When you are ready to set sail on a small, exclusive sailing yacht, you can experience five-star luxury onboard the Sea Cloud.

She’s nearly 90 and still turns heads. The “she” is the Sea Cloud, among the oldest cruise ships afloat and still one of the most luxurious. Seeing this tall ship under full sail, her 30 expanses of canvas swelling in the wind, made my heart swell, too.

Experiencing the Grande Dame of the Ocean

Built in 1931 for cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, one of the wealthiest women in America, Sea Cloud was the largest private yacht ever constructed. After years of welcoming movie stars, ambassadors, and royalty, she saw duty in World War II. She fell into the hands of a Caribbean dictator before German investors rescued and restored her to her former splendor as a five-star cruise vessel.

Passengers may wait over a year to occupy her most sought-after cabin, Marjorie’s original stateroom, and pay top dollar for the privilege.

Unlike other windjammer cruise ships—basically hotels with masts—I found this grande dame to be the real deal. I watched as 18 deckhands worked to set her sails entirely by hand, uncoiling ropes, climbing her four masts, and balancing on her riggings.

This feat of acrobatics amazed my fellow passengers—some of whom lent a hand from the main deck—and me. During the 2019 transatlantic crossing from Europe to Sea Cloud’s winter berths in the Caribbean, she rode the trade winds for 2,647 statute miles, 96 percent of the journey, without firing her two diesel engines. Sustainability may be a big buzzword of the 2000s, but Sea Cloud has lived it most of her life.

Sea Cloud Offers a Storied Past

An only child, Marjorie inherited her wealth from her father, taking over his Postum Cereal Co. after his suicide. She was 27. She commissioned her yacht, launched from Germany’s shipyards, as Hussar V in 1931.

Marjorie designed the interior herself, buying art and furnishings from around the world: gold faucets, Italian marble, and crystal chandeliers. She and her second husband, Edward Francis Hutton of the financial firm E.F. Hutton, often sailed with their young daughter Nedenia, later actress Dina Merrill, who scampered around the deck to the crew’s amusement.

Renamed the Sea Cloud by Marjorie and her third husband, Joseph Davies, the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, she became an extension of the embassy to entertain royalty and political dignitaries.

Sea Cloud Service During the War Years

During World War II, Marjorie stored Sea Cloud’s furnishings and chartered her to the U.S. military for $1 a year.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt protested, saying she was too beautiful for battle. Her masts removed and her hull painted battleship gray, she was equipped with anti-submarine guns and served as a weather station.

Post-War Changes

After years of post-war reconstruction, Sea Cloud changed hands several times. For a while, it served as the party boat of Dominican Republic President Rafael Trujillo. Trujillo entertained a host of Hollywood starlets on board.

A dispute left Sea Cloud moored and deteriorating in Panama for eight years. Eventually, investors in Hamburg returned her to her birthplace, the shipyard. They redesigned her for luxury cruises. She relaunched in 1979 and retains her charm after renovations in 2011 as she prepares to enter her 90th year.

Five-star Antique

Sea Cloud carries 64 passengers and, with a crew of 60, has a passenger-to-crew ratio that’s the envy of many luxury vessels. She earns the highest rating—five stars—from respected cruise industry guide Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Ships.

I walked burnished teak decks where coiled ropes hanging along the rail evoked the eye-catching appeal of an art installation. The “Blue Lagoon,” nickname for the blue-cushioned semicircle on an aft deck, made a cozy outdoor spot for sightseeing and socializing.

Sea Cloud’s teak decks and dark wood paneling evoke the richness of a luxury vessel from the 1930s. Photo by Katherine Rodeghier

Meals and Special Events on Sea Cloud

On my cruise, the Blue Lagoon became the venue for a wedding ceremony presided over by the captain. I joined other passengers cheering from the upper deck and sharing a slice of wedding cake with the happy couple at tea time.

When weather permitted, we enjoyed tea and most meals on the deck. At other times, we dined in the lounge and dining room, which had dark wood paneling and original oil paintings.

Fine wines accompanied four-course dinners—five on gala nights—with high-quality cuisine prepared by the chef in the ship’s tiny galley. An open-seating policy allowed me to mingle with other passengers, mostly well-to-do Germans and North Americans.

The canvas-covered Lido deck became Sea Cloud’s social center. During cocktail hours, a pianist played, and the Lido deck bar doubled as the ship’s reception desk.

Even in the summer, evenings on a ship can be cool. A fleece jacket can keep you warm. Shop for a jacket now.

I found one drawback to sailing on this antique vessel: Steep outdoor stairways make it difficult for passengers with mobility issues to move between decks, and there are no elevators.

Accommodations Onboard Sea Cloud

Eight of Sea Cloud’s 32 cabins have been restored to their original splendor, and two more—reconfigured crew quarters—round out the lavish main-deck accommodations.

All accommodations are just above the waterline, with views of the sea from portholes. Staterooms are accessed via a spiral staircase from the ship’s lounge.

One night during my cruise, an open house allowed the hoi polloi downstairs to gawk. I peeked into Marjorie’s stateroom with its Louis XIV-style bed, antique furniture, walk-in closet, dressing table, fireplace—now merely decorative—and Carrera marble bathtub and sink sporting gold taps in the shape of swans. It measures 410 square feet compared to the 366-square-foot stateroom once occupied by husband E.F. Hutton across the hall.

Sea Cloud’s modern cabins run small by luxury standards with double, not-quite twin, and bunk beds. All face outside; none have balconies.

Sea Cloud Activities

Shore excursions occupy passengers in ports mainly in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, where I sailed off the coast of Spain. Without a casino or show lounge, onboard entertainment revolved around simple pleasures: stargazing, lectures on the Lido deck, watching dolphins jump alongside the rail, and touring the engine room with its old-school knobs and dials.

An icon of St. Nicholas, patron saint of sailors, peered down on engine crew members writing in a paper logbook.

One day, Sea Cloud dropped anchor, and the crew lowered one of her Zodiacs to pull a string of floating platforms from the gangway for passengers to use while swimming.

Sea Cloud passengers had a chance to swim in the Mediterranean on a cruise off the coast of Spain. Photo by Katherine Rodeghier

The zodiacs also took me on a photo safari, circling the 360-foot-long Sea Cloud under sail. On my cruise, she sailed with her younger sister, Sea Cloud II. It was thrilling to view them together.

Sea Cloud zodiacs take passengers on a photo safari around the ship. Photo by Katherine Rodeghier

Love of Sailing on Sea Cloud

For many onboard, myself included, the most popular activity was watching the crew raise and lower the sails. Sea Cloud’s chief officer instructed passenger volunteers who felt up to the tasks of hauling lines during the bracing of the yards, setting and dousing sails, and coiling lines.

Deckhands climb Sea Cloud’s masts and set her sails entirely by hand. Photo by Katherine Rodeghier

Those who own sailboats seemed to get a thrill working alongside deckhands. Many Sea Cloud employees have been with the company for years, considering it a calling, not just a job.

Unfortunately, paying guests cannot go aloft. Only crew members climbed the rigging and slid across the yards to release Sea Cloud’s 30 sails, including those on the main mast rising 178 feet overhead. With no motors and no computerized controls, it takes muscle power, good balance, and the ability to shrug off any fear of heights.

With the job complete, Sea Cloud’s ivory sails stretched across an azure sky. I’m no sailor, but even my heart beat quickly.

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If You Book on Sea Cloud 

Booking a cruise with Sea Cloud Cruises is a unique experience. Here is everything you need to know to book your own experience.

Sea Cloud Cruises

A Germany-based company operates three luxury sailing vessels: Sea Cloud, Sea Cloud II, and Sea Cloud Spirit. Sea Cloud Spirit launched for the first time in 2020.

Rates and Itineraries

Sea Cloud’s 4- to 16-night cruises are mainly in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Examples: An 11-night voyage off the coast of Spain and Morocco runs $17,265 per person in Marjorie’s stateroom (the Luxury Owner’s Cabin). A week in the Caribbean in the smallest cabin (upper-/lower-bed cabins about 102 sq ft) costs $4,555. Prices include cabin, gratuities, welcoming champagne, all meals, select wines and beers at lunch and dinner, alcohol-free drinks including soft drinks, coffee, and juices, bottled water, fresh fruit, port fees, tour guide, and use of watersports facilities.

Language and Currency

English and German are the official languages on board. Announcements, daily newsletters, and menus appear in both languages. The official currency on board is the Euro.

The Sea Cloud is the ultimate option when you are ready to sail on a small, exclusive sailing yacht. Experience five-star luxury onboard the Grand Dame of the Sea.