Sailing the Maine Coast-Camden Maine – Travel Essay

 www.sailmainecoast.com

 Visitors or potential visitors can get the needed info from the website.

 I want to tell you the highlights of my week. We sailed for a week in Penobscot bay in the summer of 1985.  This was our deferred honeymoon.  We sailed out of Rockport Maine aboard the Timberwind.  This was a schooner that carried twenty guests and had a crew of five.  We had a half day of light rain one day.  The rest of the time was fabulous weather. (Beware that the weather can be bad as well as good.)

 The crew cooked a fabulous turkey dinner aboard ship on a wood fired stove.  This was the best turkey dinner which I have ever eaten.  On occasion, we would go ashore to walk around an island.  We also had a lobster and clam meal.  The crew will do all the work if the guests do not want to get involved.  My favorite time was helping to work the ship.  In my observation, everyone wanted to help work the ship.

 Before I forget, these items are essential; gloves, motion sickness pills for the few who need it, books to read, sun block, dark glasses, warm clothes and two cameras.  I missed both of the best photos of the whole week!

1) The Timberwind flying through the very narrow opening to get into Pulpit Harbor.

 2)      The first mate on the Timberwind knew the second mate of the Spirit of Massachusetts and he knew the Spirit was in the area.  The Spirit was a training ship for some merchant marines.  We looked thru the binoculars and spotted the Spirit in the mist.  The original idea was that both ships would go into harbor around 5:00PM.  We changed our mind!!! We were going in opposite directions and the ships were closing fast.  The Spirit of Massachusetts was a huge and beautiful ship.  The captain ordered us to run up the flags and to prepare the cannon.  Yes the cannon damn it!!! We had a small cannon which made a HUGE noise.  We shot off a couple of rounds as a salute.  Shooting off the cannon and sending up the flags seemed to cause a huge chaos on the Spirit. The sailors were scurrying all over the deck with other sailors climbing up the rigging.  The spirit was now curving into line behind us.    The Spirit dumped some air so they wouldn’t run us over.  Both ships were leaning over quite a bit.  I could see right down the deck of the Timberwind and also the Spirit of Massachusetts with this huge ship 40 feet behind us.  I will always remember that sight! (That is why you need 2 cameras).