Discovering Maine's Rocky Coast: Portland Schooner Co,

By Maine Author, Jennifer Ellen Parker

001-The sun warmed our cheeks and glistened on the water as we waited dockside to board the Bagheera last week.  We had made the hour drive to Portland from South Berwick, Maine with great hope and anticipation that our first sailing excursion would be something we wouldn’t soon forget.  I found the directions on Portland Schooner Co’s website and smiled as I realized it was pretty much a straight shot from 295.  The girls were quiet and as we drove up 95 North with the windows down and the radio playing their favorite songs.  I took a deep breath, this was to be one of our first excursions together this summer and I wanted it to set the tone for the rest of the season of our “staycation” in Maine.

Photo by Jennifer Ellen Parker

We parked the car near the top of the garage.  We generously applied lotion outside of the car to our faces, arms, and legs and hurried down the stairs to find the ticket booth on the pier.  We spotted the tall masts of the schooners and quickened our steps even though we had arrived early.   The girls squeezed my hands and looked up at me with smiles decorating their faces.  Sailing had been something I had wanted to try since I was a little girl and used to listen to my Dad’s stories about sailing around the world.  We were welcomed by a woman with an incredibly warm personality at the ticket booth.   The girls asked if they could get a hat to keep the sun from their eyes on the boat.   I nodded yes and they moved to the back of the shed to pick out their colors.

As we waited to board the schooner from the eighteen hundreds, we were joined by a handful of other families waiting to set sail.  There were a lot of young children and the girls pulled in close to my legs, a little uncertain of what we were about to do.  We held hands as we made our way down the steep ramp and found our seats near the bow of the boat.  The salty air filled our senses and we sat back into our experience, Anna began taking pictures as we listened to the safety precautions.  The crew undid the ropes and the captain motored away from the dock.  When we were a safe distance away the captain gave the order for the massive canvas sails to be raised.  I can barely describe the quiet magnitude of the experience I shared with my two girls sailing for the first time.  As we cruised, I closed my eyes and tried to etch the moment into my heart knowing it was one I wouldn’t want to forget.    The crew was friendly, approachable, and capable.  Near the end of the sail, Nathan gathered some of the children near one of the masts and taught them how to make daisy chain lanyards.  Libby looked up at me excited, wanting to know if she could do the “craft” with her big sister Anna.  I nodded and she made her way over to the small group.  As the Bagheera docked and it was time for us to leave, the girls turned to me and asked if we could do it again.  I nodded one more time.  The sailing trip had been the perfect start to our summer vacation.

There’s something uniquely charming about discovering adventures in your own backyard.   We are looking forward to uncovering many more this summer in Maine and hope you will enjoy sharing them with us.