FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

There is relatively little likelihood that you will experience seasickness. Mary Day is a big schooner steadied by the wind in the sails. The boat will heel when there is wind in the sails but she stays at a fairly constant angle of incline and even that doesn’t exceed 15 degrees or so. Because we sail inside the islands that make Penobscot Bay so interesting there are no ocean swells. That said, if you are one of those people who get seasick looking at a picture of a boat, this is probably not the vacation for you. If you sometimes get motion sickness in a car that is probably a sign that you will want to bring your favorite motion sickness remedy. Take that remedy an hour before we leave the dock so it has time to kick in. During our Nature and Photography Cruise at the end of June we head out to the offshore to see pelagic birds including Atlantic puffins. Out beyond the islands you will experience ocean swells. Check with your family doctor to see what remedy works best for you. A couple tips if you’re concerned: 1) take your remedy before we get underway for the day 2) don’t spend time below decks where you can’t see the horizon, 3) Take a turn at the wheel where your attention will be focused on steering.

You’re not alone. Neither does the captain…. just kidding…. kinda, sorta. You don’t need to be a hardened salt to enjoy sailing along the Maine coast. We have a professional crew who are more than willing to teach you how to participate safely. Take a turn at the wheel, haul on lines, learn about charts and navigation, learn how the sails on a boat actually make it move. Every boat is different so even if you are a hardened salt we might well do things differently than other boats you have been aboard. Each season we also have a sail training cruise where you get to be a part of the crew. We’ll touch on a whole bunch of topics during the course of our sailing and seamanship course, all of which give you a great introduction into being crew aboard a large sailing vessel.

That is fine. Most guests don’t know each other when they climb aboard. The magic of a windjammer cruise is getting to know people from all over the place. Because we strictly forbid talking about politics, religion and professional sports, we tend to find we have more things in common than we thought. We are constantly amazed at how quickly people get to know each other. We have had several couples who met aboard Mary Day many years ago, fell in love and were married. Not during the cruise, mind you. While the captain can perform weddings at sea, unless you have the official paperwork before you come aboard, any last second weddings are good only for the duration of the voyage.

We love kids! We even had two of our own. But the “excitement” of sailing doesn’t always engage a young sailor’s mind. That is why we have an age limit for young ‘uns under 15. We know, yours are different. We have met some 15-year-olds who are more mature than some 50-year-olds. Call us, before you reserve, if you have any questions.