Windjammer Friendships

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 each other with all our beauty and foibles and humor. When this schooner was launched she boasted 6 three person cabins. It was a day and age when folks didn't mind sharing space. We still have a couple of those cabins and folks still share but not to the same extent they used to. Personal space and boundaries are different today than they were 45 years ago. (Does it strike any one else as ironic that the website My Space is actually a big community forum where we can share ourselves and is not really my space at all?) But one thing hasn't changed. People still like to laugh. They still enjoy the friendships they find here. And as the schooner week goes by the boundaries break down and a sense of friendship builds. It is OK to come up on deck in your pajamas in the morning, complete with bed head, and try your luck at the head. We quickly realize that we are all quite human and to share that is a real gift. It makes me think back to the day our friend the Major passed away, surrounded by compassionate friends holding his hand, talking quietly, witnessing and sharing his humanity. Why live anonymously if you don't want to die anonymously? Aboard a windjammer we find humor and compassion and beauty everyday. And that is very cool to share.

Have a great day. Be well. Do Good.

Hail Mary

My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...

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A Golden Windjammer Anniversary

Happy Birthday Mary Day! 50 years ago today Mary Day slid out of the shed at the Harvey F. Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine marking the beginning of a whole new chapter in the history of the windjammer fleet. The Gamage yard had not launched a schooner since 1933 and Mary Day was the first commercial coasting schooner launched since 1938. That also makes her the first commercial coasting schooner launched in the second half of the 20th century and the first schooner ever launched for the windjammer passenger trade. There may be a few more firsts in there but that doesn't really matter. What is most important about this celebration is the fact that Mary Day was launched today and began her career touching the lives of thousands of people. This schooner was built by people, for people and has never done anything else but bring joy to peoples lives. She has become a legendary windjammer here along the Maine coast as part of the largest fleet of commercial coasting schooners...

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