MaineSail_on_Penobscot

	Sailing. . . insights from those who've sailed the Penobscot
	Homepage Getting about Schooners Lighthouses Food News & Events Downeast > Bar Harbor > Blue Hill > Castine > Deer Isle > Eggemoggin Reach > Southwest Harbor > Mt. Desert Island Midcoast > Camden > Cushing > Damariscotta > Friendship > Port Clyde > Rockland > Rockport > Tenants Harbor > Wiscasset Islands > Islesboro > Matinicus > Monhegan > North Haven > Swan's Island > Vinalhaven Southcoast > Bath > Boothbay Harbor > Wiscasset		5 Days under sail on Penobscot Bay We've sailed Penobscot Bay five times, each for a week, over the last 10 years, and our most enjoyable trip was on a three-masted schooner that is now plying Caribbean waters; she was the 105-foot, steel-hulled Kathryn B. While the KB was luxurious, and taking aboard only 10 passengers, compared to the other schooners, the experience of the Penobscot Bay is much the same. So, here's our recollections. During her last years in Maine, the Kathryn B's home port was Belfast, and she was one of only two three-masted gaff-rigged schooners regularly sailing on Penobscot Bay. The other is the Victory Chimes, which sails out of Rockland. Her interior design makes the KB unique as well. The KB was designed for a special variety of sailor---one who wants the comforts of a B&B, the dining of a fine restaurant and the exhilaration of sailing the bay and fringes of the Atlantic. Some would say this is not "real" sailing, but your MaineObserver disagrees. There's no reason you have to be uncomfortable when you're at sea, unless you want to rough it or can't afford a bit of luxury. The KB is a special vessel to your MaineObserver because we first sailed the schooner during her maiden voyage. That was the stormy and sometimes foggy Fourth of July week 1996. [Note that was July, not August, which is why we believe this to be the best month for sailing on Penobscot Bay.] This year, your MaineObserver will be aboard the KB in mid-August---planned to capture the full moon! The Owner-Captain Gordon Baxter is the owners, and sometimes-skipper of the KB. Gordon has been sailing since he was a youth in Virginia, and has commercial experience mastering vessels in Europe, the Caribbean, Chesapeake Bay as well as the waters in and around the Gulf of Maine. In addition to his extensive sailing experience and 100-ton USCG license, Gordon [we don't remember him ever being called Captain Baxter] has the visage of a sea captain. His well-tanned, salt-air complexion, provides a landscape for his brushy mustache and intense eyes that always focused on the sea around him while under sail. At the Captain's Dinner on the last night out during the six-day sails, Gordon even dons his captain's uniform. Pretty spiffy, too. Other times he's a bit more casual in dress. The Vessel The Kathryn B is Gordon Baxter's own design, with the assistant of a naval architect in Florida. The KB began taking shape in Gordon's mind some years ago. After sailing in Europe and the Caribbean, Gordon and Kathy moved to Maine, spent a winter in snow-covered Camden and Gordon signed on as the captain of a luxurious motor launch sailing the bay in 1994. That helped provide the nest egg that would carry them through the construction phase of the KB Then, in 1995, the keel for the KB was laid in Florida, and she took shape that winter. In the spring of 1996, Gordon sailed her north to be finished with the classic excellence of New England carpentry and pottery craftsmanship used for bathroom fixtures and a small heating stove in the salon. A portion of the handsome aft deck and ship's wheel under an out-stretched Bimini sunshade are pictured at left. This stern photo by Gordon Baxter As a final product, the KB is a shining example of a well-thought-out design that accommodates a small group of passengers in relative luxury and at competitive costs to the consumer, while making a reasonable profit for the owners. It should be noted, however, that the KB's passenger rates are set at a premium over those of the traditional Penobscot Bay schooners, which characteristically carry 20 to 40, or more, passengers. The KB hosts 10 passengers in queen-bed cabins. When the boat was launched, the Baxters were filling a hoped-for but unproven market: the luxury schooner cruise sailor. The bet was that people wanted to sail Penobscot Bay on a classic sailing vessel of substantial dimensions, but also wanted private heads, electricity, fine dining and some amount of privacy. The bet paid off and the ship has been booked full or nearly full since her first season. The salon is both the dining sitting area, depending on the time of day. The galley is at the bow end of the salon, the upper left corner of the dining area photo at right. The ambiance is that of eating in a small, elegant inn with the chef providing a running commentary of every dish. A delightful combination. Port of Belfast The KB sails from a home port of Belfast, even though she hails from Hope, Maine, as her port of registry with the U.S. Coast Guard. [Since Hope in some miles inland from the coast, this has always seemed strange.] Rockland and Camden are the traditional centers of Maine's windjammer fleet in Maine, but rising costs in those locations are making Belfast an attractive nearby alternative. Day one: August fog on the bay Maine's Penobscot Bay is considered one of the world's finest sailing areas, and it is little wonder. We first plied these waters and snuggled into her harbors seven years ago. Several times every year since, we have returned. Each time, our heart if not our soul was given over even further to this unpredictable, uncontrollable siren. This Bay is both immediately abutted up to and instantly removed from the tawdriness of roadside tourism. Yet the Bay is beyond, above, removed from, ignorant of and indifferent to the landed ravages of commercialism, traffic and generalized tastelessness. This Bay and her endless shoreline have established their own definition of perfection and, with the help of human protectors, are able to maintain it. The schooner we sailed So far, we've spent three weeks - in one-week increments - aboard the Kathryn B, which was launched in 1995. [We actually sailed on her maiden cruise, and so new was she that carpenters were finishing joinery details hours before we set sail. The Kathryn B is a steel-hulled, ocean-going, three-masted, gaff-rigged topsail schooner outfitted with an engine. Achieving a sort of commercial schooner elegance, the KB accommodates 10 passengers in five cabin with queen-size bunks. Each has tiny writing desks and private heads with showers and serviceable sink that were individually crafted by Sheepscot River Potters in Wiscasset. [They also have a store, pictured here, in Kennebunkport. Skylights and dorades in cabins provide light and air. The KB has 110-volt outlets and hot water in cabins. The Kathryn B's length overall is 105 feet, with 80 feet on deck. Her beam is 19.1 feet and draft is 7.6 feet. With 63-foot masts, KB carries 3,000 square feet of sail. She can achieve 12 knots under sail and 8-10 under power. Of the dozen or so commercial cruise schooners currently sailing Penobscot Bay, the KB is newest at just over five years old. And she is the most luxuriously appointed. What to expect aboard a schooner Most of the schooners on the bay are restorations of commercial boats designed to hug the rocky cost of Maine and to haul inglorious cargo from fish and shellfish to granite slabs and coal. As those needs evaporated by over-fishing or more economical means of transport the commercial vessels that hauled them often were left to rot. Some, fortunately, we rescued and they now make up the Penobscot Bay schooner fleet. The Kathryn B, however, was designed by Capt. Gordon Baxter to do exactly what she is doing: Satisfy the upscale needs of a niche market that wants to sail with amount of space and privacy, eat well, experience some serious sailing while not have to do much of anything. Your Maine Observer considers it upscale roughing it. Despite its designed and comparative luxury, the Kathryn B has been worked hard. Unlike most of the other Penobscot Bay vessels, the KB is not allowed to rest during the winter months. KB, by contrast, is sailed to the southern Caribbean and worked throughout the winter. This continuous usage is beginning to show on her appointments such as seating and paint trim. Additionally, while the food on our three sailing on the KB has always been good---and we suspect substantially more elegant than on competing boats, it has risen to culinary heights only occasionally. This is always directly associated with the chef, and in our opinion the male chefs have been the best and with the least attitude. [Despite the limited number of passengers, 10 max, and crew, 3, the KB is still only80 feet long on deck, and that can be pretty tight quarter if everyone isn't of congenial temperament. A boat recognized around the world Unless things change in the 2001 season, only two three-masted schooners sail Penobscot Bay, and there aren't that many in the Caribbean either. That distinction, coupled with her distinctive lines and paint make the KB a standout vessel. Your Maine Observer was surprised on two occasions during the last year to find the KB well recognized in widely separated locations. One, a technology worker in central Connecticut had snapped a picture of the KB while she was sailing in the southern Caribbean---simply because she was a beautiful boat. A second encounter of recognition occurred while visiting an associate last November in Munich, Germany. She regularly sails with her husband in the Caribbean, and clearly remembered anchoring next to the KB last winter when the Penobscot Bay schooner was wintering among the island. Day two: Fog on the Fox Islands Thorofare We awoke in the quiet of fog in North Haven Harbor on the Fox Islands Thorofare that separates North Haven Island from Vinalhaven Island. The image above is actually of Vinalhaven, across the Thorofare from North Haven. At this point an itinerate outboard-driven skiff provides an occasional livery service between the two islands. The view at right was describe as "quintessential Maine," a term often derisively referred to during the week that vacillated between heavy mist, fog and cloudy to a finally of glorious sun and 17 knot winds. The dampness of the area readily nourishes seasonal plantings such as the lavender lovelies seen below. These were outside on of two shops featuring hand-woven textiles fashioned into garments and throws. So, even on a misty, foggy day there is cheer and. North Haven, unlike the mainland communities, is not covered up with galleries and gallery wannabes. A couple manage to survive from year to year, earning what they can during the relatively high-traffic summer months, then closing for the long winter when the population drop to a tenth of its summer number. North Haven Harbor began to clear around 11 am and we decided it was time to move on through the Thorofare toward the lovely and historic village of Castine. We soon caught up with the fog and going was slow, under power with sails down, a lookout on the bow sprint listening for channel markers and the sound of fog horns. Goose Rocks light was barely visible from 200 feet or so, but the sounds of aids to navigation and other boats eerily sounded in the unseen distance. Day three: A cowboy village for lobstermen This almost ethereal visage of Stonington harbor from a local tourist cafe paints a softer, subtler image of this town once dominated by the Granite trade and now sustained by similarly gritty lobstermen. Stonington is a true working lobster town as Camden is a working tourist tow. Obviously poles apart, and each with its unique character and, by some measures, charm. As crustacean fishing has replaced the quarry trade, so tourism is edging its way into the landscape, where chisel-faced fishermen still plod as tourists meander the main waterfront street. It is here at eateries like that pictured at right where the reality of lobstering at $4 a pound meets the reality presented tourists, lobster dinner for $25.95. The contrast is at a real lobster pound. At such institutions cheap stainless flatware is replaced with cheap plastic, but fingers are the primary implements. The pounds are readily identified by there more homey sign age--unlike the Cafe Atlantic Deck---that may include a commercial endorsement by a soft drink manufacturer. Regardless of their rough appearance ---thus lobster in the rough---they often have the freshest crustaceans, the lowest prices and sometimes even prime views. Lisa's south of Bath near the community of Five Island is just such a place. So why do we call it the "cowboy village"? Stonington is decidedly a working man's community. A couple of centuries ago it was fishing, the rock quarrying, then more fishing, now tourism. However, the community has never lost its fierce independence associated with New England lobstermen. These fearsome individuals make a hard-earned living off of the bottom of the sea almost regardless of weather. They are hard working and sometimes abrupt and gruff, and take a reckless pleasure in creating waves in an otherwise pristine harbor. Perhaps indicative of the attitude of the Stonington native fishermen is the Jolly Roger that flew over a bait barge anchored in the harbor for a number of years. It was gone during he summer of 2000, perhaps they are trying to change their image. Irrespective of the sometimes unpleasant attitude, Deer Isle on which Stonington is the largest community is a grand and beautiful piece of geography. It is deserving of your attention for as long as you can spare. Day four: Pristine Castine Maine's Penobscot Bay is considered one of the world's finest sailing areas, and it is little wonder. We first plied these waters and snuggled into her harbors eight years ago. The Michelin Guide to New England describes Casting stating "The first and lasting impression one has of Castine is of beautiful tree-lined streets and stately white homes." And so it is. Our own impression, however, is that Castine is clearly a destination. If you are there, you intended to arrive there or you are lost. It is at the end of the road at the end of a peninsula. This is quite unlike the situation with the Rocklands, Rockports and Camdens, which are located on heavily traveled highway and "benefit" from travelers going elsewhere, as well as those arriving to visit. The Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island area suffers from the same traffic malady. But, Castine remains largely pristine in its isolation. An annual pilgrimage Every year since our initial visit to Castine, we have returned. Each time, our heart if not our soul was given over even further to this unpredictable, uncontrollable siren. This Bay is both immediately abutted up to and instantly removed from the tawdriness of roadside tourism. Yet the Bay is beyond, above, removed from, ignorant of and indifferent to the landed ravages of commercialism, traffic and generalized tastelessness. This Bay and her endless shoreline have established their own definition of perfection and, with the help of human protectors, are able to maintain this natural perfection. Not always isolated Despite Castine's quite persona today, such was not always the case. For more than two centuries, from the early 1600 and into the 1800, Castine was the subject of considerable contention. With a up-river protected harbor, the community was first settled by Plymouth Pilgrims in 1629 and first known as Bagaduce. It remained under British control, but was renamed Fort Pentagoet. The French subsequently gained control and renamed the community in 1667 in honor of French Baron de St. Castine. Subsequent warring over the settlement passed claim to the Dutch and then back to the English. In 1763, the Treaty of the Peace of Paris passed ownership back to the British, but warring continued. Twenty years later a second treaty was signed in Paris, and the area on the Castine side of the St. Croix became part of the American colonies' territory. Today the Maine Maritime Academy [MMA] is located on a hill overlooking the town and its training flagship, the State of Maine, is anchored in the center of town. Day five: Calm Camden Harbor 7:30 a.m. in Camden Harbor with the fog resting at the base of the Camden Hills on the horizon. From Camden Harbor, back to Rockland. And the end of a grand week!