COVER STORY
in Kiel, Germany, it was number five in a succession of EF Hutton’s yachts all named Hussar, and by far the grandest.
She set sail, offering a yachting experience of
unparalleled luxury for guests chosen from among the richest, powerful and most famous in the world. It also set sail on what was destined to become, in the wake of failed marriages and world happenings, a dramatically chequered career. The Huttons’ marriage ended in divorce with Marjorie retaining ownership of the ship, because of her ex- husband’s recognition that “she loved it so.” Quickly she married an old friend, Joseph Davies, an attorney equally wealthy and with strong interna- tional diplomatic ties. With that, the black-painted Hussar became the snow-white Sea Cloud and sailed on in uninterrupted luxury until World War II when, stripped of its masts and painted gray, it was leased to the US Coast Guard. Following the war, and refitted to former glory,
Sea Cloud resumed its role as a floating palace for a privileged few until the day came when Marjorie concluded she could no longer afford her plaything. Sea Cloud entered its bleak days that included disputed and controversial ownerships and years abandoned to rot in tropical waters.
built when completed in 1931, considered to be the oldest and most beautiful sailing ship in the world. Marjorie Merriweather Post, daughter and heiress to food manufacturer Charles William Post’s fortune and married to extremely wealthy stock broker Edward Francis Hutton, had money to spend on her dream to surpass any other yacht afloat. She turned her attention to making every detail perfect, including the renting of a warehouse where she constructed full-scale mock-ups of the interior. Christened the Hussar when it came off the slipway
60 WORLD OF CRUISING I Winter 2010 / 2011
refurbishment. Sea Cloud entered passenger service in 1979 with a capacity for 68 passengers and 61 crew, a ratio unheard of in the cruise industry. Today, as the flagship of German-owned Sea Cloud Cruises, the ship sails for much of the year under charter to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Knowing Sea Cloud’s impeccable reputation, I stepped aboard certain as to what I’d experience in the week ahead – the most unique and exclusive experience to be had under furled sails. I chose the Valletta to Valletta itinerary as, from Malta, we’d visit only ports of call in Sicily, but in depth. Day one would find us at sea en route to our first stop, Trapani. Then on to Palermo, Lipari, Taormina, and Syracuse before returning from whence we began. My bags were whisked away with a promise I’d soon find them in my cabin. Danny, who introduced himself as my cabin steward, was waiting on deck to show me No. 18’s location on the promenade deck. One of the “new” cabins that bring the total accommodations to 32 from the original 10, its 135sq ft size struck me as surprisingly large given the size of the ship. Two single beds took up a good deal of the space, while a pair of large windows added a sense of spaciousness. Closet and
R
escue came in the form of a group of Ger- man yachtsmen and businessmen willing to spend whatever it would take for a complete
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