June 2nd:  84 years ago today the schooner was dropped into Gloucester Harbor, the biggest splash she has endured so far.  This season we've completed two cruises and the Maine Coast is just as inviting and beautiful as we remember: bald eagle sightings on a daily basis, curious seals watching us as we sail by, eider and black ducks, guillemots,  and even a flight of gannets on a day when we went a little ways offshore.  The cabin heater kept us comfortable below;  Mike and Olivia's cooking kept us happy to be out on the bay.  There's nothing like a well-found vessel and an experienced and friendly crew. 

This season's pictures so far...

Nowadays the small craft carried on pleasure boats are called water toys;  ours have names and personalities, from Roscoe the rowboat that's a delight to row to Cappy the North Haven dinghy, here sailing in Pulpit Harbor last week.

Roscoe is a lapstrake wherry I built in our shop thirty years ago. Cappy was built on North Haven Island a century ago, not far from where she's pictured.

photo courtesy of Ralph Smith

Our annual Rotary charter featured eleven swimmers in fifty degree water, a new record.

They had stopped shivering in time for a group picture by the end of the trip.

We've only been by seven lighthouses so far this season and expect to see and tour a lot more of them on our lighthouse parade and full moon cruise boarding July 6th.  Castlebay has again signed up to start off our music and boat show cruise with a deck concert Sunday night, August 3rd.  That cruise also includes a ticket at the end of the cruise to the Maine Boats, Homes, and Harbors Show in Rockland.  The tug Cadet is scheduled to be on display in the water at the show.  Give us a call; as of this morning, there's still space on quite a few trips in 2014.

Crew's News

           Brad, the former deckhand and current yard watchman, has image biographies of this season's crew which he posted on the American Eagle's facebook page.  Here are a few of his pictures.

Logan

Gerard and Christa

Mike

Postcards from shipmates  

No new ones for a while, but Joan sent us a boat picture from her habitat project in Sri Lanka.

photo courtesy of Joan MacPherson

Alternate pricing

With the current interest in finding the best price for almost anything, there is a way to come sailing and contribute to a worthwhile cause, other than keeping this National Historic Landmark working.  We donate trips for worthy causes and the ones you can bid on for 2014 include the Elissa Plankowners Auction June 7th, Windjammer Days in Boothbay Harbor, a raffle at Windjammer Days and the  Penobscot Marine Museum gala fundraiser auction in July.  All are a trip for two to be taken in 2014.