Sailing Vacations
A Maine Windjammer

Good morning everyone. Sub-zero temperatures have continued this past week but the sun’s warmth can be felt coming back. I noticed it sitting by the window and seeing how quickly the temperature jumped back up into the teens yesterday. Ice covered the entire inner harbor yesterday but it won’t last long. This week we celebrated Mary birthdays and I mean both Marys. Friday was world famous cook Mary’s birthday and Wednesday was the anniversary of Mary Day’s launching in 1962, an equally bitter cold day with snow. Built of hardy New England stock Mary Day Hawkins was there to christen her namesake in a beautiful dress and heels. I wanted to share a little trip down windjammer memory lane. I have always contended that no history is complete without a look through the eyes of those who make the history happen in the first place. These photos were shared with us this summer by guest Bill Young. They were taken in July of 1977. When compared to Mary Day today many changes can be seen ...

Good morning everyone. It has been a tad on the chilly side here. Our southern correspondents tell us that below freezing temperatures have been noticed as far south as Alabama. As you can see from Jim Dugan’s photograph the harbor froze over… literally overnight. Salt water freezes at just a little over 28 degrees, depending on the salinity of course, and the top 4-6 feet of Camden Harbor up near our berth is brackish meaning that the salinity is greatly reduced by the outflow of the waterfall. The day before this picture was taken there was no ice to speak when I walked down the beach to get aboard the schooner. I remember standing on the shore looking over at the schooners and marveling at how ice-free the harbor was. The stiff northwest wind and the waterfall stirred the harbor enough to keep things open but as soon as the cold Arctic air came in behind and the wind stopped blowing the stage was set for ice. The air temperature was 12 below zero both Friday and Saturday morning. ...

Good morning everyone. Another 6” of snow fell this weekend and we took a few hours to enjoy the wonders of winter here in New England skiing in the woods. The full Wolf Moon on Saturday causing astronomical high tides plus a 1’ tidal surge brought by the low pressure system meant we had tides over the bulkhead in Camden. At low tide just the opposite happens and the tides dip well below normal. I was able to step to the docks from the beach and get aboard the schooner on Friday after work and all was well. I had an interesting email this morning from a wonderful gentleman looking for a vacation to replace a now defunct “windjammer” sailing experience that formerly sailed in the Caribbean. He sent us a very humorous swashbuckling note, complete with colorful pirate party images, wondering if we might be able to fill the void, complete with canons and limbo parties and would the captain be leading the rumba line? I regretted to tell him that we probably did not offer the booty he was...

Good morning everyone and a Happy New Year to you all. Things have been busy as you might imagine with two small children, the Christmas holiday and school vacation (all 16 days of it!). The holiday season is always an emotional roller coaster around here. Seeing family and friends is, of course, the highlight of it all and the many cards we received from guests are so greatly appreciated. Now we are back to the grindstone. I am working at the local boat yard these days, a job I started just before Christmas. I am thankful to have winter work to bring the ends a little closer together. I am working with former Mary Day crewmember Brad and our fisherman friend Les to replace the stem structure in a very old motor yacht. That leaves Jen at home single handing the global headquarters for the schooner as well as the myriad family logistics. There are just not enough hours in the day which combined with the holidays should explain the absence of the blog. The New Year seems to be star...

Good morning everyone and a Merry Christmas to you all. Our Christmas celebration is a simple one. Last night friends stopped by and Sawyer read us Clement Moore’s “Night Before Christmas”. Today we will open a few gifts, some hand made and a few that bring food to the tables of others. We eat good food with appreciation for those who have made it possible, the farmers and fisherman, the good Earth and bountiful seas. The elves have been burning the midnite oil for weeks and will sleep well tonite in the wake of cherubs who could not sleep a wink last nite in restless anticipation of the arrival of the Big Man, Mr. Magic himself, the spirit of the day, St Nicholas. I am humbled by the magnitude of generosity, kindness, and compassion that is generated and magnified this time of year. Clearly the spirit lives in our children and in child-like hearts around the world. Whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year may your blessings be many and may your heart be filled with the spi...

Good morning everyone. The festival of Santa Lucia, patron saint of light, was this past Saturday, the 13th. This coincided with the largest tides of the year following the Full Cold Moon on Friday and the moon at perigee on the 12th. The range in Portland was a whopping 14.1’ on Saturday! The moon also happened to be riding high on Saturday well above the celestial equator. With just a little snow on the ground here in Appleton the full moon negates any need for a flashlight while walking to the barn to check the woodstove. All is bright and moon shadows through the trees tell me how clear the night is. Light is a precious commodity this time of year. Time to bulk up on the D vitamins to ward off the cabin fever. Winter has yet to begin and already we crave light on these darkest days of the year. We take great comfort from lights. My guess is that we are the only household in town that lights an outdoor tree all year long. I’ll put our string of LEDs up against a stark white 60...

Good morning everyone. The holiday season has arrived in Camden with snow and a chilly northwest wind. St Nicholas Day was Saturday the 6th and the patron saint of children arrived by boat in the harbor. He also visited our house Saturday night where the kids had left their shoes by the door. So much for sleeping in Sunday morning. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors. He is also the patron saint of some less savory characters but that paradoxical twist only gives credence to the saint who looks after those of us who chose to put to sea for a living. As the story goes, Nicholas was a sailor aboard a ship caught in a storm and his prayers for relief from the tempest were answered. After arriving at the island of Myra Nicholas went straight to the nearest church to give thanks. One church elder had a vision that a man named Nicholas would arrive that day to become the new bishop and despite his young age he fit the vision and well… tag, your it! Nicholas continued to inspire...