Malta/Sicily Day 7: At Sea

Saturday, June 20, 2026

Today is our second day at sea as we travel along the north coast of Sicily. Kenna and I took advantage of the morning light exercise and stretching that was offered. After breakfast, guests that had pre-qualified for physical readiness (primarily stair climbing and balance) were given an opportunity to climb the ship’s riggings to the first level of one of the masts. Kenna and Dave participated in this, while Jan and I photographed. Each climber was fitted with a safety harness and assisted by a crew member as they ascended and descended. There were additional crew members at the top, assisting with transferring the climber to the platform, ensuring a safe climb.

After a short wait, Kenna and Dave climbed in quick succession and had a couple minutes each to admire and photograph the view before descending to make room for the next climber.

Later, the crew offered tours of the ship’s engine room for those that were interested (Dave and I were, of course). The tour consisted of a quick walk through the engine room itself (it was quite warm), and a briefing with pictures in the control room showing various other engineering systems on the ship.

With very calm seas, we also had an opportunity in the afternoon to go swimming in the Mediterranean. The crew set up a platform from which we could climb down (or jump) a short distance into the water. We were surrounded by a roped-off area in which we were allowed to swim, and pool “noodles” were available for those who wanted to use them. I took advantage of the opportunity to swim, and it was refreshing on a very warm day. The Mediterranean looks just as blue from the water as above! We were told that the water was 2 km deep; I don’t think I ever swam in such deep water although it doesn’t matter much if you can’t touch bottom anyway.

For dinner, the restaurant staff demonstrated filleting a whole tuna they had obtained. Dinner of course featured tuna tartare, grilled tuna, and sashimi.

The ship ended the day near the island of Stromboli, an actively erupting volcano. As the sun set, many of us took pictures as an active vent periodically spewed fire and ashes.

One of the traditions on the Sea Cloud II is an evening where the crew sings sea shanties and guests are invited to sing along. It seemed a little corny at first, but quickly we were enjoying singing along to songs like, “What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor?”

This article is part of a series about our recent trip to Malta and Sicily. To see the introductory article in the series, click here.