Windjammers want more Mainers to take schooner staycations

EAST BOOTHBAY — The water glistened in the sun as Capt. Becky Sigwright took her place at the helm of the Lewis R. French. On Wednesday, a dozen or so passengers mingled on the deck, coffee cups in hand. That morning, they had climbed out of snug bunks to a breakfast of cherry-and-apricot kolaches and a view of Cabbage Island, where the schooner had moored for the night and where they had enjoyed a lobster bake the night before. Nathan Sigwright, the captain’s husband and first mate, called them to action. It was time to set sail. On this schooner — which at 155 years is [the oldest known](https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/5bbe0d51-bd13-4abd-8c28-3938be719f96) in the United States — raising the anchor requires manpower. “I’m going to get anybody who is willing and able — or even a little unwilling, it doesn’t matter to me,” the first mate shouted. The passengers met his easy grin with smiles of their own, and some moved to help the crew. Messmate Crystal Gehr led a sea shanty as they worked: “Haul away, you rolling king, heave away, haul away, haul away, oh hear me sing, we’re bound for South Australia.” Advertisement The French was, in fact, bound for Windjammer Days in Boothbay Harbor. The annual festival was one stop on a six-night voyage for the schooner, which is one of a small number of vessels that tour overnight passengers up and down the coast, a tradition that dates back nearly 100 years. This season, some schooners are offering discounts to in-state residents, hoping to attract more locals to a uniquely Maine experience. “It has a special mystique,” Mark Gimbel, one of the directors and organizers of Windjammer Days, said. [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/43668026_20260624_schooner-crew_4.jpg) Micah Wright, an apprentice aboard the Lewis R. French, hauls up the mainsail on Wednesday. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer) A LONG HISTORY Becky Sigwright was 17 years old in 2011 when she left New Hampshire for her first apprenticeship on a schooner in Maine. She still recalls that gleeful entry in her journal: “I’m on a ship.” In 2022, after years of working for others, she bought the Lewis R. French. Now, at 32, she’s the only woman captaining one of the nine vessels in the Maine Windjammer Association. What is a windjammer? The association [defines](https://www.mainewindjammerfleet.com/what-is-a-windjammer-anyway/) its members as traditional sailing vessels specializing in hands-on, overnight cruises in the Midcoast. The important thing, according to the association, is that most of the work on their boats is done by hand, rather than with electric winches and other modern technology. Advertisement Jenny Tobin, the association’s manager who owned the French for 18 years with her husband before selling it to Becky and Nathan Sigwright, said the state’s coastal islands offer the perfect conditions for windjamming. “There’s such a concentration of these historic vessels that have been built in Maine and kept up by the people of Maine who have dedicated their lives to them,” she said. [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/43668026_20260624_schooner-crew_5.jpg) Part of the deck and a passing sailboat are reflected in the sunglasses of Capt. Becky Sigwright while she sails the Lewis R. French on Wednesday. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer) The Lewis R. French launched in 1871 in Christmas Cove. In the ship’s library, a red folder contains copies of newspaper clippings from the 100-plus years the schooner hauled canned goods and fish and timber. In 1884, the Portland Daily Press published a story with the headlines “Winter Breezes” and “The Worst Gale Known For Many Years.” The article described winds at 60 mph, heavy rain and damage to a number of vessels in the city’s harbor. The Lewis R. French had to be towed “from an exposed position near the rocks at House Island,” the report said. Another dispatch from the Bangor Daily News in 1927 under the headline “Hot Time On Little Craft” described a fire that badly burned the schooner. The Sigwrights said it was rebuilt as a sardine carrier. Related [State is rightful owner of sunken ship near Bar Harbor, judge rules](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/06/23/state-is-rightful-owner-of-sunken-ship-near-bar-harbor-judge-rules/) In the 1970s, the French became a passenger vessel. The 101-foot schooner can take 21 guests and has a crew of five. It operates today with no engine, only sail power. If the wind dies, a motorized yawlboat gives the two-masted schooner a push. Advertisement A bronze plaque near the helm declares it a National Historic Landmark. Eric Larson, 68, of Ohio, booked trips on the French more than a half dozen times. The history is one of the things that keeps him coming back, he said. “At our age, it makes us feel young,” he quipped. NOT JUST FOR TOURISTS [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/43668026_20260624_schooner-crew_8.jpg) Deckhand and messmate Nancy Norton put out a pot of lentil stew during lunch aboard the Lewis R. French on Wednesday. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer) Susie Mullen lives near the Belgrade Lakes and has been windjamming on the French for years. She’s often the only Mainer on board, she said, and she sometimes brings a friend or family member so they can see their state in a new way. “As many times as I’ve been on this boat, I’ve always seen something new,” Mullen said. This year, the nine vessels in the Maine Windjammer Association are offering discounts of between 10% and 40% for Mainers on certain trips. Prices vary based on the voyage and vessel. The French, which sails out of Camden, lists prices between $1,120 and $1,675 per person before the discount for cruises of different lengths in July. Advertisement Related [How to get away this summer without leaving Maine](https://www.pressherald.com/exploremaine/) Tobin said summer bookings started a little slow amid the high cost of plane tickets, so the vessels decided to do extra marketing to locals, who don’t have to fly. They also tied the promotion to America’s 250th anniversary. “There are tons of people who think tourism on the coast is just for tourists,” Tobin said. “We take people away from the tourists out into the beautiful islands.” ‘CAMPING WITHOUT THE ANTS’ [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/43668026_20260624_schooner-crew_6.jpg) The chef aboard the Lewis R. French, who goes by O.B., holds a pan of green bean salad as the schooner tacks while sailing on Wednesday. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer) On Wednesday, the air smelled like salt, smoke and the curried lentil stew the chef was making for lunch on the French. The passengers raved about the baked halibut he made two nights prior on the cast-iron woodstove in the galley. Guests and crew ate together. “It’s essentially an outdoor vacation,” Larson said. “It’s like camping with a gourmet chef.” “It’s like camping without the ants,” fellow passenger Leo Straight added. Straight, 68, lives in Vermont and booked his first windjamming tour in the early 1980s because of an ad in Yankee Magazine. He’s been coming back ever since, mostly for trips on the French. The passengers aren’t required to help — “Anything you may, nothing you must,” the captain said — but Straight was usually the first one to join the crew when Becky Sigwright called a command from the helm. Advertisement Crew members spent Wednesday morning swabbing the deck, restocking wood for the stove, prepping the green bean salad to go with lunch — all while chatting with guests as they lounged. These trips follow the wind instead of a firm itinerary. “Each day is different,” said Gehr, 36, one of two messmates. “It changes depending on the weather.” [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/43668026_20260624_schooner-crew_3.jpg) Crystal Gehr, a deckhand and messmate on the Lewis R. French, lets out a jib line as the schooner tacks while sailing on Wednesday. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer) Nathan Sigwright had never really sailed until he met his now-wife in 2021. “It’s a good job for people who want to find out about themselves,” he said. What has he found out about himself? “I’ve got a lot to learn,” he said. “I needed to tighten up. Here, you want people to trust your judgment.” Advertisement He paused, and added: “I learned a lot of knots.” Related [40 Most Beautiful Places in Maine](https://www.pressherald.com/2019/01/01/25-most-beautiful-places-in-maine/) As the French got closer to Boothbay Harbor, the water became more crowded. It was time for the Gathering of the Fleet, a traditional spectacle at Windjammer Days. [The festival goes through Saturday.](https://www.boothbayharborwindjammerdays.org/) There were more than a dozen tall ships, surrounded by many more sailboats and sightseeing vessels. Becky Sigwright was calm and cheerful as she navigated the traffic. Soon, the passengers would have the chance to go ashore to watch the parade and shop before dinner. The captain planned to get a blueberry cheesecake ice cream. But first, she had to announce herself to the spectators lining the waterfront. “Fire in the hole,” she shouted to her passengers and crew ahead of the blast. “Close your ears!” With a ceremonial shot of its small gun, the French had arrived. [](https://w2pcms.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/43668026_20260624_schooner-crew_12.jpg) Apprentice Micah Wright furls the jib sheet on the Lewis. R. French, while captain Becky Sigwright uses her yawlboat to assist the schooner Heritage in setting anchor in Boothbay Harbor on Wednesday. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer) Copy the Story Link Tagged: [Boating](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/boating/), [boothbay harbor maine](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/boothbay-harbor-maine/), [Midcoast](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/midcoast/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/megan-doyle) [Megan GrayStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/megan-doyle) Megan Gray covers the outdoors and tourism at the Portland Press Herald. A Midwest native, she moved to Maine in 2016. She has written about presidential politics and local government, jury trials and. [More by Megan Gray](https://www.pressherald.com/author/megan-doyle)