Sailing Vacations
A Maine Windjammer

Good morning everyone. OK now... two deep breathes... then back to the boat. Today's list... fill wood crates, paint bob chains, change oil and filter in yawl boat, meet guests at 1600, empty compost bin and build new lid for same, update home page. But I did have to take a moment this morning to "smell the roses". Suzanne Twigg sent along these 8x10 photos of her trip in August of 1979. I have done as little "monkeying" with these as possible. Dirt smudges on the originals were left intact. There are memories in the photos that have meaning for Suzanne and for the rest of of us who were not even there. Capt Buds Hawkins was still at the helm and the schooner was painted white. The topmasts were only a few years old and the staysail club had yet to appear. The schooner still had her original raised whale strakes. But the experience was largely the same. A lobster bake ashore was as treasured then as it is now. Sunsets were as breathtaking as could be. Have a gre

Good morning everyone. We did have a Great Schooner Race.. of sorts. Very light airs at the start which gave Mary Day an unfair advantage against the heavier vessels. The entire fleet, save the Timberwind and Stephen Taber, were mired at the start in a big clump. We crossed the line, sailed (drifted?) clear of the others and managed to somehow tack and gain enough steerage to head from the Western I bell towards Resolution I. What light wind we had was from the south. We caught up to the Taber and Timberwind by 1300ish at which point the esteemed and illustrious race committee shortened the course in the interest of time. Of course, as luck would have it, the breeze filled in onshore and we were "off like prom shoes". We managed to sail through the lee of Timberwind and were steadily gaining on the Taber. I am not certain what happened with the radio comms but Capt. Noah was still sailing the original course and drifted to leeward of the finish line line at which point he cha

Good morning everyone. I was up lighting the cookstove early this morning. What a treat to see the sunrise. Oh yeah, that is Sawyer and his friend Elliot, the future of traditional sail, hanging out at the masthead. Don't worry Mom. They are clipped in. Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Good morning everyone. This has been a week filled with the golden light of beautiful sunrises and sunsets. And as the cameras clicked away I could see the filling of hearts with the warming glow of memories that will last a lifetime. How cool is that? It is the intent to share these precious moments that makes these naturalist/photography cruises some of my favorites. Jim Dugan often coaches us to not get too focused on the sunset in front of us while missing the golden glow of light reflected on the objects behind us. Isn’t that a wonderful metaphor for what we share with each other every day, getting so wrapped up with what is in front of us without recognizing how we are touching those all around us. Have a great day. Be well. Do good.