Sailing Vacations
A Maine Windjammer

Good afternoon everyone! What did he say? Yes, good afternoon from Houston. I am here again with Capt Kip Files of the Victory Chimes having moved Elissa from the Houston dock where she has been open to the public and school groups for the last week back to her berth in Galveston. As is the way with boats weather had us pinned down and we are now at the airport hoping to get home by midnite. Gusty NW winds blew 25-30 all of yesterday. We left this morning at dawn and motored down the Houston ship channel back to Galveston. Getting in to the berth was complicated by our inability to contact the dock because of damage from Hurricane Ike. Kip did a masterful job of easing Elissa alonside her berth and we pulled it off in fine fashion with a little help thanks to a push boat donated by the Kirby Corporation. The good news is that the Juan Sebastian de Elcano is currently visiting Galveston. She is a magnificent 370’, 4-masted, schooner and the official training ship for the Spanis...

Good morning everyone. I sat in the door yard yesterday and watched the last of the geese heading south. The crew have departed and life is beginning to settle in to a winter routine (if you will call it that). This morning I leave for a very busy 10 days windjamming in Texas aboard the barque Elissa. The ship will be sailing to Corpus Christi with a stop in Port Aransas. To feel the roll of the ship under my feet will be pleasing, no doubt. But it is bittersweet. I will miss the two little cherubs upstairs asleep in their beds. And I will miss Jen. So be patient with the blog for next 10 days. I will do my best to send along the news. I will not have a camera so Jen will have to fill in the blanks and she will keep you informed of schooner doings here in Maine. It feels like we have scarcely had time to slow down since we stopped sailing and to be leaving this morning seems crazy. Such is the hectic pace of our lives but I wouldn't trade it for anything. While I am in...

Good Morning Everyone. Well they say everything is bigger in Texas and they aren't kidding, at least when it comes to sailboats. As regular followers know I am down here to sail aboard the 1877 barque Elissa. She is a beautiful three masted vessel with square sails on the forward 2 masts and a mizzen mast that looks similar to what you might see on a fore and aft rigged schooner. The staff and volunteers at the Texas Seaport Museum keep this piece of history alive and well. I am lucky enough to sail aboard her as one of her officers. Click here to learn more about Elissa and the Texas Seaport Museum . I will keep you posted on what we are doing here as time permits. Have a great day. Be Well. Do Good.