Early Booking Discounts!

Save 10%: Make your cruise reservation before February 1, 2012
Save 5%: Book after February 1 and before April 1, 2012
Confirm your reservation with deposit and pay in full prior to February 1 for 10%
or April 1 for 5% to qualify. We hope you can join us!
Space is limited, please call 1-800-282-9989 for more information.

2012 Sailing Schedule

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October Sun and Snow

October has been a crazy month. October 10th we were sailing with a warm breeze.... Oct 30th I was skiing on Ragged Mountain,  strange indeed. Since we covered up the vessel the crew has varnished and painted the spars to be ready for next season. We have also completed some work on the sides of the deckhouse that  needed some attention to make maintenance a little easier in the future. Systems have been drained and winter mooring prepared.  The vessel just isn't the same this time of year... it's too quiet.
       I have been able to sneak in a couple of afternoons fishing with the pooch; no luck, but will keep trying to land an elusive trout. Sunday the 30th bought 6-8" of snow at our house and over a foot at the summit of Ragged Mountain. I couldn't resist a fall ski tour. The snow was heavy, wet and fun. Good to be back on the skis. Halloween was also a chance for a sunny ski tour under bluebird sky, all treat, no trick. Looking out onto the bay from the Camden Hills is a spectacular sight!
       The weather has warmed up a bit since our winter event... back to some painting and maybe a little fishing.





New wainscoting on deckhouse sides





My fishing companion





First turns of the season

Wrap-Up for Fall

 A great ending to a great season! Our last two cruises were keepers,  from cool to hot, blustery to calm; we had a little of everything. Fall came roaring in on the heels of a Canadian cold front with gale force winds. We had a beautiful reach down the bay with staysail, reefed main and mizzen making a very comfortable 9-10 knots (eating salad for lunch was tough though). The Columbus Weekend cruise brought warm, westerly breezes with temperatures in the 80's, swimmers in the water and endless sunsets....unbelievable!

       With bittersweet emotions we arrived Monday in Angelique's berth, where she will stay for the winter. We started down-rigging after our guests departed. Topmasts were lowered to the deck Tuesday at coffee time, and the winter cover frame was started soon after. Angelique was covered by Wednesday afternoon, what a ride.... We pushed it a bit due to the forecast of the weather shutting in for multiple days. Some of the crew has taken off; those that stay will work a few days getting the booms and gaffs varnished and painted for next season.

       We put in a lot of miles this season, and had a lot of laughs. Thanks for joining us... If you haven't joined us I hope you do. It's fun!





Columbus Day Smiles





4:00 P.M. Columbus Day




It's a wrap...... Wednesday afternoon

A Bittersweet Time of Year

Can you believe that the end of the season is approaching? Seems like just last week we were putting the sails on.

Sailing has been good, lots of miles under the keel. Many lobsters have been consumed. We have been having a wonderful Indian summer.

We are looking forward to great stargazing this week due to the lack of a moon; should be awesome! A couple of more cruises to go to finish out the season.

It is indeed a bittersweet time of year.


Charlie sporting Obie's new bow puddin'

Autumn Is A Great Time To Get away

Join us for our Fall Foliage cruises, October 2-6 and October 6-10. The dazzling fall colors reflected on the bay is a spectacular sight!

Space is limited, please call 1-800-282-9989 for more information.

2011 Sailing Schedule

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Miles To Go...

I have said many times that one of the best things about Windjamming is meeting people from all walks of life. It is one of the things that keeps life interesting. Once in a while you meet a person who classifies as a "character", someone who thinks outside the box from time to time, walks at a different pace.

My friend Roger is one of those people who classifies. Roger is raising money for a scholarship fund at University of Vermont by running to UVM. The idea of running from Bethel, Maine to Burlington, Vermont -- a distance of 140 miles sounds -- daunting to me. Throw in the fact that Rodger is 72 makes the payback run truly unique.

Please check out www.paybackrun.com!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Whales, Meteors, and Lobsters!

We had a good end to the Swans Island cruise. We were sailing offshore between Great Spoon Island and Little Spoon Island, near Isle Au Haut, when we were treated to the sight of five or six Minke Whales. It was totally unexpected. Then the next night we had a lobster bake on Wreck Island, and the lobsters were mighty yummy!

Following the Swans Island cruise, we had a 3-day sail featuring the Perseid meteor shower. What a sight! The cruise was good, the days were beautiful, and folks had a good time. Angelique took the opportunity to pack a lot into the three days. We sailed to Buck’s Harbor, then to Pond Island off Cape Rosier where we had our lobster bake, and we ended up in Gilkey Harbor to round it out. The meteor showers were fantastic; if you got up when the moon set about 2 a.m., it was even better.

Now Angelique goes out on another 3-night getaway, a Full-Moon cruise -- there’s nothing like the full moon on Penobscot Bay. It’s lovely! No annoying light pollution, no noise or TV or anything but a loon’s cry ... it’s the best way to see the full moon!

Swans Island Music Cruise

Angelique is at the Swans Island Music Festival. We went Wednesday night to the festival; passengers walked up to see the first of three nights of musical acts. There’s a different collection of musicians each night! It was a lot of fun. We anchored about 3:30; three windjammers were there already. It is fun to experience this eclectic of music on a Maine island!

The Swans Island trip is also an impromptu knitting cruise put together by some favorite passengers, Meg and Kathy. There are about 15 knitters aboard! Meg and Kathy are there to help them out. Nothing like knitting to the beat!

Whale Watch Part 2!

Angelique’s cruise offshore was really good! There was a beautiful sky, and we had calm seas; couldn’t ask for a better day. We made our trip out to Mt. Desert Rock to look for whales and marine life, as well as seabirds. Mt. Desert Rock is now the marine mammal research station for the College of the Atlantic.

We spotted 4 or 5 well-behaved Finback whales, an awesome sight! We also saw a couple schools of white-sided dolphins, a half-dozen mola-mola’s (ocean sunfish), a few grey seals, and a Minke whale, and to top it off, we saw some shearwaters. For a while, we didn’t know which way to look because there was so much action; what a great day!

We had a fantastic sail back to Bass Harbor from “The Rock”, and lobsters on the beach really rounded out the week. This week we head out to Swans Island for the music festival! The fun never stops on Angelique!





Mola-Mola





Mt. Desert Rock ... a lonely place





Angelique anchored off Wreck Island

Save on August Cruises!

Join us to see Maine's Lighthouses, August 14-20 and save 10%. We are also offering 5% off on all 4 day cruises in August.

Space is limited, please call 1800-282-9989 for more information.

Whale & Seabird Cruise

Angelique is on a Whale & Seabird cruise, currently in Burnt Cove off of Swans Island. We’re sailing around Long Island today, and we hope the weather will be good tomorrow for sailing out 20 miles off-shore to to see if we can find some whales!

We’re hoping to see Minke, Humpback and Finback whales. They are such amazing mammals! The smallest of the three, and most abundant whale, is the Minke. Minke whales have a characteristic white band on each flipper, contrasting with its very dark gray top color. Minke whales are about 25 - 30 feet long and weigh about 6 - 8 tons.

Humpback whales are the next biggest of the three, about 52 feet long and weighing about 30 to 50 tons. That’s a lot of whale! They are the acrobats of the ocean, and they sing amazing songs. They breach high out of the ocean and sometimes twirl as they come back down. Male humpback whales are the most imaginative, noisiest of whales; they have long, varied, complex, eerie, and beautiful songs.

Finback whales are very large, about 78 feet long and weighing around 50 to 70 tons. To put it in perspective, they eat about 2 tons of food per day. But its great size doesn’t slow it down: the Finback whale is called “the greyhound of the sea”, capable of bursts of speed of up to 23 mph!

Besides the whales, we hope to see white-sided dolphins, huge grey seals - twice the size of harbor seals - and gannets, puffins and shearwaters. Cross your fingers! We’ll let you know what we found right here on the Angelique blog!

Windjammer Parade

The last four-day cruise was a keeper! It was the weekend they had the Windjammer Parade in Rockland, what a pretty sight! So great to see the many windjammers of Maine as they went by the Rockland Breakwater on Friday. They are all such pretty ships, especially Angelique!

We had a nice sail after the Windjammer Parade, back to Pulpit Harbor. There was an awesome sunset followed by a full moon rise. On Saturday evening we had a lobster bake on Wreck Island in Merchant's Row. Stephen set a new lobster consumption of 17!! Needless to say, he didn't have any pie for dessert.

We had some lively sailing on Sunday -- 9 knots to windward, not bad for the old girl! Monday's breeze was a surprise on our way home to Camden, 8 knots with only the lowers set; it was a warm northwest breeze. Lots of Happy Campers and smiles.

 It's a lot cooler on the water than on the mainland!




Making Time to Windward





Maggie Checkin' It Out





Some of the vessels milling around Rockland Breakwater during the Windjammer Parade

Lighthouse Cruise

Angelique had a wonderful lighthouse 4-day cruise last week! We had great weather for sailing and saw plenty of lighthouses! AND we ate all the lobster, which is saying a lot ... first time this season! Have to get more next trip! Here are some of the lighthouses we saw on the trip:







Curtis Island
At the entrance to Angelique's home, Camden harbor.





Rockland Harbor Light
Perched at the end of a half-mile breakwater made of big granite slabs, this light may look like it's floating on water!





Dice Head Light
We also stopped in Castine where folks walked to Dice Head Light get a closer look.





Mark Island Light
Built in 1858, it stands in Deer Island Thorofare, near Stonington.





Eagle Island Light
West of Deer Isle, this light was commissioned in 1838.





Pumpkin Island Light
In Eggemoggin Reach





Goose Rocks Light
"The Spark Plug" is located at the eastern entrance of the Fox Islands Thorofare.





Brown's Head Light
Located at the northwestern end of Vinalhaven Island, this light was established in 1832.





Owl's Head Light
At the entrance to Rockland Harbor, this station was established in 1825.





Indian Island Light
Built on Indian Island, just off the tip of Beauchamp Point in Rockport



The guests on this cruise were wonderful as usual! Everyone had a great time :)

Race Week!

Last week was race week. We woke Tuesday to blue sky and light winds. It was a beautiful sight in Smith Cove as the early morning sun shed light on the windjammer fleet.

The race was off to a slow start due to light winds ... was there any wind at all?? The southerly breeze finally filled in after lunch (having salad often helps bring up the wind). The race course had to be shortened a bit due to light air at the start.

We duked it out in the leeward class with the Heritage and the Nathanial Bowditch. We were fortunate to cross the starting line with little wind against the tide. Crossing the finish line we were first in our class. We will hang on to the trophy for a while, we will see what next year brings us. Every boat has it's day....





Crew With Race Trophy





Angelique dockside at Bucks Harbor Marine



Celebrating!

Photography & Naturalist Cruise

Angelique is having a wonderful sail! It's the Photogrophy and Naturalist cruise. Barbara Tomlinson is the naturalist on board, and she's helping with every sort of creature found as Angelique sails through Maine's wonderful waters, including osprey, eagles, porpoise, and seal pups. Neal Parent and his assistant George are busy helping photographers to get the best shots they can! They've been lucky to have all kinds of weather to photograph, including the elusive foggy mornings!

One of the most fun things to do, especially for photographers, is to go to Somes Sound, a body of water running deep into Mount Desert Island. It is often called "the only fjord on the East coast." Angelique made a stop at McGlathery Island for a luscious lobster bake! The island had a sandy beach, and it was a nice evening. Night found them in Somesville; it was a wonderful day.

Then they went to Stonington for a little shopping. Stonington was named for the granite quarries that were so famous in its history. It's a cute town and has lovely shops!

The sailing has been really good. In the narrows by Swan's Island is the Orono Island passage, a pretty spot to sail in. Usually Angeligue doesn't get a chance to sail through there, but this summer the tide and wind were right, and they got a pretty little sail from east to west right through! It was a fun time!

What a Great Trip!

Angelique had a great 6-night sailing adventure last week! It was a Road Scholar trip, and they had a naturalist, Barbara Tomlinson, and maritime historian, Bud Warren aboard. The saw lots of wildlife, including eagles, ospreys, loons, and baby seals, and they saw the first harbor porpoises of the year. That was fun! Barbara is also a remarkable falconer, and she showed her red tailed hawk at the end of the trip. Bud regaled the passengers with history about the local fishing industry, and tales of early settlers in the Castine area, as well the Penobscot Expedition and shipbuilding. In addition, there was a sail training component, so everyone was very busy!

It was a nice trip, with good breezes. There were two days of really great sailing, and the rest of the trip was spent ghosting along. Sarah made a yummy pork tenderloin that was excellent, with just the right combination of garlic and herbs, and she made a very special sauteed carrot dish which may soon be shared on the blog! The whole crew is working hard and doing a good job. And next week's Photography and Naturalist cruise promises to be very fun as well!




Barbara with Red Tail Hawk        (Photo credit Louis Levine)





Lobsters on the beach      (Photo credit Louis Levin)

Wildlife Cruise!

Angelique had such a great Wildlife Cruise last week! They saw some seal pups on the ledges as they sailed by, and they were very cute indeed. Then, the major sight of the cruise was at Holbrook Nature Sanctuary, when their eyes were greeted to the scene of a one-year old black bear! He was on a sand bar on the beach. How cool is that!! Holbrook Nature Sanctuary really is a little bit of Maine ... a lot of people in Maine never even get to see a black bear, but Angelique passengers did!

About a dozen bald eagles made an appearance over the four-night sail, as well as eider ducks and guillemots. It was really breezy. They didn't set the topsails for two days!

The food was excellent ... Sarah made a white bean chili with some Italian sausage in it that was to die for. And the strawberry-rhubarb pie, made with rhubarb that Lynne grew right at home in her garden, was lip-smackin' delicious! The wildlife cruise was a lot of fun, but it will be interesting to see what things the next trip brings. They have a special group on board, with a naturalist and a marine historian!




Sarah looks through the galley porthole!





This is really high up!!





Shot of the deck while under way.





Interesting sights you'll see on Angelique!

Angelique Sails Again!

The last few days of fitting out went off without a hitch, as the crew finished up painting, and then they put the sails on. Angelique was ready to sail again!

The first trip was for a Boy Scout Troop from Londonderry, NH. It was a Memorial Day weekend trip for 3 nights, Friday through Monday. It was a lot of fun! The boys had a beach cookout with hot dogs and hamburgers on Saturday. Then on Sunday they went to Rockland to play frisbee in the park. They helped out a lot and it was a good shake down cruise!

Angelique is just finishing a 4 night Wildlife cruise, which should be awesome! Seal pups are born in May, so this is the perfect time to spot them learning to swim or fish. They are too cute!

Cruising is a pleasure on Angelique. This year made a seamless transition from last year, everything is running as smooth as silk, the sails went up smoothly and Sarah rang the breakfast bell at 8 o'clock, right on time. It's good to have so many returning crew members! The weather has been perfect, and it is going to be a great season to sail!




Painting





Andrew, Caleb and Maggie working on Main sail.





Maggie and Caleb

The Cover Is Off!

Angelique has the cover off! Now we can get a lot more work done which we couldn’t do with the cover on. The crew has been busily prepping and painting the topsides green, and the waist and bowsprit cream; they’ve been varnishing the rails and other bright work on board! The spars (booms and gaffs) are now off the deck and hung in their proper place, and some other rigging was done.

Now that the cover is off, the crew and Angelique are truly more weather sensitive, they are both at the mercy of Mother Nature! On the rainy days, Sarah and Maggie worked at the shop painting Cappy, the seine boat, and they finished up other shop paint jobs like the ice chest and oars.

Stephen, Will and Andrew took to painting and varnishing below Angelique’s decks … they also went below the floorboards to paint and clean the bilges. They deserve a special treat for that!


Seasoned sailing guests and engineers Scott and Rick came up from New Hampshire to help out for a few days, a tradition for quite a few years now. What better place for a couple of engineers to come and tinker! Scott and Rick overhauled many of Angelique's blocks, and they cleaned and greased the pins and reattached copper plates for the keeper pin. They also fixed a couple of fresh water plumbing challenges that presented themselves at the end of the season. The fresh water system has been energized and there are no leaks! Thanks for all your help Rick and Scott!

And people ask what we do when we’re not sailing ...

Unwrapped for the season!

Andrew and Sarah removing the framing.

Scott and Rick checking the windlass.

Trivia Question!

Question: In the above picture, Obie bears a plaque that says “T/T Angelique”. What does that mean?
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Answer: The T/T Angelique means “Tender To” Angelique. A “tender” is a type of small dingy or launch that is used to transfer equipment or personnel to and from a larger vessel. Now you know!

Almost Done Painting!

This was the week the Angelique crew finish painting, putting enamel on all the exposed surfaces to protect them and to make them look pretty! The few rainy days we had this week, the crew worked in the shop painting the deck boxes -- any boxes on deck that can be removed, like the ice chest -- and also the swing spreaders on top of the mast that hold the guide wires.

Also, they worked on the seats of the row boat you all know and love. Did you know that this boat is named for “Cappy” Erwin Quinn of Eagle Island? He built it with Orville Young of Lincolville when he was living in Camden at the time, about 1975. Cappy’s Restaurant is named for him. Amazing what you learn in the Angelique blog!

Finishing touches were also completed "Obie", Angelique's small inboard launch. Obie is used to help handle lines and give Angelique a nudge out of Angelique's berth in Camden Harbor. Obie was built as a launch for a large schooner yacht in 1936. She is now powered by a 2 cylinder 15 hp Yanmar diesel. Obie is a very handy boat.

The painting on deck will be done by the end of the week. Angelique is getting ready for the season! Are you ready to sail yet??

Maggie prepping the Head doors

Stephen

Obie ready to be rolled out of the shop

The crew hard at work....

The Shop is a busy place on rainy days

Swing spreaders, deck boxes, doors and boats...everywhere!