Sailing Vacations
A Maine Windjammer

Good morning everyone and a very happy holidays to all of you. We are waiting for the kids to rise and the chaos to begin. But joyous chaos it is. They have been camping out in Courtney's room since 0330 waiting to come down stairs, Courtney in her mattress on the floor and Sawyer lying on the floor by her side. We spent the better part of an hour trying to get them to settle back to sleep. I peeked in on them and the image of his bare feet sticking out from under the thin single blanket will stick with me. Even without a whole lot of sleep we count these as the best of the best moments. The kids made a snow man in the yard yesterday. As you can see this is no ordinary snow man. From the depths of their imagination came the magic, the magic that is our Christmas, where snowmen can water ski! Courtney lost another front tooth last night and so we were visited by the Tooth Fairy and Saint Kick all in one night. Does it get any better than that. So with all the fears that we as

Good morning everyone. It is a rather warm morning here created by low pressure passing to the west of us and sweeping with it moist tropical air right up the coast. Seems like winter is taking a rest according to the forecast and rain is predicted to fall tonight. We have a few roofs with 18" of snow on them which need to get shoveled off today. Today is the full Cold moon. With the winter solstice and the moon at perigee (closest to Earth in its orbit) just yesterday the tides are responding predictably. So here in New England we are at the bottom of the tide, figuratively and literally. The light begins to return. We have gained a minute of light and the sun has gained a minute of declination on its northward journey since yesterday; all these celestial events according to the Old Farmers almanac. The tides in Camden are the biggest of the year. 13.4 feet of tidal range separate high tide this morning from low tide this afternoon in a place where the average tide is clo

Hey Y'all. Good morning everyone. I just returned from an unexpected trip to Texas taking a very long plane ride to take a very quick boat ride from Galveston to Texas City to bring Elissa from her year round berth at the Texas Seaport Museum to the Bollinger Shipyard for several weeks in the dry dock. Somehow as luck would have it I was able to sneak out between snow events and enjoy a day in the sun. Once again the volunteers and museum staff made my job a simple one; just 9 miles up the channel to the yard and back her in to the dry dock. There was the usual assortment of moving targets to avoid: ferries, crew boats, tankers, and shrimpers. Why is it that the most shrimp seem to be found in the very middle of the channel? The Houston ship channel is one very busy place. As you can see Elissa is high and dry. For the next few weeks the Coast Guard will have a chance to give her a very thorough inspection and the ship will receive new paint below the waterline. The propell

Greetings everyone. It's definitely feeling and looking like Christmas here. The kids are in full swing with school activities and playing elves here at home. Their stockings are hung by the fireplace and the cookies are baked. They wanted to share one of their favorites with you. So here is a "quick and easy" cookie for Santa. We promise, they are quick and easy! Enjoy and happy holidays! Festive Shortbread Logs 1 cup buter (no substitutes), softened ½ cup confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips (or milk choc bars) 4 teaspoons shortening ¾ cup ground walnuts In a mixing bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar. Add vanilla. Gradually add flour; mix well. With lightly floured hands, shape tablespoonfuls into 2-in. logs. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until edges and bottom are lightly browned. Cool for 2-3 minutes before removing to wire racks. In a

Good morning everyone. The little windjammer elves are at work. It may be Sunday but with Christmas just around the bend the pressure is on to get the cards in the mail and cookies made for the neighbors. We are having quite the snow event here with snow easily falling at the 1"/hour rate, maybe even faster this last hour. Bring it on! You know we love the snow. I just came in from shoveling off the shop roof. I am not sure how much more weight the sagging spruce pole rafters were going to take. One of my winter projects is to get new rafters and metal roofing on the shop. The good news is that it only leak when it rains. I rowed my way through the skim ice yesterday afternoon to double check the chafe gear and the bilges. All is well aboard the schooner. I gave the lonely rocking chair a little pat. The harbor is lovely in the darkness and all was very quiet. I really just wanted to keep rowing for a while. There is a bright white star atop Mt Battie that is lit all

Good morning everyone. It is hard to believe that the thermometer is reading just 8 degrees this morning when yesterday morning it was well up into the 30s. Taking advantage of the broken up ice on the harbor I went out to check the schooner. All is well there. As you can see Mary's new wood shed is coming along nicely. For those of you who have ever had the joy of rifling under a snow covered tarp to get to your firewood, well, you know how luxurious this shed will be. Mary already has her boxes of gardening supplies lined up on the kitchen floor headed for the storage side of the shed. We should finish up the roof boards today and start in on the trim, the precursor to clapboard siding. For the curious, yes, Mary will be returning to sail another season. I can hear the angels singing from here. Back on the home front Elisa and Jen are balancing office, firewood, kids, and family Christmas preparations. As some of you are seeing Jen has created a cool newsletter. We spen

Good morning everyone. A very light snow is drifting down onto the several inches we have received over the last few days. It looks like it will be a white Christmas here on the Maine coast. We made our annual offering to the forest creatures at the Giving Tree just out at edge of the swamp behind our house. The kids lay down a sweet feast of apple slices for the beings out there. With snow this early I am sure that everyone out there will be thankful for the offering. Seems like a silly thing but to us the Giving Tree, a very large hemlock with wide sweeping branches, reminds us that we are not alone on the planet. During the sailing season we have the constant and magnificent reminders; seals basking on the ledges, eagles calling from the island woods, porpoise surfacing for a breathe in the darkness. These moments touch our hearts with the thrill of connectedness. With the new moon just past the stars have been especially brilliant at night. I look up and feel like a speck o

Good morning everyone. A very chilly 3 degrees here this morning. The stars twinkle more brightly than ever. First light is coming over the ridge. Today we pause to remember the events at Pearl Harbor. On the way home from work yesterday I had a myopic driver on my tail and was thinking of a bumper sticker I would like to put on my truck, "Slow down...Life is fragile." I should thank that driver sometime for reminding me of what I value most. Bruce and I are pounding along, literally, on Mary's new shed. The walls are all framed up. The building takes a little more form. Mary warmed the day with steaming hot blueberry muffins for coffee break. I told Mary she could start moving the wood in any time she wanted. We are all taking a day to attend to our other jobs. Bruce is a caretaker of a small island summer cottage while Jen and I have a meeting this morning. We will get to the rafters and roofing next week. We are having fun and that makes the chilly days as wa

Good morning everyone. Well we had a great snow storm here yesterday. (11"at the official Schooner Mary Day Global Headquarters/Appleton Weather Circus measurement station, the barbeque on the porch.) Actually it is still snowing lightly this morning. The kids had a chance to stay home from school and play in the snow all day. We took advantage of the day to set up the Christmas tree and catch up on office work. (Yes, crew your sea time letters are in the mail at last.) Is it me or have you ever noticed that having a "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree is right up there on the list of holiday cool. Well our indoor tree is a long way from Currier and Ives but we love it just the same and it has lots of cool factor. Hanging all those homemade ornaments that the kids made in pre-school is a joy. Made with pipe cleaners, construction paper and lots of glitter they make the tree complete. Nadie got to put the angel on top, an honor worth fighting over in this house! Our outdo

Good morning everyone. Well it has been a while since my last entry. No excuses. Just taking a break here in my random musings. This blog thing takes time and energy both of which have been scarce since the end of the season. I appreciate your patience. I do not always understand how much a season takes out of us. The end of the season let down hits differently every year. We give as much as we can and love every minute of it but it does leave us with an end of the season hangover. Remember the tapes thing I mentioned last blog. I was inspired by Ed who posted a new tape on YouTube . What I appreciated about Ed's video of still shots was the way he made a new tape of sailing Mary Day. It got me thinking that I could re-visualize some old tapes by inserting new images. Thanks Ed! We spent the last few days getting ready for the big snow event. A last minute check of the schooner, all well, bilges dry, chafe gear in place. Get firewood loaded in to the house and barn. T

Good morning everyone. Hope you folks all had a great Thanksgiving surrounded by family and good friends or if you wish spent more quietly without much fanfare. Both have their virtues. The “gift” of the holiday season is upon us and I think Thanksgiving is just a good warm up for the next few weeks. Seems like keeping the expectations in check is the real trick, one I have not yet mastered by any stretch. It is good to see the inlaws and outlaws alike around the holidays but what is it about having family around that triggers all the old stuff? The cold hard truth is that I have yet to gain the maturity to realize that the “old tapes” are just that, old tapes that I can chose or not. Easy enough to say, wicked hard to do. So we managed Thanksgiving complete with turkey and homemade table (scrap lumber and sawhorses). We did the required stuffing of the bird and then stuffing of ourselves. Good eats! The guests have departed and we begin re-entry into the “normal” lives we lea

Good morning everyone. A whopping 16 degrees here this morning. We had a busy weekend around here and at the boat. Frankly we are feeling a little overwhelmed by it all. We just can't seem to keep up with it (read our expectations). I spent Saturday down at schooner taking advantage of a few more hours aboard. I am happy to report that the bilges are dry. The cover needed a little tightening in places after all the windy weather we have had. Sawyer and I winterized the miscellaneous gasoline engines by changing the oil, fogging the cylinders, and draining the saltwater intake lines for the fire pump, and putting fuel stabilizer in the tanks. I am trying a new old trick by pouring molasses in a few of the drain lines. I have heard the old timers did this years ago to keep the thru-hull fittings from weeping saltwater back in to the lines. This technique should make our annual overhaul of the thru-hull fittings a little more sweet. We have not seen ice on the harbor yet but i

Good morning everyone. Well old man winter came knocking yesterday. The dock hauling was cancelled on account of heavy rain which turned to snow flurries. At the immediate coast there was no visible accumulation but just 5 miles inland from the coast we had a 1/2" of new snow and up in the mountains even more. Sawyer, of course, was ready to go sledding and tried one warm up run down the drive way. Hope is not reserved for spring. Even before the snow came we could see the telltale signs. Frost was heavy in the field yesterday and early morning ice has been lingering on the ponds. On the bay you would hardly recogize the guillemots in their winter garb. Each winter we also get a host of ducks that guests normally don't get a chance to see unless you come on one of our early or late cruises. Golden eyes, pintail, and buffleheads will hang out in the inner harbor all winter long. They are just beautiful and give me thoughts of wilder places farther north where they breed in t

Good morning everyone. On this day in 1851 Melville first published Moby Dick. I know here in New England we were pushed through that book by knowing school marms. At the time it looked like just another long book to me, my simple mind just not able to grasp the fullness in the pages. Interestingly I was not alone. Seems as though the readers of Melville's era had a tough time with its social and personal searchings as well. It wasn't until the 1920's, 30 years after his death, that folks began to take a longer look at what Herman Melville had to say. Have you ever felt misunderstood? I guess there is hope after all. Yesterday we drained down the water lines at the docks and began the process of taking things apart. Mary, Jen, and Elisa made one last big painting push to finish the galley and main cabin. All that is left is the water tank above Mary's sink and that will be done today. We will be down there again today in the bright sunshine. Have a great day. Be

Good morning everyone. Finally, I am back from Texas and have survived a weekend at the local EMT seminars. I am ready to get up and stir after three straight days of sitting still. There is no lack of job security here. The kids are back to school after a long weekend. Even Gussie is heading for the vets today for her greatly appreciated annual boosters. The list is endless and now we just race the weather and the removal of the docks. A gentle rain is falling. The thermometer is at 36. High tide is at 1230 in Camden. As you know, Jen and the crew have been painting out the main cabin and it looks fabulous. We are having to run heaters to keep things warm enough to paint. The nights have been quite chilly so a balmy 55 degrees in the main cabin is good enough for us. Most of the sandtone overheads and walls are done and today the off-white will be painted. This is the home stretch as far as the docks are concerned. Time to launch the winter skiff and begin thinking about the 7 co

Good morning everyone. Barry here, reporting in from Galveston after our trip back from Corpus Christi. With an impending cold front approaching the Texas coast on Tuesday morning and winds forecast to come NE we "beat feet" back to Galveston. I stood the mid to 4 watch. The trip back was largely uneventful. A light southerly tailwind was welcome but the apparent wind was not enough to give us the easting we desired so the 450 hp power plant gave us the boost we needed to keep a 7-8 knot pace through the night. The big excitement came while traveling in the fairway, the channel that passes 10 or so miles off the coast with occasional intersection leading to major harbors. At 0200 we came across 4 seismic research vessels working cables across the bottom in the fairway. A few radio calls established the idea that small floats across the fairway were connected to the seismic cables with wire rope and that wrapping one of these up in Elissa's propeller would hinder o

Good Morning. The sanders have finally been put to rest for a short while.It's been endless days and hours with Mr. Makita. Time for him to take a break and bring out the ole Mrs. Chinabristle to let her play. Today's the day we start to paint the galley and main saloon. A welcoming job (one of Mary's favorite places to paint!)as this is our last for this season on the boat. The temps are getting chilly on the boat, only getting up into the 40's. The shop with the woodstove seems to be calling us from afar... Every year when I, and I'm sure this goes for Mary as well, work at an endless sanding task (which there are many!) my mind keeps me occupied with flashbacks from the summer. I remember the beautiful sunsets, the whales that graced us with their beauty, the eagles that soared overhead, the smell of the pine forests on shore, the mossy fairy houses found, the list goes on and on. And with the sights I'm seeing I can still hear the laughter ringing

Good morning everyone. Noel blew through New England last night reminding us that although the official hurricane season is over nature minds no calendar. Mary and I were down at the boat putting on a few extra mooring lines and checking the chafe gear when the first of the rain and wind came in just after noon time. It's good to know all the gear and small boats are safe and sound. It amazes me that the Tropical Prediction Center dropped mention of Noel after 5 PM on Friday. When I checked the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (aka GoMOOS) website last nite the wind was gusting on Nantucket at 69 miles per hour with 39.7 foot seas on the Georges Bank. Here in our modest little neighborhood the Penobscot Bay buoy recorded gusts at 50 knots. The cover was still on the schooner last I knew but Jen will have to give you a more precise report on Tuesday. I am off to Texas once again this morning. As you may recall we left the tallship Elissa in Corpus Christi for

Good morning everyone. We celebrated All Hallows Eve, or Halloween, last night in fine fashion. We have never been big on the trick or treating thing but have for the last few years celebrated with our school community at an evening walk through the woods. Most of the students at school carve a jack o' lantern the day before and these are sprinkled through out the woods to light the walking path. Fairies, gnomes, elves, dragons, and all manner of wood folk are seen as passersby stroll the path under the tall pines. So this is more of a pagan event than some may be used to but the kids love it and the lack of candy does not seem to dissuade them. Saywer, dressed as Robinhood, handed out glass beads (his idea) to his friends. Nadie, a water fairy, was content to run with her friends, drink cider and nibble pumpkin cookies. In the pagan world this holiday marks not only a thinning of the veil between worlds but also marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter. For the k

Good morning everyone. I am some glad to be home. As I stepped out of the car the smell of crisp autumn leaves upon the ground and the kiss of temperatures in the low 40s was quite welcome. We wandered down to the field last nite to watch the comet 17P/Holmes just below Cassiopea in the NE sky. It took a while but with Jen's laser pointer the kids were able to see the comet through binoculars. In the distance we could hear coyotes and owls and Martha, the donkey that lives down the street. As beautiful as Texas is I sure did miss Jen and the kids and autumn in Maine. I can't wait to get down to the schooner in Camden today and see all the activity. Mary, Jen, and Elisa have been very busy. Since the docks are coming out soon there is a ton of stuff to do. I am only home for five days before I return to Texas to help bring Elissa back to Galveston. So give me a couple of days to get back up to speed with our whirlwind windjammer world. Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Good Morning! It's finally starting to feel like fall here. Temps are in the 30's as we start our workday on the boat. Jack Frost has been seen playing in the fields. The leaves have finished showing off their brilliant colors and are now playing "capture me!" with all the children as they float downward from their branches. This change can bring sadness to some, but for us it means a time for rest and peace. We'll be done soon with working on the boat and the docks come out in a few weeks. It's almost time to walk away and let her rest as well. And as we drive home every day we have been graced with the most beautiful road home...worthy of a poem. "My leaves are turning crimson," the giant oak tree said, "It's almost time these children should seek their winter's bed, But how they still cling to me and gleam with crimson hue, They truly are more lovely than cirrus clouds of blue. "And now throughout the forest - list! hear their vo

Dear Tooth Fairy, Thank you for the kind letter and $5! We must share with you (who ever you may be in Austin, Texas!) that special moment upon arrival…. Nadie ripes open the letter and hands the card to Mom to read and upon hearing that it was from the tooth fairy starts to jump up and down exclaiming, “Oh my gosh! Oh my GOSH! How did she know? I can’t believe this! Mom, Mom, look at this!” Mom’s reaction after reading the oh so cute letter, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! How did she know? I can’t believe this! (who sent this….)” Sawyer upon overhearing all this, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I can’t believe this! THAT”S NOT FAIR! I’m the one who lost the last tooth!" (nothing is ever fair to Sawyer and Nadie). And the chase was on throughout the house…with Mom left in the dust still pondering it all… Final outcome: they have decided to split the bill and have planned a trip to the Village Shop’s candy counter when next in town! Thanks to the Tooth Fairy of Austin, Texas

Good morning everyone. We enjoyed a terrific overnight passage last night. The full moon was brilliant as it stood overhead during my 0000-0400 watch. The shadows of the rig and sails were as clear as if it were daytime. We were thankful for the helping hand from Mr. Moon as we threaded our way through numerous oil and natural gas platforms, mostly lit with a dozen or so exceptions. Dark in the shadows of the waves one could occasionally glimpse out of the corner of ones eye the faint image of an unlit platform. My advice to my watch mates... look with the sides of your pupils as well as the centers. I call this the intuitive eye. You swear you saw something but when you look straight at it, there it is, gone. For those of you who really want to read into that one, life lesson #237, trust that what it may, take energy to see what really is there. It takes work and your life may depend on it! The other great thing we have seen off shore in the Gulf of Mexico are m

Hey Y'all! Writing to you from the Gulf of Mexico where the sun is shining and the wind is up. A perfect day for windjamming in the Gulf. The term windjammer was actually was used in a derogatory manner by the early steam sailors to describe square riggers. Of course we use windjammer as a term of endearment today and to see Elissa sailing would make any heart beat a little faster. As you know I am down here on the tallship Elissa where we are sailing along with a fleet of 260 small sailing vessels racing in the annual Harvest Moon Regatta. It was an incredible sight here this afternoon as all 260 vessels converged on the starting line (and Elissa too, at times). The wind is from the NW about 15 knots and we are off to Port Aransas, 150 miles distant. A cold front blew through the Texas coast on Monday when we arrived just like it does in Maine. The wind went from southerly to northerly in a matter of minutes and kept us pinned to the dock on Monday. We fina

Good Morning. Our summer days have vanished, and in exchange wind and rain. It had to happen sometime. Mary and I are taking today as “office days” resting our backs from a day spent with the ole Makita’s. It’s official, the dust storm of 2007-2008 has begun. The hum of the Makita sanders and vacuums filled the day. Mary and I were actually excited to sand the cabin houses. We’ve spent all summer looking at the scratches and patches of paint waiting for this moment of destruction. It felt good to be rid of all those marks. At one point both Mary and I stopped for fresh air and remarked, “this is fun!” It takes a rare breed to enjoy endless hours of backbreaking sanding and Mary and I must be from that breed. We’ll be back at it for the rest of the week with hopes of ending Friday with all cabin houses sanded and primed. It’s a huge goal, one we’re willing to put our backs into. Speaking of rare breeds, Sawyer and Nadie spent the afternoon at the barn. What a pleasant moment for a par

Good Morning. I hate to say it in fear of jinxing us, but we had another wonderful “summer” day here yesterday. Temps were well in the 70’s. Just too bloody hot! Lately I’m feeling like a bear preparing for the great winter hibernation. My food source (Mary’s cooking!) has vanished. Each day is spent wondering what’s for dinner. Working under the cover, sheltered from the Camden “fishbowl” is like the cave or a hollowed out tree where a bear may cuddle up in, safe from the dangers of winter. I too hope this cover provides us safety and doesn’t end up in Canada! In order for bears to survive, they build up their body weight by accumulating fat. That’s definitely happening here! In months before a bear hibernates they can gain up to forty pounds of fat PER WEEK. As Barry would say, “not so much”. I hope that won’t happen! Bears can also lose from fifteen to forty percent of its body weight just by sleeping! Now that would be a dream! I’m trying to catch up on all the sleep I missed

Good Evening! A quick note from Barry. Upon arrival to the Elissa, the welcoming committee consisted of 20+ cormorants standing at attention on the footropes of the Elissa and one lone Canadian goose swimming in the water next to the boat. Meer coincidence? Could this be one of the geese Barry saluted as they flew over the Mary Day in late September with a "see ya in Texas!" I'd say he's found his goose in Galveston. (Kinda sounds like a hit line in country western song. Take it from here Al & Ed!) Have a good night. (Post Note: Ed did take it from here, be sure to check out the comment!)

Good Morning. A quiet Sunday was had by all here. Barry left in the early dawn light and the kids and I found ourselves digging thru the many piles of schooner gear here in the house. After a few more chores and a few more, “Ahh, Mom, do we have too?” the day warmed up to a high 60 degrees! It’s amazing to think that it’s late October! If Autumn is a second spring and every leaf is a flower , then we are in full bloom here in Maine! The leaves are coming down faster than we can rake. Sawyer and Nadie gave it they’re all yesterday. A little nudge from the chocolate fairy who hid chocolate pumpkins in the pile gave a surprise ending to a day’s work. (Now all the leaves are scattered on the lawn again….oh well, we don’t want Daddy to miss all the fun of raking!). And as Rachel Carson once said, “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we li

Good morning everyone. I sat in the door yard yesterday and watched the last of the geese heading south. The crew have departed and life is beginning to settle in to a winter routine (if you will call it that). This morning I leave for a very busy 10 days windjamming in Texas aboard the barque Elissa. The ship will be sailing to Corpus Christi with a stop in Port Aransas. To feel the roll of the ship under my feet will be pleasing, no doubt. But it is bittersweet. I will miss the two little cherubs upstairs asleep in their beds. And I will miss Jen. So be patient with the blog for next 10 days. I will do my best to send along the news. I will not have a camera so Jen will have to fill in the blanks and she will keep you informed of schooner doings here in Maine. It feels like we have scarcely had time to slow down since we stopped sailing and to be leaving this morning seems crazy. Such is the hectic pace of our lives but I wouldn't trade it for anything. While I am in

Good morning everyone. We had a very busy and productive day yesterday. The spars received a coat of varnish and they look awesome. Only 2 more coats to go. The crew finished sanding the bulwarks and the some final adjustments were made to the winter mooring lines. I dove on (or should I say under) the schooner to change the sacrificial zincs that protect all the underwater metal work. I also inspected the chains that the mooring lines are attached to. It all looks good. Just as I got out of the water the trailer supply store called to tell me the springs were in, so once again, we sped home, changed the springs like an Indy pit crew, and sped back to the harbor to pull Arno on the top of the tide. We left the boat in Camden so we could get a chance to winterize and pressure wash the bottom. Today is the final day for Sara and Hannah. This is always a sad day for me. These are good people and I am lucky to know them and work with them. They have given so much to the boat, wa

Good morning everyone. Well with a little patience and perserverance at least one yawl boat trailer has been put back to rights. I pulled out "Chadwick's" trailer yesterday to discover yet another set of sprung springs. Thankfully the trailer parts store had those in stock. So after changing mooring lines in the morning on the bottom of the tide, with the help of the harbor master, I ran off to get the new springs. I remembered all the parts I would need and drove home quick as a wink. How hard can this be I thought. I was about to find out. My cutting torch made quick work of the old rusty nuts and bolts. The new springs slid right into place. I quickly began bolting... oh boo! The new heavier springs were just a half inch thicker than the old ones which meant the u-bolts which hold the entire assembly to the trailer were a half inch too short. The joke is "but only on one end." I managed to attach the trailer to the axle well enough to get back to