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Schooner American Eagle

January 2024

photo courtesy of Sofia Soderberg

In this issue



Offcuts and Tailings: Projects!


New-Old

Photographs



Cruise News:


Crew's News

Website
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Winter is here at the shipyard, and have we had our share of weather! The schooner and the wharf buildings survived the back-to-back gales that came through this past month with some needed repairs, but nothing extreme. In the nice warm shop the sanders have already started whirring and the paint brushes have begun to fly. We're getting a great start on the paint work and have a few carpentry projects too!

2024 is here! Come Sailing!

Our schedule is out on the website and of the 20+ sailing trips we have next year there are a number of specialty cruises great for small and big groups alike. A few we would highly recommend are:


4-night Yoga Trip:

Fri. June 14th - Tues. June 18th


A new addition to the calendar, join us for a tranquil 4-night yoga trip sailing around Penobscot Bay. Amplify the peace and quiet of your surroundings starting your morning with yoga on-deck as Mid-Coast Maine wakes up around you.


6-night Hidden Traces of the Past

Sun. June 23rd - Sat. June 29th


Join local historian Sam Collins as we embark on a sailing trip through the history of Penobscot Bay. Spend each day sailing and stopping to visit historic sites that help tell the history of Penobscot Bay.


5-night Hiking and Island Exploration:

Sat. July 27th - Thurs. Aug 1st


The perfect trip to explore more of what the hundreds of islands in our sailing grounds have to offer. Hiking ranges from a stroll to a bit of rock scrambling with bay views around every corner! Not a hiker? Take that time to relax on the many beaches we'll visit.



Give us a call or an email if you have any questions about these or any other trips on our schedule

See Our Full Schedule

Trip Spotlight: Traditional Windjamming

photo courtesy of: Sean Sheppard

It seems like we always use these spotlights to highlight our specialty adventures but we can't forget one of the pillars of our schedule 3, 4, or 6 night "Traditional Windjamming" trips.


Focused on sailing, relaxation and our beautiful schooner as the destination. Our "Classics of the Coastline," "Coastal Cruising," and "Cozy Autumn" trips are as close as you can get to cruising the Maine Coast without doing all the owning, painting, sanding, provisioning cooking and worrying... yourself!


An authentic experience that captures the joys of such an old summertime excursion with a small group of interesting and engaging peers.


A trip with the simple purpose of finding the balance between visiting coastal villages and quiet places while leaving plenty of time to lounge when the wind is light and sail when the breeze freshens.

photo courtesy of: Sofia Soderberg

photo courtesy of: Sean Sheppard

Offcuts & Tailings... Projects and insistent weather

Above: Two nasty gales passed through Rockland in January, the peaks of both storms hitting right at high tide flooding the shipyard. Fortunately we, including the schooner, made it out in pretty good shape. To the upper left you can see the inside of the dock building, which took the heaviest beating with waves crashing up through the floor and out the wall in to the parking lot.

Left: Courtney and Nate spent a couple hours after the first storm digging the spar shed out of the gravel.

Left: Tyler and Cody work on the seine boat

Above: Cappy on the move

Above: Tyler dropped the life raft off at Chase, Leavitt & Co. to be inspected and repacked for this year's sailing season.


Above and Left: Tyler takes advantage of the early sun to get some good lighting while smashing tar off the rig.



Left: A bald eagle was caught using the osprey nest to take a quick break.

And Now For Something Completely Different

Photo courtesy of: Penobscot Marine Museum

Recently we worked with the Penobscot Marine Museum to acquire images of the Eagle from their archives to supplement our own. Here is a selection of those that tell the story of the American Eagle from her fishing days to her rebuild and launch as a member of the Maine Windjamming fleet. The above photo is of the American Eagle circa 1950. If those dorades look familiar, it's because one of them still sits next to the mainmast.

Photo courtesy of: Penobscot Marine Museum

Above: The American Eagle a month after she arrived in Rockland from Gloucester. Stripped of her bulwarks and fishing gear, waiting patiently for the house movers to come and slide her off the railway so the project can begin in earnest. The newly finished Schooner Heritage sits behind.

Below: The foredeck framing and bulwark stanchions looking looking almost ready for decking. What a cool view taken from the midships ladder.

Photo courtesy of: Penobscot Marine Museum

Photo courtesy of: Penobscot Marine Museum

Re-launching day, April 18th, 1986, at the North End Shipyard

Crew's News

There will be quite a few familiar faces back this year. And from what I hear (even though I am the WORST texter backer) everyone is having a great winter. Marty is making awesome food at Rod & Rail down in Buzzards Bay while Courtney and Kate are hammering their way through their last year of school. Matt is sailing down in Florida and Cole is hiking the A.T. and working on his sweet little sailboat he got last summer. Logan is planking up the Hindu in Thomaston and hopefully will be back to do some spar work soon. Nate is keeping the most important office chair on station adding so much with his wit and learning fast, while I am just trying to keep the papers in the right pile, the shopstove going, and all the irons cycling through the proverbial fire.

As some may know our longtime office manager, shipyard mom, and wealth of knowledge, Shary, has retired. The amount of time, energy and care she has given our vessel and office over many years is unparalleled and words do not go far enough to convey our gratitude for so much dedication and effort.


The office is certainly quieter without our chief moral officer and floor, trashcan and tabletop inspector Coco too.


While Coco and Shary's visits are a bit more infrequent it leaves much time for fiberworks, historical, and genealogical research, 4 walks a day (coco insists), and fielding a few head scratching phone calls from an office by the ocean.

Top Right: Nate has been taking advantage of the recent snow to get out on our local trail systems and go cross-country skiing.


Below: Marty's been busy acquiring new toys for the galley including this wok "the size of a car tire." While smashy smash burgers down in Buzzards Bay.


Below Right: Tyler took a weekend trip to sugarloaf the weather, skiing and views were stunning


We would like to congratulate Kate on making dean's list last semester!

From Beside the Wheelbox...


Ahh winter, a time to sit by the fire in stocking feet, snooze under a blanket, eat bon-bons with a good puzzle and read the day away.........OR...... move boats and paint projects through the shop, finish splitting the stovewood for 2025, write stocklists for new projects & repairs, send some papers and files to who needs them here there and everywhere (whoops! forgot the attachment). More snow! time to bang it off the covers and buildings again. All while keeping our 94 year old 120 ton fisherman in her berth and happy.


While both are such good fun, a balance is the goal! We have all been very busy with many things fulfilling both sides of that coin and are starting to think more of summer and sailing once again.


I hope you all are enjoying what makes you smile wintery or not. You'll be hearing from us again before long, there is far too much going on to fit in just one newsletter.

We are happy to answer any questions that may arise, either by phone, email or online, Let's go sailing!

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Schooner American Eagle

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