BEST OF 2013: The Great Schooner Race of 2013

Angelique and Mary Day fly past the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse

Doug Mills

Maritime Editor

RCN America Network

Penobscot Bay Maine-Last night seems like a dream. Standing on deck watching as the historic tall ships of the Maine windjammer fleet sail into the small harbor on Islesboro Island Maine.

Today is The Great Schooner Race. The Maine Windjammer Association has sponsored this race every year since 1977. I am very excited and head up on deck very early. The site that I find is nearly impossible for me to convey with words. The morning sun is just climbing over the horizon. The water is like a blue mirror. The air is still and cool. All around our anchorage are historic ships ranging in age from about 30 years to 143 years old with the new morning sun and perfect reflections in the cool blue water.

By 8AM the captains have started to arrive for the prerace meeting. The days race course is laid out and and the start times for the various classed of ship have been established. After a group shot of all the captains it is time for them to return to their individual ships and make ready for the start of the race.

The captains of the historic Maine windjammer fleet.

The Great Schooner Race is the largest annual gatherings of tall ships in north America and one of the only tall ship events in the world where passengers are onboard and encouraged to take part in the setting of the sails and the working of the ship. Some of these vessels in the past were used to haul stone, lumber and freight, others in the fishing trades. They were built to create income for their owners with an expected lifespan of 5-15 years. Today these proud ships are still working generating income for their owners, only now the cargo loads and unloads itself.

The race start.

At 10:20 the 10 minute warning canon fires amidst a flurry of clanging anchor chains and ships making ready to get underway. 10:25 the 5 minute warning sounds as all the boats move toward the start line. With the roar of the start canon the first boats move across the start line and The Great Schooner Race is underway! Before long Penobscot Bay is filled with the sails of schooners making their way upwind to Rockland. Today this is an amazing sight, but, 100 years ago this was just business as usual. So commonplace that the history books barely make mention of the schooner. It was nothing more than the tractor trailer of it's time delivering everything from lumber and granite to your great grandfathers new Sunday suit.

By mid afternoon we round the ledge and make for Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse with a stiff wind. The old Victory Chimes healed over in the wind and flying across the bay, the rest of the fleet in close pursuit. We reach the lighthouse along with most of the fleet to the cheers of the crowd of spectators who have gatherer to watch the end of the race. One after the other the ships fly into the harbor to make their turn around the marker in the middle of the harbor and head out again to the last mark and return like a flock of screaming eagles to the finish line at the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.

The final results are as follows:

Cutty Sark Award for overall winner:

Mary Day

Flying Jib Class:

Lazy Jack II (1st); Olad (2nd); Prudence (3rd)

Coasters Class:

Stephen Taber (1st); Grace Bailey (2nd); Lewis R. French (3rd)

Leeward Class:

Nathaniel Bowditch (1st); Angelique (2nd); Heritage (3rd)

Windward Class:

Mary Day (1st), American Eagle (2nd)

3-Masters Class:

Victory Chimes (1st!)

Frank Swift Award:

Isaac H. Evans

Boyd Guild Award:

J&E Riggin

The Great Schooner Race is over for this year and if you missed it you missed one of the most exciting events of the year. Not to worry, you can still experience the thrill of being on one of these ships next year and there is still room on many trips this summer.

For more information or to book your trip on one of these historic ships you can go to: http://sailmainecoast.com/ the Web site of the Maine Windjammer Association.

Maty Day overall winner!

Angelique