Spring is right around the corner! (doesn't it look it!) The days are getting longer and the activity in the shop and the office are picking up, we've had a busy winter and are greatly looking forward to getting back to sailing on the bay again this summer.
The most recent news is that we have added online booking to our arsenal! So check out our schedule page on our website, so you can make sure you have a spot on any one of our upcoming adventures no matter the time or day! As always you can still call our office with any questions or to find just the right trip for you and your schedule.
We still have some early June and early July availability and there are even some spots on some of our specialty trips too!
With such an exciting season ahead, here are a few highlights planned for the coming months!
May
The season begins! Our 3-night trip right over Memorial Day weekend is the perfect time to get underway. Most of our 3-night trips land over weekends this year so it could be a bit easier to find a little time to come sailing.MM
June
The season starts to pick up steam with a new chance to learn lots of little known history of Penobscot Bay and our New England coast from our friend and long-time crew member Sam Collins on our 5-night Hidden History and Traces of the Past trip. We then meet up with the rest of our Windjammer Association fleet for our annual Schooner gam, a great chance to see us all together for the first time this year. We also have our incredible watercolor artist Carol Douglas back to show us more ways to capture the beauty in all our colorful coastal days, a superb way to learn new skills in a unique setting. We will then be returning to Boothbay Harbor for their annual early summer events: fireworks and a parade of sail are just a part of the warm welcome we receive every year.
July
As the summer sets in, it will see us battle our fellow fleet members with wit, good humor, and plenty of laughter during the last day of our 6-night Great Schooner Race trip to see who can get the best of the other with the help of our guests and "tactical" crew. We will then have a visit from our very talented friends Julia Lane and Fred Gosbee of Castlebay to bring the music of the Isles of Scotland and Ireland and many other Celtic creations from past, present, home and abroad that much closer. Next, we return to the Canadian Border on our 7-night Downeast Trip to see a cruising ground not many venture to with its stunning geography and incredible wildlife. We’ll especially keep a look out for the killer whale that was spotted down that way last summer.
August
As the pace of summer slows and the breezes follow suit, the sunny days and warm evenings make a truly unforgettable time to be out on the bay away from the hustle and bustle ashore. We will start the new month heading back to the Swans Island music festival, which is a 5-night trip this year. A chance to see music from all over brought to a coastal village, to genuinely explore a unique island community.
Another new addition to our schedule this year is our Hiking and Island Exploration trips. We have 2 of them this year a 4-night and a 5-night. A unique chance to spend a bit more time exploring some of the places in our cruising grounds that are almost impossible to get to without our lovely vessel, giving a bit more focus to the uninhabited islands and little known places in Penobscot Bay and beyond. Although, we will certainly not be able to resist a perfect sailing day on our way to a new destination, should one undoubtedly arise.
Then it is homeward bound as the Schooner, Capt. John and I head home to Gloucester for our 9-night Gloucester Schooner Festival trip. We will have some incredible offshore sailing, see if we can find some whales along the way, and Capt. Foss and I will try our best to bring the Esperanto Cup back with us once again.
September
The days become crisper and the nights cooler as the summer season winds down, a phenomenal time for some lively sailing as the trees begin to turn. We will gather again as a fleet for our 6-night Wooden Boat Sail In, one last chance to see us all together this year, as we fill the evening with fleet-wide fun and camaraderie. Carol Douglas is then back for another 4-night Watercolor Workshop, aimed at the colors of fall and capturing the turning of the seasons in all their glory.
October
The long evenings and brisk mornings amplify the comfort of cozy cabins and warm drinks. With the quiet admiration of the seasons as we watch our coastal home prepare for the coming winter. After last goodbyes we put our schooner to bed, with her cover on and everything neatly stowed away, we can begin the winter work to welcome everyone back again for the next year.
We have quite the busy year ahead of us, with much more in store than I could ever put to paper....or email rather.
If you look closely at our schedule, Captain Foss will be joining us for 5 trips this coming summer to continue to share his incredible knowledge and unfathomable experience with us all.
With such an exciting season ahead I am greatly looking forward to sharing it with every one of you. Please call our office with any questions or take a look at our website for more information and as always booking soon to get just the spot you wish is never a bad idea.
An all new ash shell for the mainsheet upper! After 8 coats of varnish it's certainly nice and shiny
The Nav. box is getting some attention too! All the varnish has been stripped off and the seams have been re-gooped with White Boat-Life now on to more varnish!
Do you see the theme of varnish yet?!
I do not call myself a painter or a varnisher by any stretch of the imagination but sometimes I surprise myself with a rare bought of triumph
We'll be starting on the Schooner in earnest this coming week and have a date on the railway later this month to get her all scrubbed, sanded, puttied, primed and painted ready for her 82nd season!
And Now For Something Completely Different
Photo Courtesy of Bob Trapani Jr.
Remember summer? Well we'll be there soon, Outward Bound and off to somewhere! Where? Who knows! There are hundreds of options and not a bad one in sight.
Photo Courtesy of: John D. Bonds
There is nothing quite like early morning aboard, the clinking and chopping as the galley prepares for the coming day with the smoke curling quietly out of the stove's stack. The deck crew will be up soon to wash the deck down scrubbed and unfurl the sails to get our floating home ready to head to our next destination.
What's for breakfast? Well it depends on the day! Our menu varies each trip to utilize the amazing local produce and products each unique part of our season has to offer. Fresh bread, chowders and stews to roasts and incredible deserts are staples, and we would never forget the lobster!
Crew's News
We'll be seeing Mr. Mate the Asher back again this season! He has spent the winter on the Harvey Gamage and is making his way back northwards up the coast as we speak, safe travels!
Photo Courtesy of: Kerry Pohlmeyer
Our incredible Chef extraordinaire Mathew will be back again this season, continuing to keep us all astounded with all of the galley's creations
A beautiful clear day heading up the bay, June can't come soon enough!
we have yet to run out of mainsheet...
The phone keeps jingling and as always Shary and now I are happy to answer any questions that may arise, either by phone, email or online!
