May 2008


<I>Spring Fit-Out</I> <BR> North End Shipyard

May 19, 2008

Spring Fit-Out
North End Shipyard

Living, Breathing History on the Shores of Rockland Harbor Read more »

Posted on Monday, May 19, 2008 in Berth of the Cool | Permalink | Comments (2)


<I>Spring Fit-Out:</I> <BR> Captains Incorrigible

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 the Cool | Permalink | Comments (0)


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About This Blog

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.

Berth of the Cool:
A Maine Windjammer Journal

A Pirate's Life on the Isaac H. Evans

Pirates roam on the Isaac H. Evans, part of the Maine Windjammer Association.

Views : 838 | Added: 2008-10-02

Videos in this channel

A Pirate's Life on the Isaac H. Evans

A Pirate's Life on the Isaac H. Evans

Pirates roam on the Isaac H. Evans, part of the Maine Windjammer Association.
Views :838
Added: 2008-10-02
Climbing the Head Rig, 101

Climbing the Head Rig, 101

Aboard the Angelique, a little tutorial for climbing the rigging.
Views :609
Added: 2008-09-18
Clearing Deer Isle-Sedgwick Bridge

Clearing Deer Isle-Sedgwick Bridge


Views :619
Added: 2008-09-18
Lewis R. French and a Memorable Sunset

Lewis R. French and a Memorable Sunset

Lewis R. French and a sunset over Lincolnville.
Views :11559
Added: 2008-08-25
Chantey on the <I>Heritage</I>

Chantey on the Heritage

Jan Czasak laments the passing age of sail.
Views :68525
Added: 2008-08-12
Motoring Through Casco Passage

Motoring Through Casco Passage

Aboard the Lewis R. French
Views :456
Added: 2008-08-26
Music on the <i>Heritage</I>

Music on the Heritage

Alex Hardt plays the blues.
Views :108
Added: 2008-08-12
A Close Race

A Close Race

Aboard the Lewis R. French for the Great Schooner Race.
Views :36
Added: 2008-08-26
Windjammer Days Parade

Windjammer Days Parade

The Heritage wows the crowd in Boothbay Harbor.
Views :77
Added: 2008-08-12
Passing the Southport Bridge Aboard <I>Heritage</I>

Passing the Southport Bridge Aboard Heritage

A smooth passage through Townsend Gut, courtesy of the swing bridge.
Views :62
Added: 2008-08-12
The Hokey Pokey Dance

The Hokey Pokey Dance

The Heritage crew shakes it all about for their lobster bake tradition.
Views :58
Added: 2008-08-12
Aboard the Mary Day

Aboard the Mary Day


Views :1814
Added: 2008-06-24
A Gam Aboard the Grace Bailey

A Gam Aboard the Grace Bailey

Cozying up to half the Maine Windjammer fleet's not a bad way to spend a day.
Views :29118
Added: 2008-07-23
Aboard the <I>Stephen Taber</>

Aboard the Stephen Taber

All hands on deck to crank the Stephen Taber's anchor and set sail....
Views :2974
Added: 2008-07-07
Aboard the <I>Mary Day:</I> The Thrown Bowline

Aboard the Mary Day: The Thrown Bowline

There's more than one way to tie a knot aboard the Mary Day.
Views :1505
Added: 2008-06-24
Aboard the Mary Day Day 1 - Beyond Row, Row, Row

Aboard the Mary Day Day 1 - Beyond Row, Row, Row

Windjammer passengers sing the darndest things...
Views :899
Added: 2008-06-24
Raising the sail on the <I>Mercantile</I>

Raising the sail on the Mercantile

The mechanics of a wind-powered windjammer can lead to ....winded deckhands on the first sail of the season.
Views :1262
Added: 2008-06-04
Hauling Out the Nathaniel Bowditch

Hauling Out the Nathaniel Bowditch

Before the sailing season begins, the Nathaniel Bowditch is hauled ashore for a fresh coat of paint. Read the entry here: www.downeast.com/Berth-of-Cool/May-2008/Spring-FIt-Out-North-End-Marine/
Views :3970
Added: 2008-05-16
<I>Mercantile</I> at Sail

Mercantile at Sail

Day 2 aboard the Mercantile: Passengers get their sea legs on a calm sail and settle in.
Views :1279
Added: 2008-06-04
Start of the Season: In with the docks, off with the plastic wrap

Start of the Season: In with the docks, off with the plastic wrap

It's the end of March and signs of activity aboard Maine's windjammer fleet are hard to ignore. It's like a chick cracking its shell: Another sailing season is about to be born.
Views :2033
Added: 2008-03-28
Whale Watching Aboard the Angelique

Whale Watching Aboard the Angelique

Humpback flukes in Penobscot Bay, oh my!
Views :1740
Added: 2008-09-15

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Sailor Lingo

A glossary of nautical terminology

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

  • about (coming about)— the process of turning the boat through the wind from one tack to another.
  • beating— sailing upwind on a series of tacks. (Also known as sailing close-hauled.)
  • 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.
  • close-hauled— sailing into the wind with the sails trimmed in as close as possible
  • 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.
  • following sea— waves that are moving in the same direction as the boat’s course.
  • forepeak— the forward-most portion of the deck.
  • foresail— the sail attached to the forward mast of a two-masted ship.
  • galley— a boat’s kitchen and belowdecks gathering place for passengers and crew
  • halyard— a line that hoists a sail.
  • haul-out — towing the boat out of the water so hull work can be done.
  • heeling— when the boat leans to one side from wind pressure
  • headsail— any number of sails that are forward of the foremast (includes the jib, staysail, and jib staysail)
  • holding tank — tank that holds either freshwater, wastewater, or, in some cases, fuel.
  • hook— anchor.
  • jib— the forward-most headsail.
  • jibe— the act of swinging the sails from one side of the boat to the other while sailing off the wind.
  • lee (in the lee of)— a flat calm area of sea where the wind has been buffeted of blocked by a large object such as an island
  • mainsail— the sail attached to the mainmast (aft mast) of a two-masted ship.
  • NOAA— National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A scientific agency that provides detailed forecasts on weather and sea states.
  • peak— the upper part of a four-sided sail that resembles a peak when full hoisted.
  • quarterdeck— aft portion of a tall ship (typically the upper deck). The helm is located here.
  • raft— a collection of two or more boats tied together at an anchorage or mooring
  • 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.
  • staysail— a headsail that is rigged directly forward of the foresail
  • spar — a hefty length of rounded wood that serves to support rigging
  • stern— the rear end of the boat.
  • tack— (noun) a leg of a journey in which there are no significant changes to the boat’s course or its sails. Once the course has been changed and the sails trimmed, a new tack has begun. (verb) Sailing a zigzag course to windward.
  • throat— the forward part of a four-sided sail; the part that is attached to the mast.
  • transom— the ship’s rear-most panel as viewed from behind. Stern describes the general rear-end portion of the ship, while transom describes this particular area. (Typically, a boat’s name is painted on the transom).
  • 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.
  • windlass— a winch that raises the anchor.
  • yawlboat— a small motorboat that’s used to push a tall ship during calms or anytime sailing in untenable (such as in tight harbors).