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Sailing on Sea Cloud Spirit with a Michelin Star Chef – October 5, 2024- Part II: Calvi, Corsica + Sailing, Storms, and Sea Days

I boarded Sea Cloud Spirit in Nice, France along with two of my clients. I was curious about their first impressions after they had been reading how much I love the ship.

Sea Cloud Spirit
Sea Cloud Spirit

One client said

I can’t stop smiling.  No YouTube video can capture the craftmanship of this ship – the teak, the brass, the fittings. My cabin is divine. I’m only disappointed about one thing: that I am only on her for one week.

My other client also had a huge smile and was equally as excited. ‘Nuf said!

Sea Cloud Spirit Category D Stateroom
Sea Cloud Spirit Category D Stateroom

This time, I am staying in a standard stateroom rather than the suite I was given the last time. To be honest, the differences are few and don’t have a huge effect on my enjoyment. I am missing a bathtub (I only take showers), the room is a bit smaller, but it has all the same amenities (though no free laundry), and I have portholes rather than large windows with a balcony. The last one isn’t a dealbreaker; giving me more of a sailing experience but the lack of large windows is missed.

Sea Cloud Spirit, built in 2021 but appears to be a well-kept relic of the 1940s, is – and I’ve said it before – just plain nautically sexy. It holds 136 guests, but on this sailing there are 92, half are German, a few French, and a healthy group of Americans; a far more mixed crowd than my first sailing.

We immediately set sail with a day at sea ahead of our arrival in Calvi, Corsica. After an al fresco dinner and a sleep, it was time to be on deck at 9:00 a.m. for the first setting of the sails. The excitement and coolness of the experience just don’t get old.

It was then time for guest Michelin Star Chef Michael Collantes to start his week of culinary mastery! Chef Michael is a soft-spoken man of Filipino descent but is originally from New Jersey. How do I know? We were chatting with one of my clients and he said, “Fugeddaboudit!”

Michelin Star Chef Michael Collantes and a fresh Spanish Yellowfin Tuna
Michelin Star Chef Michael Collantes and a fresh Spanish Yellowfin Tuna

Anyway, Sea Cloud Spirit brought out a whole yellowfin tuna that Chef Michael began to break down on deck while talking about knife technique and the different aspects of the tuna meat and what the various parts are best for. He, with the assistance of Chef du Cuisine, Florian Schneider, made two delectable tuna dishes; one elegant sashimi with a kumquat sauce and one a fun take on a taco with tuna tartare with homemade shells and guacamole.

But that was not all, while Chef Michael was working his magic on the starboard side, the port side was cooking a whole grouper broken down into steaks and, for a non-fish option, flank steaks.  Well, you know me, I had it all!

That evening, the weather wasn’t the best, so the Captain’s Cocktail Party and Gala Dinner were both held inside. As they are beautiful spaces, it wasn’t really a letdown. (Sea Cloud needs to balance the air conditioning better. Germans are not fans of AC, but Americans are.  Those public spaces just get uncomfortably warm.) Dinner was another winner with a light seafood soup created by Chef Michael along with my choice of a venison steak and truly the only chocolate lava cake I’ve ever enjoyed.

A whisky on deck before heading to bed was a great end to a day under the sails. In fact, I was so relaxed that I was literally falling asleep as I was finishing my whisky. Ahhhh.

Calvi, Corsica
Calvi, Corsica

We arrived in Calvi, Corsica to clouds and rain. Fortunately, by 10:00 am the clouds departed, the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. I had signed up to go snorkeling in the afternoon, but canceled it as I just wanted to wander the town…and it was a great choice! (Sea Cloud is good about allowing last-minute cancelations with a charge!)

The “big” thing to do in Calvi is climb up to the Citadel, so off I went. I have been suffering from sciatica and recently have been taking some medicine for it.  Fortunately, they worked and up I went. It was a lovely wander with lots of beautiful flowers cascading down the stone walls. I passed probably ten different little restaurants, most of them selling pizza. (There was a definite Genovese history showing.). 

But I had a hankering for more seafood, so I headed back down the hill into the picturesque town.

I found a charcuterie shop as I wandered about the compact tourist portion of town and purchased some amazing Coppa to sneak home

and continued on and eventually down to the waterfront. However, all those restaurants just looked too touristic, so I headed back up to re-investigate a few places that had looked interesting.

A Loghja - Calvi, Corsica
A Loghja – Calvi, Corsica

I wasn’t sure, but I asked if that charcuterie shop could put a platter together for me. “But Of course!” I paired that with a nice Corsican red wine and sat at a table outside for some people watching and enjoyed an amazing meal with sorrowful Corsican music playing gently in the background. Perfect!

One thing Sea Cloud Spirit needs to improve upon is its tender operation. It is very precise, but the timing is too far apart. If I didn’t make the 1:30 pm tender I would trapped in town for another hour, so I felt compelled to hurry my last bites so I literally didn’t miss the boat.  The other option was to simply drink more wine. Maybe I shouldn’t have rushed.

Back on the ship, it was time for a gin and tonic and a long nap.  Sea Cloud Spirit did open up its swim platform and I thought about it…and that is all I did!

It was another al fresco dinner. That night, however,  we had the option of buffet dining al fresco on the Lido or plated in the dining room. Improved from my last cruise when having different menus created issues in the galley, this time the menu was the same. I wasn’t really hungry after my big lunch, so I didn’t try much, but the lamb was delicious.

Sea Cloud Spirit's Lido restaurant and lounge area
Sea Cloud Spirit’s Lido restaurant and lounge area

That evening the LIdo bar was open and it was quite a party until the early morning hours! Lots of fun and a bit of a sleep-in.

We were advised that due to the incoming front, our day in Bastia, Corsica would be cancelled and we would be hiding in a protected area near Saint Florent, Corsica, near Calvi; a tiny village of 1,600. With quiet seas and intermittent rain, I decided to spend the day “at sea” doing work and talking with Sea Cloud’s Vice President catching on with life and talking about business opportunities. (Hopefully, there will be some news shortly on that front.)

Saint Forent, Corsica
Saint Forent, Corsica

Having missed Bastia, Corsica, we were now going to miss San Remo, Italy, as well. That was a big disappointment. But the seas were just too rough, and the best option was to head straight to Marseille, France.  Oh, well, I’ll just have to “suffer” with two sea days on this beautiful sailing ship.

Lunch was moved indoors but I still I enjoyed a whole grilled fish while the ship’s crew began to batten down the hatches. By late afternoon, there were six-foot-plus seas, gale force winds…and quite a few green faces.

Michelin Awarded Benjamin S. Coutts, Sommelier and Beverage Director
Michelin Awarded Benjamin S. Coutts, Sommelier and Beverage Director

However, our guest sommelier, Ben Coutts, did a fun rum tasting with four very different high-quality rums. I honestly was surprised by how well it was attended considering the seas.

Ben was great, literally, visiting each group of people and personally discussing each rum. 

Dinner was again inside and the dining room was, again, just too warm. As I wasn’t hungry after my big fish lunch, I tried to stick it out, but after some very salty consommé, I excused myself and went up the Lido Bar…and it was closed. Not wanting to sit alone and drink in the Lounge, I headed back to my stateroom to do a little work and then an early night in bed with the ship’s rocking giving me a perfect sleep.

I awoke to blue skies, the ship more gently rocking, and a ton of emails. Ugh. But I was determined to address all of them before I headed to breakfast (again only indoors) with an array of fresh fruits, figs (OK, it is also a fruit), and yogurt before heading up on deck to just take in this beautiful day with the sails up…and the reason Sea Cloud Spirit is so special.

Sea Cloud Spirit
Sea Cloud Spirit

While the seas were still active, Sea Cloud Spirits’ sails were up and we were making a nice seven knots. Sometimes, just taking it in for a while is what you need to do…and I did.  But then guilt hit, and it was time to get back to writing, on deck and with a Mai Tai!  And then, guess what I did? I took another nap.

As the afternoon sail came to an end, and with the sails being furled, the pilot arrived onboard, and we made our final approach to Marseille, France.

Next up: Michelin Chef Michael Collantes’ Five Course Dinner and Marseille.

Interested in a Luxury Journey by Cruise, Expedition, or Land?

Contact Goldring Travel For Truly Expert Advice!

Email: eric@goldringtravel.com 

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UK: 020 8133 3450

AUS: (07) 3102 4685

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