Boarding a great sailing ship in port is like taking a giant step back in time.  Life’s tempo changes the moment you set foot on the weathered deck and hear the sheets lightly tapping high in the rigging.  Serenity replaces stress as you listen to the quiet creaking of the wooden giant quiescent in a slightly undulating sea,  – but hoist the mast and point her into the wind, and that serenity becomes instant exhilaration as the mighty ship moves forward and the bow begins to plunge into the oncoming sea. 

That unique experience was familiar to countless sailors when the tall ships ruled the seven seas, –and now it’s yours to share by signing on for a cruise aboard a coastal schooner.

The idea for our trip started at a breakfast discussion with friends at a nearby seaside restaurant.  We all agreed that taking a holiday aboard a cruising schooner would be great fun.  We had heard of the Maine Windjammer Association, and found their website at www.sailmainecoast.com.  After some investigation, we decided a one-week cruise on the “Heritage,” one of the ships in the Windjammer Association’s 12-schooner fleet, would make a perfect holiday.

A few weeks later, we flew to Portland, Maine and rented a car for the two-hour drive to Rockland, the homeport for the Heritage. 

We arrived on Sunday evening, just in time to go aboard.  Ready for our six-day sea adventure, we grabbed our gear and carefully walked down the aluminum gangway to the waiting schooner.  We were greeted by Captain Doug Lee, just  as we threw our gear on deck. 

Life aboard a cruising schooner

After a brief discussion with Captain Doug, we were invited to follow a crewmember below to see our quarters.  We held fast to a shiny brass handrail and descending 15 steep and narrow steps to the cabin deck. 

The Heritage has space for 30 passengers, and a crew of 7.  She is an authentic coastal schooner built with the passenger, rather than the cargo in mind.  Consequently, she is on the high end of the cruising schooner ‘comfort’ scale.

Small round skylights installed in the main deck floor just above each guest cabin provides light in the daytime.  There are small electric lights for night reading.  Converters are available for charging shavers, digital cameras and the like.  Several cabins have bunk beds, others a small double bed.  Only two cabins have toilet facilities.

  

There is enough head-room to stand upright in all the guest quarters, and each cabin has a small hot and cold water sink, and just enough room to store gear for a week of sailing.  There are no TV’s aboard, so it is a good idea to pack a good book or two.

Returning topside, Captain Doug oriented the entire complement of guests on the ship’s safety features, the location of the three passenger heads (toilets), and the site of the ship’s single shower room and cozy galley/dining room with its wood burning stove.

The ship and its masters

The Heritage is the brainchild of the two Captains Doug and Linda Lee.  Already seasoned masters while in their 20’s, the young seagoing couple decided to build their own large cruising schooner from the keel up.  It took one year to plan, and four years to construct their dream. 

Launched with significant fanfare on April 16, 1983 at the historic North End Shipyard in Rockland, Maine, the 95 foot, 165-ton Heritage is the largest coastal schooner in the Maine Windjammer Fleet.

Now in their 50’s, the Lees’ have been sailing the coast of New England for over 30 years.  They are a virtual treasure store of nautical history and marine lore.  They are “sailing legends,” and with their heavy accents, never fail to entertain their guests with whimsical New England jokes, and interesting sea stories.

A roving, a roving, a roving we will go…

 We sailed with the tide early Monday morning.  To get into the spirit of the voyage, the passengers are encouraged to participate in the first hoisting of the mains’l.  Rope in hand, the crew leads in the seagoing pulling chant  “…way haul away, way haul away together, way haul away, way haul away Joe.”  It’s a very big mainsail, and before long everyone has caught on to the rhythm, and is heaving-ho and singing the melodic refrain as the huge gaff works its way up the mast.

By the end of the first day, the crew makes certain that you have a working knowledge of the nomenclature of the various parts of the ship.  From that point on, the crew and the turn-of-the-20th century gas-powered donkey engine takes over the daily tasks of lifting the anchor and hoisting the sails.  However, any passengers wanting to experience the daily rigors of able-bodied seamen are allowed to continue to help the deckhands and galley crew.  Surprisingly, many continued to volunteer for the work.

Sailing the islands of Maine

The ports of call for each cruise are different depending on the prevailing winds and weather – and what events may be taking place along the coast of Maine.  Most weekly cruises cover approximately 125 nautical miles, and all sailing is done in  daylight hours. 

There are some 3,000 rocky islands off the coast of Maine, and each night you are comfortably anchored in a quiet cove near some remote spruce-capped granite island, or in a charming harbor near a seaside village or town. 

 

Access to the islands and ports is always available by ship’s skiff and Captain Doug’s personal 12-foot sailboat that has been in his family for 40 years.

There are photo opportunities at every turn of the helm.  The islands are rich in color, and the sunsets are spectacular.  Lighthouses glisten, and great birds and sea creatures are visible throughout the day.

All hail the queen

We were fortunate to book passage for the week that Maine celebrated its “Windjammer Days” in Boothbay Harbor.  Several hundred small boats jammed the harbor as their occupants came to marvel over the beauty of the many tall ships participating in the annual festivities.

The Heritage, moving into the congested port under billowing sails, was the grand guest, and the high point of the final day. 

Ship’s horns and blaring whistles welcomed her like royalty.  Just as pretty as you please, and without the benefit of power or pilot boat, Captain Doug sailed the mighty schooner into the bustling harbor.  

He approached the ship’s mooring site with sails still aloft, and ordered, “Drop the anchor.”  The Heritage slowly dragged her anchor and chain to a halt with the ship’s stern just 30 yards from the crowded dock and viewing stands. 

 

As the colossal Heritage came to rest, the crowd roared its approval and appreciation of the captain’s amazing display of seamanship in piloting the mighty ship to her place of honor.  Later during a conversation in port, Captain Doug winked and asked, “I was a bit nervous, did it show?”

A unique vacation

A windjammer cruise is much akin to camping.  ‘Luxury’ is not in the wind jamming ‘glossary of terms’.  However, there is ample shelter, and the food is good and plentiful.  Meals are included and are greatly enhanced by homemade bread, and cookies fresh from the wood burning stove. 

Weather permitting, many meals are served buffet style on deck even while under sail – and sometimes enjoyed at a noticeable list to starboard or port. 

The gastronomical highlight of every cruise is the “lobster bake.”  This is an all you can eat lobster and corn-on-the-cob extravaganza prepared by the crew on the beach of one of the islands.

You could get hooked

Doug and Linda boast that over 60% of their annual passengers are returning guests.  Out of the 19 passengers on our voyage, only four of us had not previously sailed on the Heritage.  In fact, several couples had been aboard for more than 10 cruises.  Our fellow guests ranged in age from their mid-30’s, to one couple in their early 80’s.

Who should go?

Vacationers seeking a real-life adventure; sailors of small boats who love the tall ships and are keen to hear the howl of the wind in the gigantic sails – and ordinary landlubbers who are ready for a week full of fun and the occasional thrill of a deck awash in salty brine.

If you are reasonably fit, and want a vacation that is truly out of the ordinary, a windjammer cruise is worth considering.  It is like no other vacation on earth – or sea for that matter.

Visitors can swim in the warm tropical sea, go canoeing, boating, parasailing, horseback riding and fishing. Those who prefer a less hectic holiday can just lie beneath a shady tree at the beach and relax your mind. After working up an appetite, head over to Sungai Rengit village to try its fresh, succulent lobsters for lunch. Then you can go to the 100ha Desaru Fruit Farm to sample a luscious spread of local fruits. Golf aficionados will also be able to enjoy their game and tee off at the many golf resorts in the area. At night, enjoy the twinkling lights of the fireflies in mangrove swamp.

On the way to Desaru, you can stop by Kota Tinggi where there are several places of interest. At the Kota Tinggi Waterfalls Resort, you also can enjoy a dip in cool, crystal clear mountain water, said to be able to relax muscle knots caused by stress and tension. Kota Tinggi has recently been caught up in “Bigfoot fever”. A beast is said to be living in the forest near the town and some locals claim to have seen it. Just ask the locals in the area and they will certainly help you find a guide to take you on a day trip to locate the creature's lair.

How to get there :

Johor is located in the southern part of Peninsular Malaysia about 300km south of Kuala Lumpur. It is well connected to the rest of the country by expressways and railways as well as air links. The state is also connected to Singapore via the Causeway and the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link.

The land is rocky and hilly. One shopping area is built around a large granite ledge which must have seemed too beautiful to blast away. Marblehead got its name from a case of mistaken identity. The early settlers thought the many granite ledges were marble.

A day trip to Marblehead in early spring might mean winter coats and hats like it did for us this March. The sun was brilliant, but the wind was brisk. Summer in Marblehead is hot, but a spring visit also meant easy driving and parking on the narrow streets in the historic area close to the sea. And the “townies” had plenty of time to chat with us.

While he made our lunch sandwiches, Paul, the chef/proprietor of Foodie's Feast, told us how he'd bought the place and moved here from the city 6 years ago. Foodie's is on Washington Street in the historic “old town”, nestled in among boutiques and shops. My lunch was one of the freshest and tastiest that I've ever had in a café, especially the lobster bisque. Most likely the lobster came off the boat of a local lobsterman.

We shared lobster bisque reviews with Betsy, the volunteer at the Marblehead Arts Association during our visit to look over the entries in the 2nd Annual Sculpture and Photography Contest. Marblehead residents and visitors love the arts, and the Arts Association is housed in the King Hooper Mansion, one of nearly 300 houses which have survived from the Colonial, pre-Revolutionary War period. Betsy said her favorite bisque came from The Landing, but when we told her about Foodie's she called over to order some delivered so she could compare.

Marblehead fishermen and lobstermen still make a living from their catches in the Atlantic, but it's not the wildly prosperous industry it was before the Revolutionary War when men became rich catching and exporting dried cod. In 1846, a storm sank half the fishing fleet and 65 men and boys were drowned. The fishing industry began to decline as people lost their heart for the sea and turned to shoemaking.

Walking along Front Street with the ocean nearly always in view, I could smell the sea salt on the wind. There were a few fishing boats in the harbor. But the pleasure yachts were dry docked and wrapped in white waiting for their summer season. This is what the sea means to Marblehead now. In the late 1800's two fires destroyed the shoemaking industry. The destiny of the town would again be linked to the ocean as men of wealth began to bring their yachts to the wonderful harbor.

In the summer, Marblehead Harbor is dotted with yachts. Sailing enthusiasts will find boat makers and sellers, six yacht clubs, and numerous races including the yearly race to Nova Scotia. Marblehead is often called the “yachting capital of America”, a playground of blue sea.

The nature of the appeal from the sea may have changed from 1700 to now, but appeal she certainly has. The sea has fed the folks of Marblehead, lined their pockets, satisfied their love of sailing, and enticed those of us who love the sea to come spend a few hours under her spell in this delightful historic ocean town.

Enjoy golden-sand beaches, lush rainforests, impressive volcanoes, shimmering waterfalls and more. The options are endless on sunny Maui.

WHY SHOULD I GO?

There's a reason honeymooners flock to Maui in droves each year: It's one of the most blissful places on earth. Flourishing greenery, sun-kissed beaches and blue waters set the stage for romance. Add to that an exotic culture, tropical drinks and the soft strumming of a Hawaiian ukulele and you've got a recipe for couples' paradise. Not planning a romantic gateway? Maui offers loads of activities for families and adventurous travelers alike. All that and you don't even need a passport.

WHERE SHOULD I STAY?

World-class hotels abound throughout the island, but the cream of the crop is the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua. From the moment you arrive and are given a floral lei and a smile, you receive VIP treatment. Staff members go out of their way to make sure each guest feels welcome. Not only will you be impressed by the hotel's service, you will also be dazzled by its setting. The 548-room hotel is located on the northwest coast of the island and is surrounded by a championship golf course and a scenic pineapple plantation. The resort, which was built next to a Hawaiian burial ground back to the year 850, also overlooks a pristine beach and the Pacific Ocean. The resulting environment is a wonderful mixture of modern luxury, spiritual history and natural beauty. What's more, the Ritz boasts a tri-level pool, six tennis courts, a basketball court, walking trails, a state-of-the-art fitness center with exercise classes, a high-end spa and several outstanding restaurants. If you are on your honeymoon the advantage of the hotel's honeymoon packages, which include amenities like champagne and strawberries in your room, rose petals on your bed and a personal concierge. If you're traveling with your children, sign up for the Ritz kids program, which consists of full - or half-day recreation and education activities. If you are interested in learning more about Hawaii's early Polynesian inhabitants, talk to the Ritz's cultural advisor who conducts historical discussions and tours. There is something for everyone at this premier hotel.

WHAT ARE THE BEST ACTIVITIES?

There are enough outdoor activities in Maui to occupy you for several vacations, so you won't want for things to do. You could go on a rainforest hike complete with a waterfall swim with Latatudes "N Adatudes/Maui Eco-Adventures. This tour company offers hikes, kayak trips, bike tours and helicopter rides with knowledgeable guides and picnic lunches. One of their most popular excursions is a hike into the crater of Haleakala, the world"s largest dormant volcano crater.

For those who care to brave the waves, take a surf lesson at the Island Style Surf School in Ka'anapali. The instructors coach you on everything from paddling out to the waves to getting - and staying - up on your board. If you prefer snorkeling, go on a catamaran cruise along Maui's coastline with Kapalua Kai, which stops at prime snorkeling spots (scuba diving is also available). If you go on an excursion between December and April, you may see humpback whales.

Interested in sightseeing on your own? Drive along the world-famous Hana coast and take in the gorgeous state parks, waterfalls and beaches. Then, when you want to relax, head to the Boutique Spa at the Ritz for some pampering. Indulge in one of many treatments, such as a green-tea body wrap, a papaya-pineapple scrub or an aromatherapy massage - which is available outdoors in a cozy hut that is enclosed enough to afford privacy yet open enough to let in the gentle breeze.

WHERE I SHOULD EAT?

No trip to Hawaii would be complete without a true Hawaiian lu'au. Try out the Old Lahaina Lu'au, known as Maui's best and most authentic. The evening begins with a feast of traditional Hawaiian fare, which includes fish, roasted pork and taro (a root plant that is a staple of the Hawaiian diet). Then, as you sip Mai Tais and watch the sun set, enjoy an unforgettable musical hula performance.

For a fabulous meal overlooking the water, head to The Banyan Tree at the Ritz. All creations are elegantly presented and delicious. The Ritz also has a top sushi bar, Kai, which serves only ocean's freshest catches. Mama's Fish House is another popular spot. This converted beach house with Polynesian décor is located in a coconut grove on a secluded white-sand beach. The menu includes fish, crab cakes, lamb chops, Polynesian lobster soup and organic vegetables.

HOW DO I GET THERE?

Most major airlines, including Delta, United and American, fly nonstop out of Los Angeles. There are also several flights from New York with one stopover.