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.

We had wanted to try rainbow trout fishing at Big Bear Lake, but we were aware that the picturesque lake, which sits at 7000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California, is both a summer and winter playground for several million people living in the Los Angeles area.  That’s why we decided to drive to the lake during the off-season. 

There’s a special time of year between early September when the kids go back to school, and the middle of November when the snow-bunnies start to appear on the slopes surrounding Big Bear Lake.  During that period, you will find both the lake and the village downright quiet, --and when compared to the summer and winter seasons, the price of lodging is much more appealing. 

On our first morning at the lake, we opted to get our bearings by taking a narrated boat tour.  When we checked into the lakeside Lagonita Lodge, and inquired about tour boats, the front desk clerk assured us that we could depend on the captain of the ‘Big Bear Queen’ to provide us with pertinent information and interesting tidbits about the lake and its history.  The ‘Queen’ turned out to be a Mississippi paddleboat replica that took us around the more than 22 miles of shoreline in complete comfort.

 

We boarded the Queen just before noon and introduced ourselves to the ship’s captain, Chris Bellows.  The weather was excellent, with a pleasant temperature in the mid-70s.  Big Bear boasts sunshine 320 days a year -- a good reason why the location is a favorite of Hollywood filmmakers and TV producers. 

About 15 minutes into our excursion, we were fortunate to see an American bald eagle soaring high above our boat.  The eagles migrate to Big Bear Lake each fall from the colder climates of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.  We were surprised to learn from captain Bellows that our national bird has a wingspan up to eight feet, and weights between 10 and 14 pounds.  He also said, “It’s not unusual to see several bald eagles on any given winter day.”

Half way through our tour, we pulled into one of the lake’s many coves, where our captain called out to a waterfront cabin owned by the late Mel Blanc, who you will remember was the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and other famous cartoon characters.  The captain’s call brought a jolly looking fellow out of the cabin and onto the front porch.  He lifted a waiting megaphone and replied to our captain in a loud voice, “badeep, badeep, badeep, that’s all folks.”  It was Mel Blanc’s son Noel.  He takes great delight in greeting excursion boat tourists with some of his dad’s famous dialogue.  Nice guy -- good impersonator, too.

We took note of a sizeable marina as we passed by another sheltered cove.  We thought it might be a good place to rent a boat for an afternoon of angling.  Captain Bellows suggested that if we planned to fish, we should make inquiries with Big Bear Charter Fishing. 

After disembarking the Queen, we drove the short distance to Holloway's Marina where we found Mike Marzell, the operator of a pontoon boat for Big Bear Charter Fishing.  Among other things, Mike told us “The rainbow trout are hitting well on worms today.”  Mike also seemed to know where the fish were biting, so we decided to hire him and his boat for a few hours.  We brought our own fishing equipment, but didn’t need to fetch it because rods, gear, and bait, were all provided with the charter.

 

Mike’s lovely wife Trish joined our party to help with the deep water trolling rigs the couple preferred for catching trout.  It didn’t take long before we had our first rainbow flopping around on deck.  Five more one and two-pounders quickly followed our first catch.  Mike and Trish seemed to be having as much fun watching us, as we were having catching the fish.  It was a great outing.

 

Our fishing time was up a little after four in the afternoon, and we decided to seek out the Visitors Center in the village to see what attraction might fill the rest of our day.  The center’s affable Manager of Marketing and Public Relations, Dan McKernan, suggested we try a late afternoon off-road tour.  Not the kind of thing that would normally appeal to us, but we thought it would be interesting to write about, so we signed up.  We were glad we did. 

We hooked up with Big Bear Off-Road Adventures.  The off-road vehicle utilized by owner Doug Walton and his crew is really something.  It looks like a khaki painted convertible panel truck without sides, but there the resemblance ends.  This machine has big tires and is awesome in appearance and performance. 

 

Within minutes of departing the parking lot at Big Bear Village, we were dashing along a dirt road and heading for the mountains on the north shore of the lake.  It wasn’t long before the dirt road turned into a bouncy narrow boulder-strewn trail.  It was an exciting ride. 

 

We asked our guide Doug if he knew of any old abandoned gold mines in the area.  He replied, “There are a good number of them in the San Bernardino National Forest wilderness.”  In a short time, we found and investigated three mines, circa 1850.  We were surprised that the openings to the mines were so accessible to the public, but the mines are in remote locations, so we guessed that was the reason for not having safety fences.  Gazing into the seemingly bottomless mineshafts, one could only wonder of the difficulties the miners faced as they worked deeper and deeper into the dark earth.  We were also impressed that these 150+ year old mines had wooden superstructures still in place and relatively intact.

 

The sun was beginning to set as we exited the third mine, so we headed back to the Lagonita Lodge for a well-deserved rest. 

The next morning we packed up and started our drive down the mountain and on to our next destination.  We reminisced about our fun filled day at Big Bear, and talked about how we would be recommending it as a first rate family vacation destination to our readers.  If you haven’t been there, -be sure to give it a try.

You don't have to drive! Hah, sit back, enjoy that margarita while you take in the great music and the warm sun, and let someone else get you to your next destination! Your biggest concern will be which deck do you want to sit on and what will you have at the buffet this time!

Almost everything is included in the price! So, now you look at the price of your cruise, factor in the length of time you will be cruising, then realize that your price includes, your stateroom, your food, your entertainment, and well, except on some shore excursions, your transportation! All you have to pay for are drinks, any gambling you do in the Casino, items you purchase in the duty free shops, and if you have the children with you and you want a night alone, babysitting services and spa treatments. Most cruise lines have a kids camp that is free for everyone during the day but charges a babysitting fee from around 9 p.m. to as late (or early) as 3 a.m. You get excellent food, live entertainment, the chance to meet new people, and a comfortable room for the entire length of your stay!

Wonderful destinations! This is an excellent opportunity to see places in the world that you might never see otherwise. Want to see Alaska? The Bahamas? The Mexican Riviera? How about Europe? Or, what the heck, take a world cruise! Okay, so the world cruise is a little excessive, unless of course you can get a whole year off of work. “Bye guys! I'm on vacation! See you in a year! I'll send you a post card from Italy!” I wish! Anyway, taking a cruise vacation gives you the chance to see areas of the world without the worry about international flights, car rentals, and everything else. Unless you are taking a European cruise, most cruises leave from ports right here in the United States. Go ahead, search for cruises online, you will find a large number of cruise lines and destinations that might even leave from your own backyard! So far I have been to Baja Mexico and the Mexican Riviera. We plan to go to Alaska in the next few years and I would love to take a Caribbean cruise sometime too.

Great for the whole family! It used to be when you thought of taking a cruise, you would think of shuffleboard, and sitting around doing very little. Well, not anymore. Cruise ships have developed some of the most exciting activities for the whole family. You can climb a rock wall, go down a waterslide, try out a surfing pool ( yes, you can actually surf in this awesome new pool!), play golf, tennis, run the track, play fun games with an activities director, and lots more! The funniest game I think I've ever watched on board was the men's hairiest leg competition! And that's only outside! Inside, you've got the Casino, karaoke, dance clubs, card rooms, internet cafes, forum shops, game shows that you can watch or participate in, live music, and more. Got the kids? Check out the arcade, the kids camps, some cruise lines even have a movie theater, for teens there are teen only dance clubs where no adults except the staff are allowed. You can rent Gameboys and strollers as well. Oh yeah, and then there is the spa. You can get your hair done, get a facial, get a massage, get your teeth whitened, or you can exercise in the sports club! Want to see some of these activities for yourself? Carnival Cruise Lines has a fun virtual website you can check out called Funship Island.

Last but not least, Towel Animals! You can have so much fun with these towel animals! Leave a pair of sunglasses in your stateroom in the evening and just see what those creative people with do with them! Have a favorite animal you want to see? Just ask your room steward, you just might be surprised when you turn in for the night.

Each night you cruise you get a different animal! We have had, elephants, snakes, dogs, cats, monkeys, and more! They even made a cow for our relatives staying next door at our request! Have fun with it but remember to leave out a pair of sunglasses and maybe even a hat.

Still not sure? Well, I guess you will just have to go on one. Take a short 3 or 4 day cruise for your first time just in case you don't like it. Remember though, if you do like it, go again and again and again. A little secret, repeat cruisers get higher status each time they cruise. With Carnival, when you get to Platinum status, you get priority everything! They also have this fun thing for repeat Carnival cruisers called a repeaters party. Free drinks, as many as you want, for a half an hour plus great entertainment! So what are you waiting for? Get out there and have fun! Maybe we'll run into each other sometime!