Sailing Vacations
A Maine Windjammer

Good morning everyone. Today we finish another Wooden Boat Sail Training Course. It has been an amazing week. At the risk of sounding like a broken record I am once again in awe of this week’s participants and how much energy they have put forth. Yesterday our final exam was more of a trial by fire than anything else. A brisk nor’easter blew through during the late morning and early afternoon. With a reduced sail plan and teams at the ready we beat out into the waves and had quite the sail. We never did get to our final destination but instead anchored earlier than anticipated in the lee of North Haven. I think most folks had their fill of excitement. We were singing sea shanties on deck Thursday night and so many of the songs dealt with the hardships of life at sea. What we have experienced, surging through the waves, and feeling the salt spray hit our faces, was better than any shanty. We have lived the 21st century version of the real thing this week. I don’t think the sail...

Good morning everyone. This week we are in sail training mode once again as we invite a group of adults to live as deckhands aboard the schooner. So if you ever wanted to work aboard a large sailing vessel when you grow up this is a chance to try it out without having to clean heads or stand night watches. In conjunction with the Wooden Boat School we are exploring “Schooner 101” with a varied group of sailors from all over the country. Some folks have plenty of small boat sailing experience and some are completely new to sailing. The challenge to being a deckhand is learning the ropes and learning how to work as a team to handle sails. Participants get a chance to get their hands dirty learning navigation and knots, sail trim and steering. At the end of Day 1 the students smartly tacked the schooner up into Mackerel Cove here on Swans Island and even learned how to sail a schooner backwards. (Backing the schooner three boat lengths under sail was performed in a closed course by ...

Good morning everyone. We are out on the second of two three day trips we are offering this week. These quick getaways are a fun change from our normal six day trips. We came in from a glorious first trip on Wednesday and greeted new guests that afternoon. The Indy pit crew changed over all the bunks and with time to spare. We sailed an amazing 90 miles that first trip with good winds and sunny skies. These three day trips seem to draw a number of families and this cruise is no exception with fathers and daughters, nieces and uncles and aunts. Sharing this kind of family time is quite a trip down memory lane for some and a time to share without the distractions of life ashore. We even have a newly wed couple hitched in the Amphitheater by yours truly before the trip. A twist for me aboard during this trip is having Sawyer and the son of some very dear friends who we met 17 years ago during our first season with Mary Day. It is not just a little cool to see the boys take Rosey out t...

Good morning everyone. Well it has been a soggy last few days up here with a cold easterly wind. As usual we have made the best of it in fine fashion with mittens and hats and lots of layers. Is this really July? For those of you that have been living in blistering hot temperatures a trip to Maine will cool you off in short order. By the time you read this it will be sunny and warm again with rebounding temperatures and more normal Maine summer weather. The sun’s golden light is already warming the decks. And so it goes here in New England. The weather is highly variable. But one thing is constant and that is great guests. We have a fun mix of seasoned sailors and folks who are new. I think the age range is from 15 to 80. Folks are here from California, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Massachusetts, and more. The people are as variable and wonderful as the weather. Yesterday we enjoyed a special treat when we visited Frenchboro, Long Island. As is normal I gave passengers a homewo...

Good afternoon everyone. A little late day blog to wish you all a happy Fourth of July. The sun shone brightly today and "Big Bertha" flew proudly from the masthead causing everyone on the town landing to pause and give thanks for this wonderful country we live in. Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Good morning everyone. I apologize for the long hiatus in this Maine windjammer blog. Frankly I have been overwhelmed these last few weeks with so much going on that I can’t even begin to stay up with it all. This past weekend was the first time in weeks that I have actually had a few hours to get a project done at home. The busyness is all good but it is very busy. Our cruises have been wonderful and the crew is settling in nicely with each other and with the boat. I am delighted with each of them. This week we are participating in the annual Great Schooner Race hosted by the Miane Windjammer Association. The race was yesterday. I try to keep the perspective that this is just supposed to be fun… although there is a twinge of excitement when the winds favor us and Mary Day has a chance to show her stuff. The starting line ran east/west from Holbrook Harbor where we all rafted up Monday night. The raft up was a hoot with 11 windjammers present that we could climb aboard and tou...