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

"Tall Ship Pride" the Maine Windjammer Project

"Tall Ship Pride" By Doug Mills

Tall ship Pride of Baltimore takes a birth next to Nathaniel Bowditch and J&E Riggin in Rockland Maine.[09-19-2013]

www.shootmainestudios.com

Story Sponsor

www.shootmainestudios.com

"Day Of The Sail" The Maine Windjammer Project

"Day Of The Sail" By Doug Mills

The Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse in the day of the sail.[07-06-2012]

www.mainewindjammerproject.com

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

"At Anchor" The Maine Windjammer Project

"At Anchor" By Doug Mills

J&E Riggin and Angelique at anchor in Rockland harbor.

www.mainewindjammerproject.com

The Best of 2012: The First Tall Ship Photo Safari of 2012

The sky was overcast with golden sunlight filtering around the edges of the clouds, as we arrived at the old lighthouse, the same lighthouse were my grandfather served as keeper 100 years ago. The wind is causing the waves to break on the breakwater sending salt spray into the morning air.

Out of the distance comes the schooner J & E Riggin, built in 1927 as a oyster dredger, she has been sailing the cold blue Atlantic for 85 years. One quickly looses a sense of time and place in the presence of these historic boats that have sailed out of the past. However, they are just as much at home in the 21^st century as they were in the 19^th and 20^th. Carried on the wind she glides past with almost no sound at all, like a ghost ship.

About a half an hour latter American Eagle and Heritage arrive together. What a sight to see these two majestic ships race to the harbors entrance. In her younger days American Eagle would race for the harbors entrance with a load of fish caught on the Grand Banks. It was the fastest boats that would get their harvest from the sea to the market first while the price was at it's highest. It is estimated that she brought over 40,000,000 pounds of fish during her fishing career!

The last ship of the day is Heritage. Heritage is the perfect combination of grace and beauty. Heritage is the newest ship in the fleet. She was designed, built and sailed by Captain Doug Lee. A new boat with very old blood lines.

All too soon it is time to return to my world of computers and cell phones. But I will return to the old lighthouse in Rockland harbor next week. I will be leading another Tall Ship Photo Safari on Saturday June 23^rd

J&E Riggin

J&E Riggin passing Owls Head.

American Eagle

Heritage

American Eagle and Heritage race into Rockland Harbor.

Heritage in the wind.

In Rockland harbor.

The great windship Heritage.

December Snow Gallery

The RCN news van nearly buried in the new snow.

Heavy snow blankets the Mid-Coast of Maine.

Snow Train.

Main street is nearly deserted.

A man with plenty of work to do.

A good day to stay home by the fireplace.

Holiday snow.

On a snowy Sunday morning.

Windjammer Warf

Maine windjammers at their winter dock in Lermond Cove.

Rockland's working harbor on a cold winter's day.

J&E Riggin at her winter dock.

A long winters nap.

Best wishes from the RCN America Network for a wonderful New Year!