Camden Maine: Schooner Surprise Day & Sunset Sails

4.93

(111 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect to feel so quiet out there on Penobscot Bay. We’d barely left Camden Harbor when the wind shifted and suddenly everything—the chatter from the docks, the smell of coffee from that bakery on the corner—just faded behind us. Our captain (I think his name was Eric?) pointed at Curtis Island Lighthouse and told us about a keeper who once rowed across in winter. I tried to picture it, but mostly I just watched a seal pop up near the rocks. The air tasted salty, almost cold even though it was June.

The crew seemed to know every inch of these waters. At one point someone handed me a pair of binoculars—there was an osprey circling above Mount Battie, and you could see its nest tucked way up in a crooked pine. I’m not much for birding usually but it felt different out here. There were only maybe a dozen of us on the schooner (cushioned seats, thank god), and everyone sort of fell into this gentle rhythm together—passing around wine bottles, laughing when someone’s hat nearly flew off. Someone asked if they could help with the sails; next thing I knew, we were all tugging ropes and pretending we knew what we were doing.

Sunset crept up slow behind Camden Hills—gold light over those big old summer houses along the shore. It got chilly fast; blankets came out from under benches (they’re scratchy but warm). There was live acoustic music for part of our sail—nothing fancy, just a guy with a guitar humming along as we drifted back toward town lights flickering onshore. I kept thinking how small everything looked from out here, even worries I’d brought with me.