AARP Hearing Center
On a brilliant June morning, the Stephen Taber casts off from Windjammer Wharf in Rockland, Maine, a yawl boat nudging the engineless 68-foot schooner toward the open waters of Penobscot Bay. Passengers mill about on deck sipping coffee, chatting and watching the action. Some, like me, have cruised previously aboard a Maine windjammer; others are first-timers. We're set for a three-day cruise from Rockland. Wind and tide will determine our route.
"Look at this day!” one of my 22 fellow passengers exclaims, gesturing to the clear skies and calm waters.
"I think we won the lottery,” I reply.
She shoots back: “I'd rather win this lottery than a money one.” I nod in agreement. My husband, Tom, and I had driven 45 minutes from our home to join this cruise, the annual Schooner Gam, when vessels in the Maine Windjammer Association fleet come together for a night of music.
Experienced sailors consider these waters, framed by scalloped shorelines and granite-girdled fingers and salted with spruce-fringed islands and craggy islets, among the world's great cruising grounds. Add winking lighthouses, clanging bell buoys, shrieking seabirds and the hum of lobster boats to-ing and fro-ing, and the result for passengers is an immersion into the real Maine.
The state's windjammers (sailing ships with multiple masts) vary from National Historic Register-listed vessels like the Taber to purpose-built or masterfully restored schooners with contemporary amenities. You can find day-tripping windjammers all along Maine's Coast, but most offering multiday sails are based in Penobscot Bay, which notches Maine's mid coast, about 3.5 hours northeast of Boston.
These longer three- to 10-day windjammer cruises embark late May to mid October, and you can find all kinds, including themed cruises focused on knitting, wine tasting or seafood. Rates, including meals, cabin and onboard adventures, begin around $600 per person, per cruise. Some windjammers offer solo cabins at the same rate; others charge a fee; and some will help pair same-sex solo travelers in a twin cabin. We didn't plan well in advance, so our trip cost $698 each. We could have saved 5% with an early-bird discount. Additional costs include a $20 parking fee, for those arriving by car, and a recommended 10 percent crew gratuity.
