Sailing Vacations
A Maine Windjammer

Good morning everyone. We have another beautiful morning here at anchor in "Lobster Cove". I will keep its identity a secret but suffice it to say the beach is long and sandy. After our picnic last night we witnessed a beautiful moonrise over the bold cliffs of Cadillac Mt. The Loons were calling at sunrise. I am heartened to find a lonely place like this and having it all to ourselves especially when we are so close to one of the most heavily visited national parks around. I went ashore for a walk in the woods this morning. Old spruce trees with branches bare and twisted in the shade were underlain by a carpet of ferns and moss. Around the corner is a small cove with a few moorings placed here for cruisers by the family that owns the island. It is a very popular place for one or two boats to lie in "God's pocket". This year the family placed a third mooring with big bold letters identifying the owners with "PRIVATE" stenciled right o

Here we are in Mackerel Cove on Swan's Island this morning. We had a good sail yesterday when the wind finally arrived. We sailed with the outgoing tide down to the Fox Island Thorofare and pushed for a few hours while the wind made up its mind. Coming onshore in the late afternoon we sailed right through diner to end up here. The sun is setting noticeably earlier these days, before 1930 hours. The nearly full moon rose above the tree line just as the sun set. This morning we were ashore visiting Earl of Swan's. There is an entire story there about this 90 year young wonderful man who lives year round here and has just been acknowledged by the folks at Harvard University for his contributions to the world with a Doctorate of Lettuce. Earl keeps a modest garden where he grows friends as well as vegetables and flowers. He sends a contribution to Mary every time we are here this time consisting of swiss chard, basil, and parsley as well a bouquet of roses, swe

My Tern Took a Turn for the Worse By Flossie Pelitier August 24, 2007 My dear Captain’s Barry and Jen, I simply cannot think of when I have had such a time On a schooner so fine, And I do hope we’ll join you again. You said we could work if we choose And cautioned against too much booze So I chose not to work Sail furling did shirk, But drank no rum on this cruise. Climbed out of my bunk on day one And said, “Golly gee! This is fun!” So I carved out a bird, With hardly a word. And thought that I soon would be done. Now this Cap’n, he keeps a clean ship. And my t’shirt was covered with chips. So I ran to the side Shaking chips to the tide Gave my t’shirt one generous flip! Twas then, to my total dismay, Saw my thumb guard go blowing away. I know I was done, With carving for fun, So I got out my paints for the day. Still eager to work on my gull, When the ship dropped her anchor, a lull. On Day two I hacked, At the head and the back, But it seems now my knife was too dull. Now the gull l

Good morning everyone. We have been burning way too much diesel this week in dreadfully light winds. The wind finally did its thing yesterday and carried us all day long. Down the Reach, under the bridge, around the corner, and up here to Fort Point Cove under full sail all the way. This morning it is breezy and the showers have moved off to the north. We should enjoy a lively sail with the wind predicted to be gusty southwest this afternoon and tonight. Hang on to your hats. Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Good morning everyone. We have started our week with a couple of good days sailing "down east". The winds have been wicked light but we managed to get 35 miles on Monday to Burnt Coat Harbor on Swans Island. Yesterday morning we pushed across to neighboring Frenchboro on Long Island where we hiked out to the back beach. Not that we haven't seen enough of the ocean but the view from the granite cliffs is extraordinary. The cobble and boulder beaches are not uncommon but are difficult to access in most places because of the wave action. The boulders on "Little Beach" have been tossed and polished for thousands of years. I had to place a ten pound limit on returning "souvenirs". We were underway before lunch and headed off shore for Mt Desert Rock. This was our first trip out there this season. The "rock" is 13 miles from Frenchboro or about 18 miles from Southwest Harbor. Folks haven't been seeing many whales this year.

Good morning everyone…. We apologize for the week off from the blog. Big week for us as a family. Our anniversary popped up (you know the years are adding up by seeing the cars in the background getting older) as well as Sawyer’s 8th birthday. It seems like just yesterday when he came aboard... It’s been a week full of reflections for us, seeing the past going bye so fast and watching Sawyer anticipate his big day was more than we could handle. Handling schooners are sometimes much more easier! This seal was found while visiting Stonington this week. Not sure if he or she has only one eye, but it seems to be a reminder to us to stop and view things slowly, take it all in while in the present, so soon will it be gone. They do grow up fast and we just keep getting older… We did get a chance to have our picnic in Dogfish Cove which provided us with an opportunity to see the past, present and future all at once. The tide was low and a cool rocky shelf gave us a chance to row under

Good morning everyone. Another week has flown by and we are headed back to Camden this morning. The folks aboard have shared many laughs with each other this week. Thursday and Friday proved to be delightful weather days. The wind really blew Wednesday night into Thursday morning. We tucked a reef in the main for the first time this summer and ran out the river at a good clip. But as happens with weak high pressure and the low moving off to the east so quickly the wind eased up during the day and we shook the reef out before days end. The winds were light all day yesterday but the wind came onshore with the turn of the tide. The interesting observation was made yesterday that in this day and age a windjammer vacation is quite unique. Truth be told, this vacation is not for folks who want to remain anonymous. On the large cruise ships one can literally disappear in a crowd of thousands but not so on a windjammer cruise. Part of the magic here is that we get to know ea

Good morning everyone. We had a real toad soaker yesterday here in Maine. The forecast was for up to an inch of rain but I don't believe we had that much. Just the same we had a few periods of heavy rain with light showers in between. After morning walks ashore in Brooklin we sailed off the hook. I am always amazed how adventurous our guests are. I never thought everyone would come up in the rain but pile on deck they did and we had a lovely sail. In a day and age when some folks idea of adventure is the Holiday Inn I am heartened to see adventurous humans who don't mind the idea of feeling all that nature has to offer. At one moment as we passed under the bridge in Eggemmoggin Reach the thrill of the wind and weather was quite exciting. Oddly enough with all the talk coming from the National Weather Service of how "bad" the weather would be we spent the afternoon in bright sunshine and got a great walk in ashore. This morning we are anchored u

Good morning everyone. We enjoyed quite the sail yesterday. The weather was mostly cloudy all day with rain holding off until late afternoon. We put down 36 miles in about 5 1/2 hours. You do the math but including our slow start out of Camden and some calm winds north of North Haven we spent the better part of the day reeling off 9 + knots. The amazing part is that here in the bay there are no waves. One guest commented about how there was no big ocean swell as you might find in other places. We anchored in the afternoon with thunderstorms looming near on the horizon but managed to get the sails furled and the awnings set with alacrity. In a few short hours the rain had ended and games by the cozy fire was welcomed after dinner. It is amazing to think that our season is half way through already. The weeks just fly by. According to the log we have sailed about 1600 miles so far this summer. That is quite good considering that we have not been across the Bass Harbor

Good morning everyone. We are anchored up here in Blue Hill Bay taking time for a swim call. The hottest day of the summer is supposed to be here today so we will especially appreciate the cool sea breeze that has already started. After a great sail yesterday we anchored off of a long sandy beach where we picnicked last night and where we are swimming in the "pool" this morning. Tuesday was a relatively calm day with the yawl boat getting more of a work out than we would have liked. At least the fog cleared off so we were happy to see the islands of Merchants Row. We anchored early in the afternoon and were regaled by the musicians of the folk festival as they went chantying around the harbor. As an added extra treat the musical entourage stopped by our beloved schooner and spent a half hour aboard singing and filming the musicians at work. We enjoyed dinner on deck and a leisurely walk to the Odd Fellows hall before the show began. By all accounts the show