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Maine

Explore the Coast of Maine Under Sail: Maritime and Natural History

Program No. 8681RJ

Get to know Maine’s rugged coast and idyllic islands as you sail a classic windjammer to historic villages, pristine harbors and an uninhabited island, and see an iconic lighthouse.

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Water Sports Outdoor Adventures Regional Studies

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7 days

6 nights

17 meals

6B 5L 6D

Board Angelique/Orientation/Dinner

Camden, Maine

Sail among the islands in the bays and anchor in a new cove.

Sailing the waters of Penobscot Bay. Anchor in beautiful harbors or off islands of coastal Maine.

Sail among the islands in the bays and anchor in a new cove.

Sailing the waters of Penobscot Bay. Anchor in beautiful harbors or off islands of coastal Maine.

Sail among the islands in the bays and anchor in a new cove.

Sailing the waters of Penobscot Bay. Anchor in beautiful harbors or off islands of coastal Maine.

Island Visit, Intertidal Zone, Lobster History & Dinner

Sailing the waters of Penobscot Bay. Anchor in beautiful harbors or off islands of coastal Maine.

Sailing to Penobscot Bay

Sailing the waters of Penobscot Bay. Anchor in beautiful harbors or off islands of coastal Maine.

Arrive Camden Harbor, Disembark, Program Concludes

Camden, Maine

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At a Glance

Explore Maine’s beautiful coast and its hundreds of islands aboard the 95-foot windjammer “Angelique.” A Maine experience since the 1930s, “windjamming” is unscripted cruising aboard a traditional sailing vessel. “Angelique” is a modern day windjammer made of steel-and-wood that serves as lodge, classroom and serene retreat. Departing from the beautiful town of Camden, “Angelique” drops anchor every evening in a picturesque harbor to let you explore a fishing village, a historic town, a beach, tide pool or an uninhabited island.

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Climbing ladders onboard ship, in and out of bunks and in and out of boats; walking on varied terrain; sailing 5-7 hours each day. This program is not suitable for people who rely on walkers and/or canes for mobility due to the ladders and negotiating a tilting (heeling) deck while sailing.

Best of all, you’ll…

Lodge each night aboard the classic English Channel windjammer “Angelique,” in scenic harbors along Maine’s majestic coast.
Learn about the intriguing history of Castine, site of the worst naval disaster of the American Revolution.
Explore the wild, unspoiled beauty of an uninhabited Maine island.

General Notes

Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available. Windjammer Angelique, the provider for this program, requires a signed passenger contract from all program participants. This contract will be included in the program preparatory materials participants will receive after enrolling in the program and must be signed, or e-signed, and returned prior to the program’s commencement.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

James Kary

James Kary has more than twenty years of teaching experience, having taught in Venezuela, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Colorado, before moving to Maine in 2013. The woods and waters renewed his passion for ecosystem science, while teaching natural history at Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki, an educational organization near Bath, Maine. It also afforded the opportunity to dust off his sailing skills and spend more time on the water. In 2019, his family moved to Quebec City, where he teaches biology at CEGEP Champlain St. Lawrence.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

James Kary View biography

James Kary has more than twenty years of teaching experience, having taught in Venezuela, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Colorado, before moving to Maine in 2013. The woods and waters renewed his passion for ecosystem science, while teaching natural history at Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki, an educational organization near Bath, Maine. It also afforded the opportunity to dust off his sailing skills and spend more time on the water. In 2019, his family moved to Quebec City, where he teaches biology at CEGEP Champlain St. Lawrence.

Cipperly Good View biography

Clipperly Good is the curator and collections manager at the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine, overseeing the object, archive and library collections. She holds a bachelor’s in history and American studies from Colby College. Clipperly worked at the Williams College-Mystic Seaport Maritime Studies Program during her junior year of college, sparking her career in maritime history and maritime museums. She holds a master’s in museum studies with a concentration in American history and taught maritime history for the Proctor Academy’s Ocean Classroom.

Rachel Perkins View biography

A native of Rhode Island, Rachel earned a BS in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and an MS in resource management and administration from Antioch New England Graduate School. After spending a decade as a naturalist working with children around the country, she became a site coordinator and lecturer for Road Scholar programs on Tybee Island and in nearby Savannah, where she also worked part-time as a licensed group leader. Rachel now teaches what she calls "old-fashioned geography."

Dennis E. Gallant View biography

Dennis Gallant grew up in the mountains of Maine but fell in love with the ocean when he moved to the coast for college. In 1993, he began work on the Maine windjammers, first on smaller daysailers, then signing on as mate aboard Angelique. He held the position for 10 summers and worked as a boat builder during the winter months. After leaving Angelique, Dennis captained both schooners and yachts on the coast of Maine and beyond, racking up offshore miles on three transatlantic trips.

Daniel Brayton View biography

Dan Brayton is a professor of literature at Middlebury College, where he is a member of the English department and the environmental studies program. He has also taught for Sea Semester, the Williams-Mystic Program in Maritime Studies, Semester-at-Sea, and the California Coast and Climate Semester. Dan is a traditional boat enthusiast and avid sailor who has published articles in the magazine WoodenBoat. He grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He and his colleague/spouse, Antonia Losano, live in Vermont, where they raised two children.

Susan Gilpin View biography

Susan Gilpin has been a Maine Master Naturalist since 2019. She leads nature walks for schools, for the Falmouth Land Trust, and for the Appalachian Mountain Club at Medawisla Lodge. She has also taught natural history to adults at OLLI, the Senior College at the University of Southern Maine. She and her husband Clifford sailed the Maine Coast from Portland to Acadia National Park for 15 years. Susan has a special interest in birds and in the ecology of islands.

Suggested Reading List (6 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

Search for a Title

Explore the Coast of Maine Under Sail: Maritime and Natural History

Program Number: 8681

The Naturalist's Guide to the Atlantic Seashore

by Scott W. Shumway

A Naturalists Guide to the Atlantic Seashore is the ultimate guide to the diverse eco-systems of the Atlantic Coast from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras. From the tiniest diatom found in coastal tide pools to the giant baleen whales cruising the vast ocean, the species and habitats that make up the character of the seashore are described in detail for the enjoyment and enlightenment of beachgoers of all stripes. For more than twenty-five years, FalconGuides have set the standard for outdoor guide-books. Written by top experts, each guide invites you to experience the adventure and beauty of the oudoors." Publishers review.

The Fort, A Novel of the Revolutionary War

by Bernard Cornwall

The Fort is an historical novel written by Bernard Cornwell. The book relates to the events of the Penobscot Expedition of 1779 during the American Revolutionary War.* * From Wikipedia .org

Down East: A Maritime History of Maine

by Lincoln Paine

This book offers an enjoyable, accessible overview of our state’s maritime history, from the geography and ecology that have always shaped life in Maine, to early Native American travel and trade on our waterways, European efforts at settlement that predated the Pilgrims, wars and revolution, burgeoning international trade and shipbuilding, the continuing role of the fisheries, and present-day Maine as vacationland, with pleasure boating and yachting an interesting juxtaposition to the shipping that makes present-day Portland the largest port in New England.

The Secret Life of Lobsters

by Trevor Corson

"A fascinating Story, blending science, politics and history...the writing is vivid."-USA Today The Secret Life of Lobsters is so full of fun and fascination that youll be almost embarrassed to think that for all these years all you ever knew about lobsters was how they taste. ... This book will make you seem a genius at your next summer lawn party. Carl Safina

A Coastal Companion: A Year in the Gulf of Maine, from Cape Cod to Canada

by Catherine Schmitt

The Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators, and the Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier

by Colin Woodard

COLINWOODARD.COM "A thorough and engaging history of Maine's rocky coast and its tough-minded people." -- Boston Herald "[A] well-researched and well-written cultural and ecological history of stubborn perseverance" -- USA Today

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