally stayed spread until we approached our daily port of call, when they were furled and the switch made to engine power to allow for greater maneuverability.) Appetites stimulated by other peoples’ exertions, we headed to breakfast, a feast of omelets, bacon, ham, smoked fish, cheeses, perfectly cooked boiled eggs and first-class croissants (baked fresh every morning). Duly fortified, the next task was to find a suitable venue for a A roomy Deluxe Double Cabin on Sea Cloud II morning read. We opted for cushioned chaises on a side and a seemingly endless supply of hot water. (Tubs are deck out of the direct sun, secure in the knowledge that found only in suites.) one of the superb stewards — who had learned our names The interior design of the ship’s public areas is and preferences instantaneously — would track us down similar, with wood accents, polished brass fittings and with cups of cappuccino. Lunch was served outdoors, and contemporary art creating an atmosphere of sophistication the food was ample and varied. The chef had prepared and understated luxury. The handsome lounge — used salmon with avocado in a crisp puff pastry case that kept by day for lectures — has a beautiful coffered ceiling, a the fish deliciously moist and tender. small bar, ample seating areas with bucket chairs around Each day, announcements for shore visits would rouse café tables, and a grand piano. The dining room provides us from reading, daydreaming or spa treatments. While a contrast, with green carpeting, buttercream walls and it was hard to relinquish the gentle pleasures of onboard tables draped with white linens and set with silver, crystal life, I had chosen this particular itinerary because it and fresh flowers. included some of the less visited islands in the Aegean. On our first evening, the weather was glorious, so For example, Patmos, east of well-known and crowded we headed to an area of the Lido Deck at the stern of Mykonos, is where St. John the Divine wrote the Book of the ship with a covered bar and a sweep of deck chairs. Revelation and is noted both for a monastery dedicated There, we stood at the rail with a glass of Champagne, to the saint and for the surrounding Hora, a pristine 2 Hideaway Report | September 2012 medieval town of winding streets and whitewashed proved well-founded. True, it is a comparatively small shops and houses. ship lacking the large stabilizers found on modern cruise Landing at Skala, we took a cab to the monastery — liners, and you are aware of the ship’s motion, especially which dates to the late 11th century — and spent a quiet when under sail. But at no time — and we were in some hour wandering through the cool interior and admiring turbulent seas at one point — did the movement seem its ancient mosaics. Later, our taxi driver wanted to disagreeable. The interior is appointed with strategically show us his native island, so we allowed him to drive placed handrails throughout, which provide security in us through a hilly landscape populated by sure-footed the event of bad weather. None of the passengers became sheep and goats and scented by wild herbs. Back in the seasick — although I did meet a couple wearing medicated patches — and there is a doctor on board to treat anyone who might feel discomfort. Overall, I struggle to find The three masts carry 23 sails, fault with any aspect of our experience. Sea Cloud II comprising 32,000 square feet of provided a week of unmixed pleasure. I am now keenly anticipating a voyage on the original Sea Cloud, in order canvas and managed by 13 miles of to make a comparison.