This past August we left Belfast, Maine for a short sail to Carver’s Harbor on Vinalhaven. The trip was about 20 miles down Penobscot bay past the ports of Camden and Rockland. Slowly we realized that in every direction we looked we saw another schooner under sail. Most seemed to be heading from the mainland ports toward the many islands and anchorages of one of Maine’s best cruising grounds.
There are more than a dozen schooners in the Windjammer Fleet sailing out of Camden and Rockland on multi-day adventure cruises. The vessels vary in age, accommodations, and amenities. The oldest in the fleet is the Lewis R French. Launched in 1871, the French is a National Historic Landmark. Another amazing member of the fleet is the Ladona. Although the Ladona was launched in 1922, she recently went through a total restoration requiring over 2 years to complete. She now has some of the most attractive cabins found in a boat of this type.
The Windjammer charter fleet is not the only place to find these beautiful schooners still hard at work. A number of capable ships are being used as educational venues. While in Belfast we anchored beside the Spirit of South Carolina a school ship out of Charleston, SC. Another school ship, the Corwith Cramer was undergoing a refit in the Belfast Front Street Shipyard.
The schooners of the Maine are certainly a special part of Maine cruising. I am not sure there is any place else in the country where so many of these vessels are hard at work. These vessels are not museum exhibits. They are sailing hard and earning their keep!
