windjammer off the coast of maine
 

Anybody ever done one of these boats? What boat did you go on and did you like it? Any comments would be appreciated.

There was a posting from this summer--quite a wonderful one--by someone who did exactly this. Have you tried the Search thing?

My husband and I took a cruise this past July on a windjammer out of Camden, Maine and we absoloutely loved it! We sailed on the Grace Bailey, which we liked very much. It was built in 1882 as a cargo ship, has had it's cargo holds retrofitted with cabins, and is a registered national historic landmark. It's 123 feet long and can carry 29 passengers. One caveat - the accomodations are fairly rustic; our cabin was very cramped, but you don't really spend any time in your cabin except to sleep (and I slept out on deck one night under the stars - delightful!). It is by no means luxurious, but rather more like camping, except without the dirt. I was reading about the windjammer fleet, and some of the other ships were built more recently specifically for the passenger trade; I imagine their cabins may be a bit more commodious. Even so, we loved the Grace Bailey, and the fact that it was an authentic old schooner . The captain and crew were terrific - friendly and helpful - especially Captain Carey, who entertained us constantly with interesting stories and bits of lore, and you could tell he really loves his job skippering the boat. The food was quite good and very plentiful, all cooked on a wood stove in the galley. The other passengers were great, too, and we really got to know them well by the end of the trip. <BR> <BR>Penobscot Bay is incredibly beautiful, full of hundreds of islands, large and small, many with lighthouses. We had each brought several books along, thinking we'd catch up on our reading, but we never opened a single one - we just couldn't take our eyes off of the gorgeous, ever-changing scenery. And the stars at night were spectacular, since the sky is so dark there. One night we had a lobster bake on the beach of a deserted island, and sang around the campfire. Another night we attended a concert by a 30 member steel drum band in Buck Harbor. The crew regaled us frequently with sea chanties while they worked. Passengers are encouraged to help out, too, and, in fact, it takes quite a few of them to help raise and lower the sails. They can also steer the boat if they like (with supervision from the captain). I had such a great time that I was practically in tears when we came back into port and had to disembark - I did not want to get off the ship! <BR> <BR>The Grace Bailey has a web site at &lt;mainewindjammercruises.com&gt; where you can get lots of information about windjammer cruises. If you're up for a little adventure and don't mind roughing it a little, you'll probably really enjoy cruising on a windjammer.

Thank you so much Sara and Mike. That is just the kind of info I was looking for. Will check out that website. Can`t wait to go, only it isn`t until next summer. My sister lives in Boston, so it should be easy. Then we are off for a walking trip in the southern part of England with HF Holidays, and then on to see cousin in Provence. All on a frequent flyer ticket. Hope this country has settled down by then. Sara, what month did you go? Did you overnight in Camden? I have heard about the black flies. Are they a problem in June? Thanks again.

We sailed on the Angelique, which is one of the newer ships built to carry passenagers. Everything reported here is true. Delightful scenery. Wonderful and plentiful food. Great lobster bake on a deserted island. A great trip. <BR> <BR>However, it's important to realize that rustic may be too kind a description. The cabins are very, very small. No soundproofing at all. No storage. Shared bathrooms. <BR> <BR>Unfortunately, one of the passengers who shared a bathroom with the other three cabins in our section of the boat had stomach problems during the trip. Believe me when I tell you that everyone knew about them and talked about them. We also had a snorer in our section, which is another whole story. <BR> <BR>In other words, understand what you are getting into and you'll enjoy it. Just be ready to adapt and be flexible and good humored!