Schooner Mary Day

08/30/2024

Camden Harbor is full of schooners for Windjammer Weekend. Come on down!

08/30/2024

Cathy’s on deck with the appetizer: cream cheese with assorted fruit toppings It’s Windjammer Weekend in Camden.

08/23/2024

We are looking for a messmate/assistant cook for the rest of the season (the end of September). We will provide training. Pay commensurate with experience. A great way to get your feet in the door to the wonderful world of windjamming.

08/09/2024

🔹 Life is too short to hesitate. 🔹
Sometimes, the best adventures come from a spontaneous decision to set sail into the unknown. Take the plunge: four days of wind in your sails, laughter among friends, and the beauty of nature awaiting each turn.
👉 Join us Sunday, August 18 - Thursday, August 22nd!
$1265 per person. 👈
Get away - recharge - and just BE. Hope you can join us!

07/12/2024

If you're in the area this month, stop in at the Camden Public Library to see an exhibition of Jim Dugan's photos. The library is just up the hill from where we dock the boat so it should be easy to find. You're likely used to seeing Jim's pictures but there are some surprises in this show, which follows on the heels of one at the Rockport Library last month.

07/11/2024

Maine is chock full of magical islands but you probably wouldn't start any fights if you put Monhegan at the top of the list. It's about 12 miles from the mainland, a rugged rock with forests and cliffs and a thriving artists colony. There's a shipwreck, a brewery, a museum, miles of trails from easy to challenging. Take the early boat from Port Clyde (get reservations). Wear good shoes for walking, take a picnic lunch, drinking water, camera. And there's a Mary Day connection: the wonderful Mary Barney, who cooked for us for many years, baked at the Trailing Yew inn on Monhegan before coming to us.

07/10/2024

Repeat after me: there is no bad light. Hey folks, Jim Dugan here, I teach photography aboard Mary Day and give photo pointers here from time to time. We in Penobscot Bay woke up Friday morning to thick fog, not a good start for the Great Schooner Race. Not a lot of wind and (until near the end) little visibility and no sun. Less than ideal sailing conditions but there are still wonderful pictures to be made. Fog is ethereal and mysterious and it hides lots of pesky backgrounds. Fog light can be great for portraits; it even made the captains' meeting kinda pretty. And calm waters make for great reflections.

07/09/2024

You meet the nicest people out sailing, and not just aboard a windjammer. Thom Perkins anchored next to us and got this nice shot one fine morning in Buckle Harbor.

06/29/2024

Lincoln and Marti - thank you for all you do to support the Maine Windjammers!

Be sure to check it out if you’re in the area!

We're here at the WoodenBoat Show in Mystic Seaport. Stop by our booth this weekend to grab some Windjammer freebies and a chance to win a gift certificate toward a windjammer vacation!

06/27/2024

We are honored to be serving such a wonderful Camden product. Thank you Dan and all the crew off Coffee on the Porch- Camden, Maine for making this a treat for our guests to enjoy.

The Majestic Schooner Mary Day- Good morning from the sunny Coast of Maine! Somewhere out there along the Coast, these passengers are sitting on deck enjoying an incredible breakfast and a cup of Mack the Knife, referred to as “Captains Crank” on the Mary Day! If you look closely you can see the small boat pulling Mary Day out of the harbor. This will be done until the sails are raised. What a sight to behold when that happens!

How is everyone? Our busy days are definitely keeping us on our toes and keeping the roaster cranking out the coffee. Our goal is always to ship the same day as the orders come in but there are times when the beans have not been roasted yet! One thing is for sure, it will be fresh roasted when it arrives in your mailbox! Cold brew post later today, hopefully.

Enjoy the day my friends and have a wonderful Wednesday.-Dan
com
Schooner Mary Day
Peter Otts on the water
Grand Harbor Inn
Camden Public Library - Camden, Maine
Camden Yacht Club
Camden Famous
Visit Maine
Blue Harbor House Inn

06/20/2024

It’s a good morning

06/18/2024

Thanks for all the fish! Says this gray seal in Burnt Coat Harbor this morning.

06/14/2024

It's a bit of a "fluke" that some charismatic megafauna are having a whale of a time in Penobscot Bay this year. Capt. Barry managed to capture these images from Mary Day. Next week is Photo/Nature week! Bring your longest lenses!

06/03/2024

As large as they are even this eagle can't avoid being mobbed by nervous crows.

06/01/2024

A few from Capt. Barry as the season gets up and running.

05/28/2024

"The sea never changes, and its moods are always the same. But the sailor has to change his with it." - Joshua Slocum (First person to sail single-handedly around the world). We're always ready to go to Plan B. Chef Ellie is no exception. With all the hubbub of getting ready, pasta was left off the list. Solution: make it fresh.

05/27/2024

Going for a swim, Merrit? This one's a few days old but it just keeps making us giggle. Merrit carrying life jackets and rings down to the boat.

05/24/2024

And they're off! Our first trip of 2024 left the dock this morning. Here's Mary Day passing Curtis Island. Sails were set soon after this but the boat was out of range of the drone. Feels SO good to be sailing after all the sanding, painting, etc.

05/24/2024

DURING YOUR MAINE STAY: Every now and then while sailing, we get a glimpse of the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge. It's a marvel of engineeering and a thing of beauty but did you know you can take an elevator to the top!?!? Our intrepid photographer Jim Dugan says it's not scary at all and well worth the trip. While you're there, check out Fort Knox State Park, an amazing structure of granite and earthworks. So be sure to add it to your MAINE BUCKET LIST!

05/23/2024

"What is the subject of the photograph?" A simple but essential question. Jim Dugan here, I teach photography aboard Mary Day and give occasional photo tips here. We all see hundreds if not thousands of pictures every day and lots of them come up short. When that happens, a great way to get to the heart of it is to ask, simply: "What is the subject?" Too often, we photographers get caught up in the moment and forget to say (silently) "THIS is the thing I want you to look at." A picture can have multiple subjects but ONE should be primary. Photos to illustrate from a dawn after the Great Schooner Race a few years ago.

05/21/2024

Always dreaming about what it would be like to sail a traditional pure sailing vessel but worried you don’t have the skills? Looking for that vacation with a little more thrill to the adventure? Our Seamanship Course week offers you the “hands-on” team-oriented course to fulfill your sailing dreams! While we do try to cram as much information as possible, it's also a fun week of hands-on learning. Available to all levels, even landlubbers. Come prepared to get your hands dirty, laugh a lot, learn a lot. July 28 to Aug. 3.

05/13/2024

DURING YOUR MAINE STAY: Camden Hills State Park signature location is the scenic vista high atop Mt. Battie (780') where sweeping views of Camden Harbor, Penobscot Bay, and surrounding islands await. On a clear day, visitors can see Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park. It is this view that is to have inspired Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem "Renascence" and continues to inspire wonder in visitors today. It's a good hike but you can also drive up the auto road. Mt. Megunticook is almost twice as tall (1385') and is also a great hike and view (sorry, no auto road). So be sure to add it to your MAINE BUCKET LIST. ✔️

05/12/2024

What an absolutely gorgeous day today! Drone panorama by JimDugan.com

05/10/2024

CREW ALUM: Have you ever wondered where the crew of the Mary Day ends up after their sailing adventures? So have we! Recently, we caught up with Andy Watras & Brad Ellsworth, former crew members from 25 years ago.

After leaving Mary Day, Andy immersed himself in the yacht world, gaining experience by working on and managing classic vessels as he traveled the globe. Meanwhile, having spent time lobstering along the Maine coast, Brad honed his boatbuilding skills by working in local boat yards.

Both Brad and Andy have rooted themselves in Mid-Coast Maine and have now united their talents to launch A&B Classic Boatworks, a company dedicated to constructing, preserving/restoring as well as maintaining classic boats to their former glory. Storage, vessel management along with delivery services are offered as well.

Brad’s innate talent for craftsmanship and keen attention to detail allowed him to refine his skills over time, becoming an expert in shaping wood and building stunning, seaworthy boats. With a keen eye for aesthetics and a profound love for classic boats, Andy expertly combines attention to detail and traditional painting techniques, making him a true artisan in his field.

With a shared love for the ocean and a commitment to quality craftsmanship, they have quickly gained a reputation for their meticulous work and attention to detail.

We are amazed. Beyond proud and highly recommend their services to those looking for the type of craftmanship these two offer. How cool is this???
Contact Info:
A&B Classic Boatworks. 207.230.8169. 506 West St Rockport, ME 04856. [email protected]

05/07/2024

We're a schooner again! The masts went back in on Friday and we're starting to rig.
➡️Fun fact: Mainmast weighs 7000 pounds and is 70' tall. Any guesses on the FORE?
🔸Did you know it's a tradition for a coin to be placed under the mast? This tradition is said to bring good luck and ensure safe travels for the crew. The placement of the coin symbolizes the payment of passage to the spirit of the sea. The coin is typically from the year the ship was built or launched.

Here's a former owner of Mary Day explaining: "you place a coin under that mast when you step the mast that usually has some kind of significance, like the birthday of the namesake. In the Mary Day’s case it was a 1921 silver dollar with my mother’s (Mary Day Hawkins) birth date on it that we put under the mainmast, it’s a definite rule that if you take the mast out those coins go back in.” –Haddie Hawkins, Sedgwick, Maine.

Rest assured - it's still there....good to go for another 10 years!🍀
https://loom.ly/K6-UeuI

Mary Day's masts are hauled every couple of years for routine Coast Guard inspection and preventative maintenance. Here is a chance for viewers to see the pr...

05/05/2024

Hello to the Hive!

We are looking for an educator to teach navigation to a group of 8th graders from May 30-June 5th. Anyone available for 5 underway days aboard Schooner Mary Day? This is a paying gig. PM me if you are interested, capable and available.

04/30/2024

Capt. Barry gives a summary of our time in the North End Shipyard in Rockland. https://youtu.be/kr7imEEig-4

The schooner Mary Day gets its annual bottom cleaning at the North End Shipyard in Rockland Maine. Capt. Barry King gives a brief description of how the work...

04/25/2024

We made it to Rockland, Maine.

04/25/2024

Going to the boatyard

04/25/2024

Your word for today: BOKEH. Jim Dugan here, I teach photography aboard Mary Day and I'm here with a photo tip. "Bokeh" is a Japanese word for the soft-focus effect that pros use to emphasize the subject. Blurring makes for less-distracting background and increases a feeling of depth. Getting bokeh can be a challenge on smartphones but switching to Portrait Mode can make it easy. With the latest iPhones, you can even add bokeh AFTER taking the photo. Go ahead and give it a try. HAVE A BOKEH DAY - and share your results!