Windjammer Schooner Lewis R. French — Local services in Camden

I'd been wanting to come back and sail around the island of Penobscot Bay for decades and finally made it for a four day voyage in September 2019. The whole experience on the French far surpassed everything I'd hoped for and dreamed of. The French is the oldest windjammer in the fleet and as much of the equipment as possible is kept as it was in the 1800s so that guests can experience what it was like sailing long ago (the chef uses a wood stove only, the passengers can help weigh anchor on an ancient windlass, no motor onboard at all, and so forth), so this was all exciting.

The schooner is family-owned by Captain Garth, Jenny and their boys and you really feel part of their family as they only take a maximum of 21 guests and everyone gets to know each other. A great thanks to Jenny, also a captain, friendly and efficient, for organizing all the voyages.

Exploring the islands of Penobscot Bay was so much fun, most of the small ones are uninhabited and perfect for hiking, playing, swimming and lobster bakes and marveling at the beauty of Maine nature. The French carries two rowboats to play with and to get people on and off islands, and a yawl boat for pushing when needed in the harbor.

The crew of three young women, Darcy, MacKenzie and Kat, were extremely and impressively capable at sailing that boat, incredibly hard working, long hours, friendly and patient all the time, answering questions and explaining, letting us help, . The gourmet food was divine and lots of it all day long, beginning at 6 with a "pre-breakfast" or whenever you wander up onto deck with coffee and freshly baked scones or cinnamon rolls or muffins, all intriguing flavours, and moving on through amazing buffets of homemade everything for three other meals, hors d'ouvres, snacks, five loaves of bread baked a day...

Captain Garth is the French's real treasure - he's a skilled and ultra competent captain, deciding where to go by how the wind is blowing, (a refreshing concept); witty, making everyone laugh all the time, reading sailing stories to us on the beach, an absolute encyclopedia of information and great stories, and a good teacher too. Somehow he gets the boat positioned each evening for maximum spectacular sunsets and sunrises, in calm protected waters.

Singing and trivia night were great fun, stargazing at night, we took turns handcranking ice cream and had loads of toppings, birthday cakes, pies. If you anchor nearby another schooner, it's even more fun, but I leave it to you to book a trip on the French to find out why!

P.S. And I loved my little bunk - it was comfortable and I slept very well. P.P.S. And...

As the oldest schooner in the fleet, the Lewis R French presents a unique charm. The experience brings with it a history, not only of the boats longevity, but also of her crew. Each captain to have owned the French has served under the previous captain so her traditions carry on. Our family, and others we have met on the ship have come aboard through multiple generations. Our son got to experience the same ship his grandfather had routinely visited during the two previous captains. The latest captain, Becky Wright, has done a marvelous job with her crew and her passengers (honorary crew, should you like to assist with the duties). I wish her the best as she grows and develops the traditions, new and old, of the Lewis R French. Great crew, great food, meet a diverse group of passengers from around the world, have fun, eat lobster with a rock on an island beach, go out on "Pete" and row about as the sun sets, sing songs in the galley, play cards on the deck, heave-ho and raise the many sails, breathe in the salty mist as she tacks through the waves on a windy day. There's special events you can schedule (get on the list a good year ahead to get the trips you desire most), like boat races and barging all the schooners together for a big gathering out on the bay. Always an experience to remember, no matter the journey you choose. Thanks for a memorable trip, Captain Becky! I'll have to build back up my trumpet and guitar chops for...

Three nights and two days (one of which was the hottest day in 25 years of regional weather history) of pure relaxation amid the islands on cool and breezy Penobscot Bay! All the passengers could work as hard or not at all as they liked in handling the 1871 schooner or watching or assisting the amiable chef, OB, manning the woodstove in the tiny galley, as he turned out amazing butternut squash soup, gougeres, garlic scape risotto, pear and ginger muffins, homemade ice cream and more, feeding 20 of us including 5 crew, and made it look easy. Coffee and a freshly baked coffeecake or muffins appeared at 6 am, followed by multi course breakfast at 8, lunch, pre-dinner snack and dinner. Our first day out we feasted on a lobster bake preceded by chicken kabobs and other apps, and Maine's red "snapper" hot dogs. Maybe they're trying to fill us up before the promised all-you-can-eat lobster, I thought. But no way! All four of us each enjoyed two lobsters a piece and were offered more. So much left over that we had lobster poached with butter and Old Bay for breakfast, along with two homemade pies we didn't have room after enjoying the two we savored. The staff were friendly, efficient and attentive and the fellow guests were interesting and likeable, After getting over the initial adapting to glamping in the compact but surprisingly stowable cabin and the welcome small but mighty shower, all my expectations...