Main Windjammer Association Cruise - Rockland and Camden, Maine

 Print This Post

Step Back in Time with a Maine Windjammer Association Cruise. Are you itching to get away for a vacation?  Would you love to take a cruise but just don't think you would enjoy three weeks on a ship?  There's a better alternative when it comes to cruises, and it's one that you may not expect.

The Maine Windjammer Association offers cruises for those who don't think they like cruises.  The fleet of 12 independently-owned windjammers, historic 19th-century schooners, takes patrons on unique cruises off the rocky Maine coast.

When schooners became obsolete as a result of the rise of steamships, many of the old boats simply fell into disuse.  An artist from Maine named Frank Swift didn't like the way the historic boats were simply being ignored and vowed to save them.  He began offering short cruises on one of the old schooners and soon had a thriving business on his hands. 

With a thriving business come competitors and allies, and by the last 1970s Swift had both.  He and several other schooner operators decided to pool their resources and began the Maine Windjammer Association.

Today, the cruises give modern people a chance to step back in time temporarily.  For three to six nights, one can live on a boat with very few modern conveniences.  There are no club cabins or stage shows here; just the joy of being on the water.

Every afternoon the schooner stops at a quaint Maine town or one of the many uninhabited islands along the coast.  Passengers are free - encouraged, really -to disembark and explore the new place.  These are the places that you would probably never think to go on your own, but you that you will never forget once you've been there.

Guests aboard a MWA cruise are welcome to try their hand at any of the crew duties.  If you've always dreamed of being a captain, why not give steering the boat a shot?  You can choose to scrub the decks or raise and lower the sails.  Or if you prefer, you can simply sit back and enjoy the ride.

One of the best parts about a Maine Windjammer Association cruise is the wildlife.  The Maine coastline is known as a hotbed of marine animal activity and it's not unusual to catch glimpses of porpoises, whales, and even puffins.

A cruise on an old-time schooner is an experience that you will never forget.  The ride is thrilling, but you'll find yourself more relaxed than you've ever felt before.

Sails from the ports of Rockland Maine and Camden Main.  1-800-807-WIND