That is not to say you will be totally sedentary. There are enough activities and experiences that you will also feel as if you had done enough. Most people bring a book or two to read. Now with the ereaders, they can bring 10,000 books but very few actually finish reading the first book. There is just too much to do and see and hear to get engrossed in some bodice ripper novel. Even a gripping spy novel cannot compare to an island light house or an osprey nest that has been in continual use for 200 years.
I have heard some people squeal, “Eww, but I might get sea sick.” Wellsir, you might not. You are never on “the sea” and the waves in Pennobscot Bay are never as you sea waves on TV. When you watch Captain Jack Sparrow on TV, he is a fictional character on a fictional ship on a fictional ocean. Captain Doug and Captain Linda, of the schooner heritage, are real captains on a real boat on the real Penobscot Bay. Their one job is to see that you are safe and entertained in a Maine sea faring tradition.
Speaking of Capt. Doug, it would be worth the price of a voyage just to hear his stories. He is a master story teller and has a wealth of Maine stories that guests request over and over. His knowledge of Maine sailing and sailing in general is amazing. He gets asked to be a speaker in many of the “intellectual circles” and he, along with Linda, have authored books about Maine sailing. We are not talking amateurs here.
The schooner Heritage was designed and build by Doug and linda. I believe it is the only one there that was built as a passenger vessel. The others were converted from another purpose, so, this one is real. It has been upgraded several times and ha most of the amenities one finds in a hotel room, only with less space.
The schooner is 95 feet long with a boom extending on out past 100 feet. No one knows for sure, but it is thought the Mayflower, of Pilgrim fame, was only 113 feet long. The Mayflower had probably over 150 people on board for 66 days. Privacy was unheard of then. Now, you will have a private cabin with running water. A couple of cabins even have a private head. I personally think that is unnecessary.
Now for the best part. A trip to Tahiti would be ruined if the food was bad. Captain Linda oversees the galley and it is great. Don’t tell Doug I said this but I think her food is better than his stories. Now, get this, it is all cooked on a wood fired stove. Seriously! And furthermore, the food is abundant enough that sometimes you almost feel guilty have another blueberry dessert or maybe several more of... everything. And just so you want feel too peckish, there is a snack every midmorning and mid-afternoon. That snack is good enough to make most restaurant meals blush.
But to this old landlubber, the best of the best is the constant changing scenery. Seeing the coast of Maine and the huge variety of historic and beautiful things is mind boggling. Of course, when the mind gets too boggled, you can always talk for hours to your new friends or listen to Doug tell wonderful stories of ships, sailing and the historical places of where you are passing. Every evening you will stop in a different cove or harbour. There will always be some activity if you need something besides beauty to occupy your mind.
I could go on and on but I think you can discover for yourself what a wonderful experience this is by going to: http://www.schoonerheritage.com/index.html. Be sure to watch the Youtube showing, you will not regret it. But the greatest thing about our last two trips aboard the schooner?
Captain Doug let me man the wheel (steer) for about an hour and toward a definite destination!
