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BAMA X 2
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Posted: Wed Jul 12th, 2006 07:14 pm | 1st Post |
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Unless you have been on a Windjammer cruise before you might be surprised how much different it is than the type of cruise most of us are accustomed to.
Day 1-July 1st
We arrived at the Dock in Rockland, Maine on Sunday night at about 6pm and brought aboard all our luggage and stored it in our tiny cabins. When I say tiny, I mean tiny! It made an inside cabin on the major cruise line look like an owners suite in comparison. Each cabin had either a twin size or a bunk bed set up. Each had a sink with hot and cold running water. And each had just enough floor space to stand and change clothes one at a time. My Son Josh and I along with My Dad, Brother, Brother in Law and Nephew shared the Schooner with a crew of four and fourteen other passengers.
Captain Brenda Walker arrived at 7pm for Captains call. It included an introduction of the Crew and the other passengers. It also included a tour of the ship, Rules and regulations and safety instructions. It was much like a very informal muster on a regular cruise. After that we were all off to town for dinner a couple of Maine Microbrews and a game or two of Darts before heading back to the ship to crash for the night. The weather was so nice I decided to bring my bed on the deck and I slept under the stars Along with the first mate and a couple of other passengers. I ended up sleeping on deck every night of the cruise along with an ever-growing number of others.
Day 2-July 3rd
The next morning after a few last minute supplies was loaded, we motored out of Rockland Harbor and everyone helped hoist the sails. We had near perfect weather and excellent winds for the entire cruise. The only time we were under motor power again was on the last morning getting us back into Rockland harbor.
With only an occasion lull in the winds we along with 17 other windjammers were off under sail to meet and raft up that evening in a secluded area somewhere along the Maine coast. After sailing all day the fleet sailed into the harbor and Rafted up Side by side, anchored by a single ship in the middle. This was an amazing site. It also offered us the opportunity to move from ship to ship and tour the entire fleet at our leisure. Ships cannons were fired, diner was finished and the entire fleet became one party. Just a note here about the food. Ilene, the cook on the “Evans” was phenomenal! She put together meals on a wood stove that absolutely blew everyone away. One dish that stood out was blueberry flavored BBQ pulled pork. Here in Bham we have some of the best BBQ restaurants in the world and I have tried most of them. None of them even came close to the flavor of this dish. Eileen said she would post the recipe on the website so keep an eye out for it. I do not have the words to describe how good it was. I crashed on the deck again which always made for some incredible early morning photo ops.
Day 3- July 4th
After Breakfast the ships began to separate from each other in preparation for the Great Schooner Race. All 17 Schooners in three different classes were to race a course set around the Islands of Penobscot Bay. The race lasted almost all day so there were always other schooners around us. We were in the slowest class and started in the first group. The Capt. said it would give us the opportunity to see the others behind us and then see them again as they all passed. The Evans was not built for speed it seems but it was fun none the less. The race ended in the harbor of Castine, Maine. We dropped anchor and discovered we were anchored next to Eric Claptons Yacht “Blue Guitar”. Didn’t see Eric however.
It had become cloudy and much cooler. My Son Josh (13) decided to take me up on my promise to swim with him. I did everything I could to get out of it but finally went down and changed into my swimsuit. I grew up in Maine and know how icy cold (52 degrees) the water is. Josh and I arrived back on the deck at about the same time and before I knew it he jumped overboard. I jumped just behind him. The shock of coldness made my entire body go numb and took my breath away. Within minutes there were 16 others from our boat in the water. There were other boats around cheering as each of us jumped in. Josh and his uncle swam about 100 yards to another windjammer and boarded. I shot video of the swim. I noticed when I watched it that everyone on the other boats was wearing jackets and the camera was shaking violently because I was shivering when I was filming.
Fog set in around dusk so we mostly heard fireworks over Castine rather than actually watching them. After the fireworks we hung out on the deck for a couple of hours listening to Brandon (nephew) on the drums and Kevin (brother) on guitar. Everyone choose their place to sleep on the deck and crashed.
Day 4 July 5th
Thick fog engulfed our ship when I woke up. I looked around and noticed what looked like ghost ships around all around us. This was the best photo op of the trip. As the thick fog slowly burned away the windjammers around us began to appear. I will post these shots in a few days.
The Captain, First mate, a few others and myself boarded the yawl boat after breakfast and went into Castine for lobsters. A couple of us were dropped off to get some other supplies while the Captain and the others went to buy lobsters for the Island lobster bake later in the day. When she came back to pick us up she was angry. As it turns out the market price for lobsters was about $5.00 a pound. In Castine however the price was closer to $9.00 a pound. I can get live lobster here in Deep Dixie for not much more than that. So the moral of this story is don’t buy your live Maine Lobster in Castine.
We sailed most of the morning and pulled into a cove of a small island. The crew loaded up the yawl boat to set up our afternoon Island lobster bake. They did a fantastic job. The bake not only included melted butter for the lobster it also included Champaign. We all hung out on the island for the afternoon and then sailed toward our last harbor of the cruise. We sailed into the night. It was long after dark when we finally dropped anchor.
And a wake up. July 6th
The next morning the Yawl boat motored us back to where we started in Rockland. I have only scratched the surface of this cruise. We had an excellent crew. We also were lucky enough land on a boat with an outstanding group of fellow cruisers. The ship is very small compared to the commercial cruise lines. It was great to be able to connect for a few days with such a great group of people. Josh filmed a docu-drama while on board. I was a little concerned he would bother the others while filming. Every one of the crew and guests not only encouraged him but also participated in the project.
This type of cruise is not for everyone. If you are interested however search the Maine Windjammer Association on the Web. Click on “fleet”, then click on the Issac H Evans. The web site will tell you everything you would like to know about it. We had a blast and can’t wait to do it again. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them if I can.
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nhrich
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Posted: Wed Jul 12th, 2006 07:21 pm | 2nd Post |
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| Great review, Bama. Sounds like a fun time (although I know DW wouldn't have any part of it).
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BAMA X 2
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Posted: Wed Jul 12th, 2006 07:40 pm | 3rd Post |
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Rich,
No DW?????
That sounds like it might be a great reason to do it!!!!!
BAMA-------->did not just post that. Last edited on Wed Jul 12th, 2006 07:43 pm by BAMA X 2
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nhrich
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Posted: Wed Jul 12th, 2006 07:48 pm | 4th Post |
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BAMA X 2 wrote: Rich,
No DW?????
That sounds like it might be a great reason to do it!!!!!
BAMA-------->did not just post that.
Actually, I was thinking the same thing when I wrote it. :monkeys:
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mrtractor
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Posted: Wed Jul 12th, 2006 11:25 pm | 5th Post |
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Either you were on your very best behavior or you really only scratched the surface!
Thanks for the review. I think that's the first one you've ever written!
How about your world renouned "Top Ten" list??????
MrTractor<-------isn't sure if he should fear the "O"s or not!!!!! 
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hstrybuf
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 12:37 am | 6th Post |
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Thanks Bama! A very interesting review! I'm not sure if I could handle the small cabin, but the rest of it sounds fantastic! I'm looking forward to seeing those pictures!
MrT, glad to see you finally broke your silence. :D
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BAMA X 2
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 03:05 pm | 7th Post |
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T-Bone is in daaaaa Hooouuussssse!
Thanks for posting.
I did only scratch the surface and I was on better than normal behavior.
As far as a top 10 list goes, it would be a good one but the other Evans cruisers are not on this board. It wouldn't mean much to anyone else.
There were a few photos taken that make any of our cruise photos look tame in comparison. That would be the downside of sleeping on the deck.
BAMA------->did not have a clue that there was a blow-up doll on board!
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xpcdoojk
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 03:20 pm | 8th Post |
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Welcome Mr T.... 
It is amazing to read any statement by Bama more than a paragraph long with out the words Bite Me in evidence! I am still in shock.
Don't be shy!
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BAMA X 2
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Posted: Thu Jul 13th, 2006 07:27 pm | 9th Post |
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xpcdoojk wrote:
Welcome Mr T....
It is amazing to read any statement by Bama more than a paragraph long with out the words Bite Me in evidence! I am still in shock.
Don't be shy!
JC,
If you will notice there is a very special "Bite Me" attached to every post.
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debinnh
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Posted: Mon Jul 17th, 2006 12:59 am | 10th Post |
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Rick and I did a schooner cruise out of Camden Maine as our "first cruise" . It is an awsome experience. Nothing like a big ship cruise, but worth every relaxing minute. And the food is not to be forgotten. I still use the recipes that I got from the Roseway, the schooner we sailed.
I would recommend the experience to any adverterous sailor! Our cabin was just like BAMAs but we had a "skylight" to let in fresh air at night. I wish I had thought about sleeping under the stars. Great idea.
Any word on a Feb FOMT cruise yet?
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???? I need to book something!
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BAMA X 2
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Posted: Mon Jul 17th, 2006 07:28 pm | 11th Post |
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Deb,
Not sure of FOMT plans past November PE is doing a reunion cruise with Fran.
Barb (BG) and I also cruised on the Roseway back in the early '80s. She is currently for sale (The Roseway not Barb.). Why dont you and Rick buy her and invite FOMT down for a cruise?
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seawitches
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Posted: Mon Jul 17th, 2006 10:56 pm | 12th Post |
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great review, now where's the pics....... I would love to do this. No makeup, no washing, no changes of clothes, and best of all....... no bra!!
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goincruisin
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Posted: Tue Jul 18th, 2006 12:59 am | 13th Post |
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WOW! What a great review... sounds like an amazing time! Now, I've slept on deck on a cruise before, but it was by accident 
Truly sounds like a wonderful vacation... I would love to do this some day. Really looking forward to pics!!!
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gurlwithbaggage
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Posted: Tue Jul 18th, 2006 01:00 am | 14th Post |
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| Wow! That sounds like a great experience! Thanks so much for posting this review!
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goincruisin
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Posted: Tue Jul 18th, 2006 01:00 am | 15th Post |
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Okay, just found the pics, off to look now!!
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planersedge
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Posted: Mon Jul 24th, 2006 11:52 pm | 16th Post |
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So, how early do you have to get out on deck to save your sleeping space for the evening? Can you save it with an old magazine? Or you need to leave somethinng more substantial? :out of it:
PE
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hstrybuf
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Posted: Tue Jul 25th, 2006 12:39 am | 17th Post |
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planersedge wrote: So, how early do you have to get out on deck to save your sleeping space for the evening? Can you save it with an old magazine? Or you need to leave somethinng more substantial? :out of it:
PE
*snicker, snicker* That's what day old Jockey shorts are for! 
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goincruisin
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Posted: Tue Jul 25th, 2006 03:42 am | 18th Post |
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hstrybuf wrote: planersedge wrote: So, how early do you have to get out on deck to save your sleeping space for the evening? Can you save it with an old magazine? Or you need to leave somethinng more substantial? :out of it:
PE
*snicker, snicker* That's what day old Jockey shorts are for!
That's exactly what I was thinking! LOL!!
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BAMA X 2
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Posted: Tue Jul 25th, 2006 03:37 pm | 19th Post |
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planersedge wrote:
So, how early do you have to get out on deck to save your sleeping space for the evening? Can you save it with an old magazine? Or you need to leave somethinng more substantial? :out of it:
PE
The first couple of nights I didn't need to save a place. As the good spots became more popular I would bring my matress on the deck and mark my spot. I am sure "underwear" would have worked but I only brought one pair and the thought of going commando on the cool Maine nights and the "shrinkage" issues involved with that and the icy waters ruled out giving up the shorts!
I know this was more information than you needed but since you are a FOMT I wanted you to know.
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Rumncoke
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Posted: Tue Jul 25th, 2006 09:20 pm | 20th Post |
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BAMA X 2 wrote: I am sure "underwear" would have worked but I only brought one pair and the thought of going commando on the cool Maine nights and the "shrinkage" issues involved with that and the icy waters ruled out giving up the shorts!
What difference would that make, Denise wasn't there. 
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BAMA X 2
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Posted: Tue Jul 25th, 2006 10:47 pm | 21st Post |
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Rumncoke wrote: BAMA X 2 wrote: I am sure "underwear" would have worked but I only brought one pair and the thought of going commando on the cool Maine nights and the "shrinkage" issues involved with that and the icy waters ruled out giving up the shorts!
What difference would that make, Denise wasn't there.
The difference is if Denise would have been there, there would have been someone there to do my laundry!
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BAMA X 2
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Posted: Sun Jul 30th, 2006 05:07 am | 22nd Post |
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| I finally got some pics posted on the pics thread.
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