Reflections on our 2025 Season!
2025 was an especially grand year sailing on Penobscot bay. It was a relatively calm summer with plenty of sunshine and sea breezes to keep cool. That shifted into one of the finest fall seasons in our 39 year history sailing as owners of Maine Windjammer Cruises.
Finally the feeling of semi-retirement is starting to kick in. Operating one vessel, a child compared to the century-old vessels we operated for decades, has given us more time as a family. We went to the beach, went for hikes and picnics, all the while knowing that Swift was in the capable hands of Captain Hans. After each cruise, we greeted many happy passengers who all said they had a wonderful time.
We launched the Sally this year, our restored 1941 open lobster boat. Family visits to nearby ports and islands made it an enjoyable opportunity for quick outings on the bay. One day in very light winds we followed the Swift out of Camden and took a few pictures.
All in all it was a great season. Hats off to Chef Levin and crewmembers Miles, Tommy and Sandy. Most of all thanks to the wonderful guests whose participation is keeping our tradition alive!
Holiday Gift Offer
Gift Certificates have long been a favorite giving idea for our passengers. Each holiday gift certificate you purchase this season will include a complimentary copy of Captain Ray’s classic book Keeping the Tradition Alive as part of your presentation package.
Call early to ensure timely delivery!
Ann’s Frosted Pumpkin Cookies
½ C shortening
1 C sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 C pumpkin, canned
2 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
2½ t cinnamon
½ t nutmeg
¼ t ground ginger
1 raisins, softened in hot
water and drained
1 walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In a medium bowl, cream shortening, beating in sugar. Add eggs and pumpkin. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Add to pumpkin mixture along with raisins and nuts.
Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes.
Cool and frost with following recipe:
2 C confectioners’ sugar
1 T lemon juice
1 T lemon peel
1 T milk
In a bowl, whisk all ingredients until creamy. Add more milk if needed. Lightly frost cookies.
Downrig
At the end of the season there is still a lot to do. We call it down rigging. The first step is the removal of the sails of which there are ten aboard Swift. Then come
the yards (the spars that run across the centerline of the vessel and carry the square sails). The highest is the topgallant, the middle is the topsail, and the lower
yard is the course. These appear only on the foremast with the mainmast carrying only fore and aft sails. This is what distinguishes Swift as an hermaphrodite Brig.
Smaller spars come next including the main gaff which carries the head of the main sail; the main and fore staysail clubs (which sit on the foot of the innermost triangular sails) and the jib boom.
Lowering of the topmasts is accomplished by fishing a line through a block located near the top of the lower mast. The line is then psased back down through a sheave running athwartships near the butt of the topmast and back up to a point opposite the hauling block. It is dead-ended there. The hauling part of the line leading down to deck is brought forward to the windlass.
Taking up on the windlass raises the topmast with the help of our temporary rigging aloft. Raising is done ever so little just to allow the fid to be removed. The fid acts like a key holding the topmast up. With this done, the topmast can be lowered by easing the line on the windlass as necessary.
These nine spars plus the main boom are transported to our workshop where they will be worked on as needed over the winter.