Hillwood Museum And Sea Cloud Cruises Partner

Hillwood Museum and Sea Cloud Cruises Partner

By Anne Kalosh

1931’s Sea Cloud, the largest private yacht in its day — now sailing for Sea Cloud Cruises — is getting its own exhibition at Hillwood, the heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post’s former estate in Washington D.C.

Hillwood Museum and Sea Cloud Cruises Partner

Hillwood Museum’s exhibition will delve into Sea Cloud’s fascinating history. * Photo: Sea Cloud Cruises

“The original Sea Cloud embodies all that was so remarkable about Marjorie Merriweather Post,” Hillwood Executive Director Kate Markert said. “Like her renowned art collection, Sea Cloud was an impeccably crafted work of art, allowing Post to sail the world in luxury for personal travel, social and diplomatic entertainment, and hosting notable guests.

“We look forward to sharing the story of Sea Cloud in the special exhibition and are thrilled that Sea Cloud Cruises is joining us in celebrating this remarkable ship and its many lives.”

Wealthiest U.S. Woman

Post inherited and ran her father C.W. Post’s cereal company that blossomed into General Foods, then Kraft Foods and now Kraft Heinz. Known as the wealthiest woman in the United States, she amassed a fortune in art and antiques.

She and her second husband, financier E.F. Hutton, built their yacht Hussar (renamed Sea Cloud), along with a lavish winter residence, Mar-A-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Sound familiar? Wonder who lives there now?)

Colorful History

Sea Cloud has a fascinating history. It hosted the rich and famous and served as a diplomatic yacht in Leningrad when Post’s third husband, Joseph E. Davies, was the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union.

It went on to become a World War II U.S. Coast Guard vessel — one of the first that carried both black and white officers and sailors, and later was a party boat for the Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo’s playboy son. Falling into disrepair, it almost was lost.

The full saga will be told in “Setting Sail: The Story of Sea Cloud,” scheduled to open in February 2025 at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens.

I can’t wait! As a resident of Washington and a fan of Hillwood and Sea Cloud Cruises (I recently sailed on 2021’s Sea Cloud Spirit, reporting for QuirkyCruise), I feel many connections to this exhibition.

And that’s also true for my friend and fellow QuirkyCruise contributor Peter Knego, who has wonderfully documented both Sea Cloud and Sea Cloud Spirit on his MidShipCentury Cinema YouTube channel.

He plans to do the same for the fleet’s third (middle) ship, Sea Cloud II, in coming months.

VIDEO: Below is Peter Knego’s video of the legendary Sea Cloud.

VIDEO: Have a look at Peter Knego’s video of the new Sea Cloud Spirit.

VIDEO: Peter also did a shorter preview video of the Sea Cloud Spirit, with Anne Kalosh as the guest host!

I was so lucky to attend a Valentine’s Day gala at Hillwood where the new partnership with Sea Cloud Cruises was manifested in the presence of North American President Mirell Reyes, where a donated Sea Cloud cruise served as the high-cachet item in an auction to benefit the museum.

From left, Sea Cloud Cruises' Mike Hicks and Mirell Reyes, with Hillwood's Thomas Wu (curator of the upcoming Sea Coud exhibition) and Lynn Rossotti.

From left, Sea Cloud Cruises’ Mike Hicks and Mirell Reyes, with Hillwood’s Thomas Wu (curator of the upcoming Sea Cloud exhibition) and Lynn Rossotti. * Photo: Anne Kalosh

Curators To Lecture On Board

There I also talked with Hillwood’s Thomas Wu, curator of the upcoming exhibition. He will sail aboard the 64-passenger Sea Cloud’s July 19 Athens to Venice cruise, cataloging artifacts, reviewing documents and hosting a special lecture.

Wu told me Hillwood archives contain materials related to the yacht’s design and construction, photographs of the original interiors, furniture, art objects and tablewares. Beyond this, he has researched with the Coast Guard about Sea Cloud’s military service and role in desegregation and obtained photos of life aboard during wartime.

Some Sea Cloud objects are blended in with Hillwood’s permanent collection. The special exhibition will be the first time items are brought together in a cohesive presentation about the yacht.

A docent told me some of these items on display at Hillwood are among those that were aboard Sea Cloud in Marjorie Merriweather Post’s day. * Photo: Anne Kalosh

Beckoning A Broad Audience

“Sea Cloud was a major part of Marjorie Merriweather Post’s life,” Wu told me. “She sailed extensively in the 1930s and also in the 1940s, after the war. And Sea Cloud has spanned quite a bit of time and seen a lot of history.

“My hope is that this exhibition will appeal to a broad audience, not only those who are already interested in Hillwood and Marjorie Post but those interested in sailing and yachts and World War II history and American history. It touches on so many topics,” he said.

Exhibition Preview Lecture

In addition to Wu’s lecture aboard the vintage vessel, Hillwood Deputy Director and Chief Curator Wilfried Zeisler will join the 132-passenger Sea Cloud Spirit’s St. Maarten to Curaçao cruise Feb. 1 next year (2025) to preview the exhibition.

Sea Cloud Cruises’ Reyes aims to build a long-term partnership with Hillwood. She envisions more lecturers on board in the coming years who bring the history and origin of the line to life.

“There’s one thing we have that others don’t — the history of the original Sea Cloud, and that all goes back to Marjorie Merriweather Post in 1931,” Reyes said, noting that the original cabins, including those of Post, E.F. Hutton and their daughter, the late actress Dina Merrill, are in particularly great demand.

This is Marjorie Merriweather Post’s cabin on Sea Cloud. as it looks today. * Photo: Sea Cloud Cruises

Often the passengers so fortunate to book those special rooms are gracious enough to let others have a peek during a once-per cruise visit organized by the cruise line.