Sea Cloud rounded the south end of the Peloponnesus peninsula at first light, and by 0900 we were well into the Ionian Sea with the island of Kythera in our wake. We were facing a westerly headwind, and since a true square-rigger such as Sea Cloud can only sail 70 degrees into the wind, we positioned ourselves to set sails southward with the wind on a starboard beam reach for the day. It’s always nice to have the first day on Sea Cloud at sea under sail, not only to get to know the sails and the ship, but also to get to know the 60 crew that operate the vessel and tend to the 54 guests.
9/23/2024
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Sea Cloud
Hvar, Croatia
On the last day of our voyage, we spent the morning on the lovely island of Hvar, known for its fragrant fields of lavender and rosemary. Our walking tour started with the Franciscan monastery, featuring a centuries-old cypress tree and a 17th-century painting of the Last Supper attributed to Matteo Ponzoni. We continued on to tour one of the oldest community theaters in Europe (dating to 1612), the Hvar Arsenal (instrumental in building and repairing Venetian ships), and the town’s stone buildings which often feature the winged lion of St. Mark. This afternoon, after a lunch featuring the famous Sea Cloud pasta wheel, we enjoyed a lecture by cultural specialist Zrinka Šapro on the history of Croatia, focusing on the 20th century. Hearing about the rule of Josip Broz Tito and the wars of the 1990s from someone with personal experience was a particularly fitting conclusion to our tour of this region so rich in history. Our final evening aboard included a cocktail hour and the guest slide show on the lido deck, followed by the captain’s farewell dinner in Sea Cloud’s elegant dining room, after which we bid our travel companions and newfound friends a fond farewell.
