Traveling Cloud Museum

The Verdict: She most certainly does suffice
When New York heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post commissioned the original Sea Cloud to be built in 1931 with four masts, thirty sails, and one very palatial cabin for herself, she could not have known the romantic intrigue that her ship would incite in travelers all over the world and across time. With the opening of charters on the original Sea Cloud in 1978 and the launching of the Sea Cloud II in 2001, adventure seekers, explorers, sailors, globetrotters and, now, SBMA travelers, can experience the same on-board luxury that Ms. Post enjoyed during the ten years that the Sea Cloud served as her home on the sea.

Before offering two art-focused cruises on Sea Cloud II in 2014 (with on-board lecturers and beautifully-designed itineraries), I felt it was my duty to get to know this beauty of a ship in the same way that one gets to know a travel companion. That is, through the experience of prolonged and intimate travel. (I really make sacrifices in this difficult job of mine!) This traveling companion, or rather gracious host, prepares delectable meals and offers a bed with butter-like sheets to cradle you after a day of touring. In no time at all, I fell in love with this traveling companion and would not hesitate to recommend her to any SBMA traveler.

Daily Life aboard Sea Cloud II
Each day began with the soothing voice of Tom Hook (who has called the Sea Cloud and Sea Cloud II home since 1984) reminding us of the daily itinerary, the weather forecast, and the items we should carry for the daily excursion. Essentially, he did the thinking for me, so I could relax and enjoy a true vacation, one that would leave me practically helpless to decision-making when I returned home.