Maine Windjammer Cruise – Episode 779

Hear about a Maine Windjammer as the Amateur Traveler talks to travel writer Sharon Kurtz about her recent experience sailing the coast of Maine on the Lewis R. French.

Sharon says, “This is a tall ship in Maine along the coast that travels only by the winds. There is no motor at all on this cruise. I was invited by the Maine Windjammer association to take this one-week cruise with the Lewis R. French, the oldest Windjammer sailing vessel in America, and I jumped at the chance. It is a vacation experience unlike any you have probably had. You enjoy the beautiful scenery of Maine’s unspoiled coastline. It’s not your average cruise vacation. It’s more like camping on a boat anchored in the ocean.”

The Lewis R. French had 20 passengers. It is one of the smallest Windjammers in the fleet and it’s the oldest, it’s 150 years old this year. There are five crew members with the captain, cook, and 3 deckhands. 

Sharon sailed from Camden, Maine. The Maine Windjammer Association represents nine different historic schooners in Maine, and some depart from Camden and some depart from Rockland. They sailed all around Penobscot Bay. You’re always in view of the shore in its rocky shoreline and beautiful pristine waters and sea life and eagles. 

Because this is a sailing ship, there is not a specific itinerary since they are dependent on wind and weather. Each morning the captain looks at the winds and decides where the ships going to go. Sharon’s cruise sailed around Deer Island. At night they anchored  in secluded coves and harbors. Every evening they would travel by the little rowboat to the shore to explore that island. Sometimes it was a little village and sometimes it was a secluded island.

This is a different kind of Amateur Traveler episode and a different kind of cruise.

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Sponsors

This episode is sponsored by Skylight Frame which is an easy to use smart frame. Get it for mom for mother’s day and the whole family can keep it updated with new photos just by sending an email. Get $10 by going to skylightframe.com and using the code traveler.

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Show Notes

sharonkkurtz.com
Maine Windjammer Sailing Cruises
Camden Maine Vacation Guide
Deer Isle
Schooner Lewis R. French
Castine, Maine
Women Only Solo Travel
Camden Maine: Going Down to the Sea in a Schooner

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