 | | | September 2011 | |  Set Sail with National Geographic Aboard the Historic Sea Cloud
| Set sail with National Geographic aboard one of the world’s most celebrated tall ships: the magnificent, four-masted Sea Cloud. This beautiful windjammer, built in 1931, offers a truly timeless sailing experience, with some 32,000 square feet of billowing sails and hardwood decks that hark back to the days when she carried queens, soldiers, and business tycoons across the oceans. In 2012, this historic ship will be our home on three extraordinary voyages to the ancient sites and sun-drenched isles of the Aegean, as well as a voyage along the stunning Dalmatian Coast. Join two veteran National Geographic experts on our special, 16-day Inaugural Voyage to Turkey and Greece; explore whitewashed island villages during our Sailing the Greek Isles voyage; or embark on our trips Turkey and Greece: A Sailing Odyssey or Under Sail: Greece to the Dalmatian Coast.
Below, learn more about these exciting voyages and the unique experience of sailing aboard the Sea Cloud. Then read our interview with Gilbert Grosvenor, National Geographic Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees, who will accompany three voyages in 2012. We hope to see you on board!
| |  Explore the ancient treasures and spectacular coastlines of Turkey and Greece during an incredible voyage aboard the legendary Sea Cloud. From the rock-carved tombs of Lycia to the marble city of Ephesus, discover the legacies of civilizations that have shaped the western world. Stroll through whitewashed Greek villages steeped in mythology, explore magnificent crusader palaces, and delve into Greco-Roman ruins overlooking azure seas. View itinerary.
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| Embark on this inaugural Sea Cloud voyage alongside National Geographic expert Bob Hohlfelder (pictured left), a maritime archaeologist who has participated in or directed 43 archaeological expeditions throughout the Aegean and the Mediterranean.
We will also be joined by Gil Grosvenor, an avid sailor and National Geographic Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees. Read our interview with Gil below.
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 Built in 1931 as a private yacht for E. F. Hutton and his wife, Marjorie Merriweather Post, this historic square-rigger has entertained royalty, served in a world war, and plied the seas from Panama to St. Petersburg. While enormously elegant, the Sea Cloud is also comfortable and friendly. Throughout each voyage, her 30 white sails are raised by hand by her spirited crew, and guests will have a chance to learn about their design and function while embracing the sheer joy of sailing.
Learn more about the Sea Cloud, and view the deck plan.
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 | | Gil Grosvenor has served National Geographic since 1954, first as a writer and photographer, then as the editor of National Geographic magazine, president of the Society, and, until 2010, as chairman of the board.
A seasoned sailor who has traveled all over the world for National Geographic, Gil will accompany the inaugural Sea Cloud voyage, the June 4-13, 2012 departure of Turkey and Greece: A Sailing Odyssey, and the September 7-18, 2012 departure of Under Sail: Greece to the Dalmatian Coast. We spoke with Gil about the value of travel and the joys of discovering new places by land and sea. |
| Q: | You've traveled to countless places over your long career with the Geographic and have said that you believe everyone who can do so should travel the world. Why so? | | A: | I've been fortunate over the last 55 years to travel for National Geographic under many different umbrellas. In the beginning, I traveled as a photographer and a writer, then as an editor. And lately I've traveled with National Geographic Expeditions. All these journeys have one thing in common: Travel is education. Travel, I believe, is the best way to acquire an education. When you stay home, you miss out on the sensations you experience and the insights you gain when you travel. I've always said you could give me three weeks in Siberia and I'd know more about the place at the end of it than someone taking a seminar at Harvard University. Why do I say that? Because it's dimensional: You absorb the sights, the sounds, and the smells of a place when you're there on the spot. You mingle with the people. You get a feeling for contemporary life that you simply can't get in any classroom. I value that kind of education, and I've continued it on into retirement because I find it so stimulating. |
| Q: | What distinguishes a National Geographic Expedition? | | A: | The most extraordinary feature of traveling with National Geographic—and there are lots of extraordinary aspects to these trips—is the quality of the passengers. The people who take these trips care deeply about traveling. They are extremely well-informed, care about human history, care about natural history. Passengers come because they want to learn more about geology, geography, wildlife, and cultures. Read the entire interview. | 
 | Sprinkled across the Aegean Sea and steeped in ancient mythology, the Sporades and the Cyclades are some of the most spectacular of Greece’s many isles. Under the billowing sails of the exquisite Sea Cloud, voyage to rugged Skyros, beautiful Santoríni, the mystical isles of Delos and Naxos, and more. View itinerary.
| |  | | Set sail on the Sea Cloud among the magnificent isles and pine-forested coasts of Turkey and Greece. Encounter ancient marble cities from Ephesus to Delos, and stroll through the whitewashed villages of the Cyclades. Delve into the history and mythology of the Romans and the Greeks and encounter the legacy of the Ottomans in vibrant Istanbul. View itinerary. | |  | | From the ancient temples of Olympia to the medieval walled city of Hvar, immerse yourself in the history and culture of some of Europe's more spectacular places on board the four-masted Sea Cloud. Discover the remarkable sites of Albania, cut off from the modern world for decades, and explore Montenegro, Corfu, and incomparable Dubrovnik. View itinerary. | | | | |  |
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