Today, we spent the day at sea crossing the Adriatic Sea from Dubrovnik, Croatia to our next port of Otranto, Italy. Our action-packed morning started with a presentation by the captain, who narrated the process of setting up the sails, which started at the spanker deck and moved to the bow. We watched as the 17 deck hands climbed up and down the masts to unclip the sails before using ropes to release them. In total, 26 sails were set in roughly an hour. Afterwards, guests were able to walk on the forward part of the bow and chat with crew members. Next, our photography instructor gave a presentation on smart phone photography. After lunch, we also did the Sea Cloud safari–a Zodiac cruise around the ship for photographs with a close-up look at the stern, where the boat’s original name can be seen. Our historian, Dr. Robyn Woodward, gave a presentation on The Normans Kingdom in the Sun later in the afternoon, followed by crepes at teatime. Before dinner, the captain hosted a cocktail party on the Lido Deck.
6/17/2024
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Sea Cloud
Under Sail - Adriatic Sea
It is hard to believe that our wonderful sailing adventure along the coast of Southern Italy and Sicily is drawing to a close. Our last day together found us under sail in the middle of the Adriatic Sea with clear, bright skies and a gentle breeze – perfect for our planned adventure of the day – “Hit the Rig”! After careful planning and practice we were able to offer the guests the opportunity to harness up and go out onto the bowsprit of the ship under supervision of the Sea Cloud crew. This was definitely a crowd-pleasing activity, even for those who did not gear up, as it was a great spectator sport as well! This was quickly followed up with a talk on the history of olive oil and an olive oil tasting on the spanker deck featuring samples of oils from Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, and Italy. The legendary parmesan cheese wheel appeared for lunch along with several regional delicacies. Ashely, our assistant expedition leader, presented a thought-provoking analysis of The Godfather , which just seemed to bring our experiences in Sicily alive. Our time aboard the legendary, luxurious, and enchanting Sea Cloud has truly been an experience of a lifetime!