Berth of the Cool Blog - A Maine Windjammer Journal

	May 8, 2008 Spring Fit-Out: Captains Incorrigible Sure, the work has to be done, but just try to predict how a schooner will weather the winter year after year.... Read more » Posted on Thursday, May 8, 2008 in Berth of Cool \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

	April 30, 2008 The Newcomers: Getting the Job Before spring fit-out can begin, captains of the Maine Windjammer Association must select deckhands — and sort the good greens from the pack. Read more » Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 in Berth of Cool \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

	April 24, 2008 The Newcomers: Living Aboard During Spring Fit-Out Schooners can be a little chilly and below can be dark when the boats are still wrapped in winter plastic. All the same, some schooner bums are happy to call the schooners home during spring fit-out. Read more » Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 in Berth of Cool \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

	April 21, 2008 The Newcomers: The Schooner Sisters are Married to the Sea Seasoned sailors, the Schooner Sisters join the Maine Windjammer Fleet for the 2008 season and some "greens" from Kansas from the mid-west take a crash course in "Schooner." Read more » Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 in Berth of Cool \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

	April 18, 2008 Bookworm Turns Boatswain A Maine Sailing Odyssey Begins While the rest of us sweat in stuffy cubicles, schooner bums live a life that, for many people, is the ideal vacation. Is it as fun as it sounds? Is a steady salary, health care, and a 401K adequate compensation for a life not lived? I'll find out this summer... Read more » Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 in Berth of Cool \| Permalink \| Comments (0)

There are twelve traditional tall ships in the Maine Windjammer Association; this summer I'm sailing on all of them.

For many, a windjammer vacation represents the perfect Maine getaway. Each day is filled with the sights that have become shorthand for Vacationland: lighthouses, lobster pots, and loons.

But life at sea isn’t pure leisure for everyone. To keep these antique vessels shipshape, the men and women who sail them must first endure a season of hard labor during spring fit-out. Then, in summer, these schooner bums will work long days at the helm or in the galley, only to bed down for a short night’s sleep in a humble crew berth.

Over the next six and a half months, I’ll learn what makes these trips so special for the passengers, but I’ll also find out what it is about the cool waters of Penobscot Bay that keep these schooner bums coming back for more.

Ben McCanna is a freelance writer, editor, and videographer. He lives in Rockland.

Sailor Lingo

A glossary of nautical terminology

A companion guide to Berth of the Cool, a Windjammer Journal

berth— a place to sleep on a ship.
bow— the front end of the ship.
bowsprit — a large spar that projects from the bow of the ship.
cabin sole— belowdecks flooring. The sole can be removed to expose the bilge.
coastal navigation— using two or more shoreline landmarks to chart the ship's location.
companionway— a doorway and stairs leading from the deck to below.
crew berths— bunks in the bow of the vessel. These are typically quite small.
downwind run— sailing with the wind directly astern.
fisherman anchor (yachtsman's anchor)— a type of anchor. Fisheman anchors are more traditional in design and used primarily for heavy-duty applications.
fit-out— spring maintenance of a ship. Includes painting, varnishing, replacing planks, re-caulking seams, rigging, and bending-on sails.
foresail— the sail attached to the forward mast of a two-masted ship.
haul-out — towing the boat out of the water so hull work can be done.
holding tank — tank that holds either freshwater, wastewater, or, in some cases, fuel.
hook— anchor.
mainsail— the sail attached to the mainmast (aft mast) of a two-masted ship.
ratlines— ropes that form a ladder leading from the side of the boat to the top of the mast.
"reading from both pages"— idiom for sailing "wing and wing." When sailing on a downwind run, the foresail is "wung out" such that it is trimmed on the opposite side of the mainsail. From the helm, the two sails resemble pages of an open book, hence "reading from both pages."
rigging — (noun) ropes or cables that are broken into two general categories: 1. standing rigging supports masts; 2. running rigging allows crew to hoist or trim sails. (verb) Setting ropes, cables, spars, and masts into place.
schooner— typically a two-masted ship where the mainmast (aft mast) is taller than the foremast.
spar — a hefty length of rounded wood that serves to support rigging
stern— the rear end of the boat.
topsail— a sail that is set above the foresail on a schooner- or square-rigged vessel.
trimming sail— adjusting the position of the sail for the best presentation to the wind.