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Maine Windjammers

The Nathaniel Bowditch at anchor. Photo by Clark Norton

The Nathaniel Bowditch at anchor. Photo by Clark Norton

There’s something about being out on an historic Maine windjammer on quiet Penobscot Bay on a beautiful fall day to help you forget all the stuff that’s going on elsewhere in the country and the world.

That’s where my wife, Catharine, and I were the last weekend of September: aboard the two-masted, gaff-rigged topsail schooner Nathaniel Bowditch, in the company of nine other passengers and five crew members, including Captain Owen Dorr, who along with his wife, Cathie, has owned the ship for ten years.

First built as a private racing ship in 1922, the Bowditch later saw action as a coastal patrol boat in World War II, and subsequently served as a fishing vessel before finally being outfitted as a passenger ship.

It now holds up to 24 passengers, though with that many aboard the sleeping accommodations and eating… Continue reading

Lobster bake during the windjammer cruise -- 25 lobsters for 11 passengers. Photo by Clark Norton

Lobster bake during the windjammer cruise — 25 lobsters for 11 passengers. Photo by Clark Norton

 

Quick: When you think of Maine, what image pops to mind first? Chances are it’s lobster.

Is there any other state so identified with one kind of food — or so dependent for its economy on one? Vermont and maple syrup, perhaps, or Florida and oranges — except that Florida has a much more diversified economy.

On a recent trip to Maine for a windjammer cruise aboard the historic Nathaniel Bowditch sailing ship — which I’ll be writing about in subsequent posts — I was struck by the thousands of lobster traps floating in Penobscot Bay off the town of Rockland, where our cruise took place.

Lobsters love the Maine coast as much as Maine loves lobsters, at least until they get caught. Maine has the ideal environment for lobsters to thrive —… Continue reading

The Isaac H. Evans sails the Maine coast. Photo from Maine Windjammer Association

The Isaac H. Evans sails the Maine coast. Photo from Maine Windjammer Association

Brenda Thomas, the hard-working but fun-loving captain of the historic Maine Windjammer Isaac H. Evans, may or may not think of herself as a travel marketer, but she’s a good one.

During the Evans’ four-month annual summer season, when it plies the Maine coast and scenic Penobscot Bay — anchoring in secluded coves, visiting small islands and offering views of lighthouses and marine life — Thomas offers a number of specialty cruises that seem tailor-made for baby boomers.

Chocolate Lovers Cruise? Check.

Knitting Cruise? Check.

Lighthouse cruise? Check.

Perseid Meteor Shower cruise? Check.

Puffin Cruise? Check.

“Old Salts” cruise? Well, maybe “Older Than We Once Were Salts” cruise. Check.

Music Cruise With Hank Cramer? I have no idea who Hank Cramer is, but what the heck…check.

Lobster Festival? Double check.

Even Thomas’ swashbuckling Pirate Adventure cruises… Continue reading

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According to government and private surveys:

  • Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
  • Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
  • Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
  • When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.

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