Sailing Vacations
A Maine Windjammer

Good morning everyone. Yesterday was a day of extremes. We left Camden in a thick of fog only to find things cleared right off as soon as we reached Mark I. From there we caught a very light southerly breeze that carried us up towards Egg Rock. For about an hour we drifted lazily in the heat and humidity. At last I just could not take it any more with the temperature hovering around 80 in the hot sun. The pool was opened and half of us jumped in for swim. The water was the warmest I have felt in years. The precision hardware store thermometer indicated the water temperature was 70 degrees, at least the top 12 inches. The swim call ended when the wind came onshore and we caught a nice breeze for the rest of the afternoon. The breeze brought 65 degree temperature air in off the ocean and with it came the fog again. So we received a second chance to cool off reaching for wind breakers and sweaters. We had a great sail and beat our way in to anchor here in Carvers C

Good morning everyone. The final exam occurred yesterday and the grades are in. The class has passed with flying colors. We had our challenges and those we overcame. The wind was light onshore in the morning and came stronger with the turn of the tide in the afternoon. There were moments when obtaining a fix was very difficult. The importance of the bow watch, the eyes and ears of the ship, was reinforced. Ditty bags were finished with some fancy knot work. The ground rules were simple. Keep a constant DR plot with 6, 12, & 18 minute projections. Keep a minimum of 2 people on bow watch at all times, keep Mary, our beloved cook happy, and make certain that everyone gets to "taste a slice of the pie." In other words, get everyone involved so that they feel good about their participation in the team. There is no question that everyone has learned something this week. Everyone will take something different away with them. Some one asked me why no one

Good morning everyone. The past few days have been fog-free. We had a great sail yesterday with WSW winds piping right up. We spent the morning touring the Wooden Boat School. We sailed off the anchor at 1100 and beat our way out of Jericho Bay with some help from the tide. A few tacks carried us through the Merchant Row past all the islands we missed in Tuesday's fog. Once again the southerly breeze under Isle Au Haut was humming as we plowed along at 9+ knots, upwind! We reeled off 10+ knots as we scampered down the bay on a broad reach to our anchorage here in Holbrook Harbor. Watch groups have continued to focus on the basics. Steering a schooner in a straight line is not as easy as it may appear. Steering by compass is really hard. The bow watch has explored sail theory as well as anchor theory. Navigators worked on position fixing to confirm DR plots and our favorite 6 minute rule. Hand crafted ditty bags and fancy knots were started in the marlinspike

Good morning everyone. Our dear friend the Major called this place the Foggy Kingdom. Yesterday proved him right, again. But at least we had some wind. We enjoyed some clearing in the afternoon and a walk ashore here in Mackerel Cove at Swan's Island. This morning we have clear blue skies and no fog in Blue Hill Bay though there looks to be a little hanging on offshore. Yesterday I was hoping the helm watch would have another day of steering by line of sight but given the fog we were forced to steer by compass. The navigators were thrown headlong into dead reckoning and the bow watch sounded the foghorn at 2 minute intervals. The marlinspike station had the crew learning the ropes, ticking them off as they walked about the vessel. Gybing several times as we sailed down wind was our tacking drill for the day. >A few bald eagles graced us with their hunting displays to the dismay of the gull colonies on Southern Mark Island. But the real thrill of the day was bei

Good morning everyone. Another quiet morning here in Maine. I can here the distant rumble of a lobster boat but the veil of fog surrounding us hides their work from view. On deck a half dozen participants are busy washing down the schooner, chamoixing away yesterday's elbow grease and shining the brass. We are start our days with honest, simple work that makes our home feel well cared for and makes those who chose to do it shine a little inside. I know pride is suppose to be a two edged sword but polishing brass puts pride in perspective. Imagine polishing brass that makes the boat look so beautiful when you know you the elements will laugh and tarnish your hard work and you are just going to have to polish again the next day. Now the "smart" person would lacquer the polished brass, right? The experienced person knows that lacquer chips eventually and once applied is a bear to remove. We have been criticized by some for putting too much energy in to things t

Good morning everyone. We were working down at the boat on Saturday with the usual gaggle of visitors checking out the boat. One young woman in particular was lingering and looking at the boats extra carefully. I asked her if she was interested in them and she informed me she worked on a similar vessel from the Chesapeake. She was on a short break before having to return to meet the schooner in Gloucester. We talked about the windjammers and all the Maine coast and she commented that almost every captain she had sailed with had cut their teeth here in the Maine windjammer fleet. That is an amazing commentary. As owners hiring crew we never know where our young charges will go with what skills we teach them. This week is our annual Wooden Boat School week. We are giving a whole group of people from all over the US and Canada the chance to play deckhand and learn the ropes. In conjunction with the Wooden Boat School we will be offering folks the chance to learn the soup to nuts of

Good afternoon everyone. Another great week of weather, wildlife and people.There just isn't enough time to spend with each and everyone and we're grateful for those who keep coming back to be able to share yet another laugh, tear, or a photo from a far away destination recently traveled. We love it, can't get enough, actually look forward to it as we see those names on the boarding list. As you all know people are a huge part of this business. We wouldn't be here without you. Our Mary Day family just keeps growing and growing and still we are saddened with those we loose as well. Several family members have called this year to postpone their reservations due to illnesses. We are deeply saddened to hear this and keep their spirits with us aboard as we know they'll be back, to share those peaceful sunsets and spray of the ocean breezes. We'll be here with the eagles and osprey waiting for them. Crew become our "Mary Day Family" as well as passengers. O

Good morning evryone. Well this has been a truly whirlwind week. We enjoyed two 3-day cruises back to back, a couple of teasers if you will. And once again the decks were full of great folks. We thoroughly enjoyed everyone and only wished for more time with them. A quick turn around to board again on Wednesday went more smoothly than I can ever remember. The 3-day cruises are a chance for folks who have a little hesitation to try windjamming on for size. And by the reservations we received as people were climbing off I would say the fit was a good one. The sailing weather was quiet this week, unlike a year ago when a micro burst hit us square in the anchorage. Some of our returning guests had been aboard for that one and remembered it well. The upcoming week is our sail training cruise that we offer in conjunction with the Wooden Boat School. Jen and the kids will be off visiting Grandma. I will do my best to get back into my blogging routine as the cell signal and time allo

Good Morning everyone. A quiet Sunday morning here in Appleton after a wonderful week on the bay. For all the “iffy” nature of the forecast Monday we had some great weather and good sailing. The frontal passage Thursday morning helped clear away the fog which was just lovely in the early morning. To see the waves of cold and warm air hanging so low to the water was just amazing. Jen was able to catch close up look at a seal swimming quite close to the schooner. The breeze finally came onshore late in the day and we enjoyed some good tacking upwind in Jericho Bay finally anchoring near Stonington. The kids went on their first solo journey rowing ashore to Hells Half Acre, a small, uninhabited rock with a small forest in search of this week’s “island treasure”. Passengers wondered how we could let them go so far alone. Our response was give them five minutes on the island and they’ll realize their alone, they’ll be back in a jif, and sure enough they were, with treasure in tow! Saw

Good morning everyone. We sit quietly at anchor here at Great Cove in Blue Hill Bay. There is not a breathe of air stirring and the fog that crept in overnight is dripping from the rig onto the awning. Wait a minute here folks. Didn't he write that yesterday? Yes, I did. Place names here on the Maine are so good that they get used again and again. For every bay there is at least two or three islands or ledges that share the same name as an island or ledge in the next bay over. We picnicked on Hog Island just 7 miles from another Hog Island. Hog Island is just across from White Island of which I know of one other down by Boothbay. Not far away was Mark Island. Goodness knows you can't have a bay without some kind of "mark" in it. And around the corner was Eagle Island, Blue Hill Bay, not to be confused with Eagle Island in Penobscot Bay, or Eagle Island in Casco Bay. Egg Rocks? Lots of them. "Seal" something or others? Too many to count.

Good morning everyone. We sit quietly at anchor here at Great Cove in Brooklin. There is not a breathe of air stirring and the fog that crept in overnight is dripping from the rig onto the awning. Evidently a trough just west of New England is spinning a series of frontal systems across the region creating a very interesting weather week. A look at the sailing schedule will tell you that this is a non-smoking week. So no smoking on board but that did not deter me from enjoying a cigar at the lobster bake ashore last night. The great thing about a good cigar is that one has to sit still to enjoy it. Now I am not advocating smoking by any stretch but every once in a while I do enjoy the chance to sit quietly on the beach with a good cigar and watch the sun burn into the western sky. I guess you could substitute a cup of tea for the cigar but the effect for me is not the same. So this week we are smoke free aboard the schooner. Other than that this is the first non-theme week of

Good morning everyone. It's a sleepy morning here ashore as the rain softly falls. Everyone is still in bed recovering from the exciting week of sailing. There were so many moments to remember and tell about: the day before the race with all the rain and wind showers passing (topsails must have gone up and down at least 5 times!), race day with the slow beginning and great ending, (thanks everyone for all your hard work trimming sails!), picnic day with all the great food and sail (did anyone get a photo of the wild sail to Merchant's Row?) and of course the race thru all the thunderstorms (we came in first in that race and managed to slide right thru two storm cells to anchorage!). There were just as many great people moments to go with all these great events: Lois's bandanas for team spirit and luck, Dudley hanging on to Merchant's Row always with camera in hand, Andy's wonderful guitar playing...the list goes on. It's all these memories that will carry us fo

Good morning everyone. We are having our first real fog of the summer yesterday and today. Dense fog has again settled upon us over night and the scene is surreal. The spruce trees along the shoreline are the only relief to the white canvas. Drip, drip, drip... the moisture strained from the air by the rig falls on the canvas awnings. Some might think it is raining but the islands know better. For most islands with thin topsail and little to hold the moisture the fog is a welcome source of life giving water, every spruce needle another drip point for life below. The mossy floor holds the moisture releasing it slowly over time. Rain has been scarce here these past few weeks. For some folks the fog is a scary obstacle to be navigated around. For some it is a chance to sit quietly at anchor and read a good book or go for a walk ashore. But with good planning we manage to keep moving and enjoy the chance to see the ghostly apparitions first detected by radar and, better y

Good morning everyone. This is our Great Schooner Race cruise week. Monday we "tuned up" with the rest of fleet tearing up and down the West Bay in a beautiful northwest wind. A few small squalls passed through so topsails were alternately set and doused as conditions dictated. The crew got a real work out. We sailed 40 miles by days end and anchored up with the rest of the fleet a mere 6 miles from Camden. Just crazy! Tuesday was Race Day. The course was planned to carry us north around Isleboro and then back to the southward to the finish line at the head of Cape Rosier. The smaller Coaster class had the first gun at 1015. The Leeward and Windward classes sailed together across the line at 1025 and had an extra leg that added about 5 miles onto the Coaster course. By starting time the northwest wind had pretty much died and the drift was on. Just after lunch the wind came onshore and away we went. Mary Day managed to ghost along with most of the fle

Good morning everyone. We have had a wonderful week. Friday was the icing on the cake with a cool NW wind and sunshine aplenty. The NW wind died and went SW with little intermission so our sail was especially good. Wednesday and Thursday were quiet days with afternoon showers and thundershowers, most of which missed us. We were talking on the quarterdeck about how we sail in this little bubble out here. We stayed out of the heat and humidity and away from the hub bub of the mainland. I have always tried to get the schooner as far from the trappings of life ashore as I can. It is interesting to see how quickly we run for the newspaper or the cell phone when we finally find a town. The message that our naturalists Linda and Turk have conveyed is about taking the time to really look for the goodness in nature. With butterfly net and camera in hand they have guided some very cool explorations ashore and aboard and helped us all take a little closer look at the coast. I know Linda and