During my recent visit to Portland Maine, I had my first-ever sailing adventure with Portland Schooner Co. My husband and I booked with Sunset Sail around Casco Bay and it was an experience we’ll cherish forever.
Sailing with Portland Schooner Co.
Portland Schooner Co. offers sails around Casco Bay in Portland, ME aboard their handcrafted, wooden schooners built in Maine. The sails are 2 hours long and the views of the Maine coastline are unbeatable! You have options for sailing times; we went with the sunset sail which was from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm but there are early morning sails and afternoon sails as well. You are welcome to bring beer, wine, and food with you for the sail, and the sailing adventures are appropriate for all ages!
Portland Schooner Co. has a fleet of five Maine-built, wooden schooners with capacities ranging from 6 to 49 guests. The oldest schooner in the fleet, The Wendameen was built in 1912 and can accommodate 49 guests!
What Exactly Is a Schooner?
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. The origins of schooner-rigged vessels are obscure, but there is good evidence of them from the early 17th century in paintings by Dutch Marine artists. Schooners were popular on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1800s and early 1900s. By 1910, 45 five-masted and 10 six-masted schooners had been built in Bath, Maine, and in towns on Penobscot Bay. (Schooner Information From Wikipedia)
Sunset Sail
Our sunset sail departed at 6:00 pm and you need to arrive at the dock 15 minutes prior. I HIGHLY suggest arriving earlier than 15 minutes as parking in downtown Portland was a bit tricky. The dock is located at Maine State Pier which is adjacent to the Casco Bay Lines facility on the corner of Commercial and Franklin Streets (56 Commercial Street). Portland Schooner Co. is about halfway out on the Pier past Casco Bay Lines. Keep walking past the construction until you see the pier and they are the second dock house closest to the water’s edge. If you’re using GPS, the address for the dock is 56 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101.
We purchased our tickets in advance, which is strongly recommended. Our tickets were $63.00 each, but you’ll want to check the website for current pricing and sail times. After a brief check-in process, we were able to board! As I mentioned earlier, food and drinks are welcome aboard (including beer & wine) so definitely bring some goodies with you! I loved sipping my wine while sailing around and taking in the sights which included plenty of lighthouses, stately homes along the coast and of course lots of lobster trap markers.
The crew of the Schooner was so pleasant and informative. They were always on hand to point out the sights, give information on the vessel, provide blankets for those of us who needed one, and even let us help with the sails! It was clear that they all love their job and it just made the overall sailing experience that much better! Be sure to bring cash so that you can leave a gratuity, it’s not mandatory but it is good practice AND well-deserved!
Thanks for Reading!
Thanks for joining me on my first sailing adventure, and I hope this post inspires you to try a sailing adventure of your own! Please be sure to check my IG page for some beautiful video footage of the sunset sail.
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