Portland, Maine: an Afternoon on the Water

“You know, I really think we’re schooner people,” I said to my husband as we smoothly cut through the water, dodging million dollar sailboats, harbor seals, & lobster boats. He raised an eyebrow & admitted he had never thought of us as the “sailing types.”He wasn’t wrong; our experience with sailing was extremely limited up until that sunny afternoon in Maine. We hadn’t really planned on going on a schooner ride during our ten day trip to Maine, & definitely hadn’t planned to do it in Portland, but the breeze was so cool, the sun so bright, & the day so perfect that we really couldn’t resist giving it a try.

We decided upon the Portland Schooner Company among the many companies that advertised along the main drag downtown. After purchasing tickets for the 1pm sailing, we stopped for a quick lobster roll at Gilbert’s & had just enough time to pop by the convenience store to grab two local beers for the ride.

Our ship was the Bagheera, a beautiful dark wood hulled ship built right there in East Boothbay, Maine. After 40 or so people scrambled aboard, everyone jockeying for the best seat, we eased away from the dock & motored out into the harbor. Soon it was time for the crew to raise the sails, & we were totally under wind power – very Christopher Columbus-esque. We sailed out of the busy harbor & into Casco Bay. The ride was surprisingly smooth & quiet. We sipped our beers as we floated past lighthouses, boats, a fort from the Civil War, & Maine’s famous rocky coastline. I was just beginning to really fall in love with the idea of owning a sailboat of my own when our two-hour tour was over & we headed back into port.

I would definitely recommend a schooner ride at some point during a trip to Maine. We enjoyed ours in Portland, but have also heard that they’re particularly fantastic up in Camden. Just think, there might be a sailor hiding inside you too.