Schooner Adventure - Gloucester, MA

Last evening we were treated to an evening sail through Gloucester Harbor on the Schooner Adventure in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Actually a client of ours, Winning Solutions Game Company (www.wsgamecompany.com) sponsors the schooner asked if we wanted to go as they could not participate in the sponsors evening sail. Without hesitation, we were delighted.

This schooner was built in 1926 and designed by Thomas McManus. It is 126 feet, 6 inches long with a beam of 23 feet 6 inches. It has a draft of 13 feet, 9 inches. There were a crew of 27 that spent 27 years fishing for cod, haddock, halibut off of Georges Bank. It also carried 14 dories.

The foremast is 77 feet high and the mainmast is 85 feet. There is a total of 4,712 square feet of sail.

We come from a long list of generations of sailors, but never had the privilege of sailing on a schooner. It ended up being a wonderful evening as the captain and crew could have not made the adventure more enjoyable. We only wished there had been a little more breeze. There was a light breeze when we left the dock at 5:00 pm, but shortly thereafter the wind died down.

Once we left the dock and the skipper was able to maneuver the schooner out to some open water, he headed her up into the wind so the crew could raise the sails. Raising the sails required lots of help and muscle. They asked for volunteers to assist, which brought the experience to life for many.

We could not even imagine what it would have been like to raise the sails under heavy seas and strong winds. The entire crew would have needed to have their “sea legs”. The volunteers all seemed to get a kick out of the exercise. As you can see from the photographs, the seas were calm and the wind was extremely light.

On the way out of Gloucester Harbor and few smaller schooners were sailing into the harbor.

A fishing boat also passed by on the way into the harbor.

There is a fabulous hotel and restaurant that sits right on the coast line of the harbor called Beauport Hotel. There are 94 rooms available. A great choice for weddings, family gatherings, business meetings, or a weekend getaway. It reminded us many decades ago the coastline from Swampscott to Gloucester was previously filled with luxury hotels and resorts.

We encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to sail on board this fabulous well maintained schooner. The adventure and crew will not disappoint. You can visit their website for more information.

www.schooner-adventure.org