On this page you'll find some shout outs to friends, some things we like, ways to get out on the water or places to visit, and other things that we may have mentioned throughout this website. We are totally biased, of course, but we hope you might enjoy them too!
There are plenty of ways to enjoy the water! Yacht clubs, community sailing centers, sailing schools and sailing camps are excellent ways to learn. If you want to experience sailing but don't own your own boat or don't yet know the ropes, chartering can also be a great way to raise the sails and cut the engine. Following are some friends of ours that take guests sailing, and offer customizable experiences. Visit their websites to learn more.
SAIL ACADIA • If you plan to visit Acadia National Park in Maine, you can sail aboard a traditional Maine Friendship Sloop while enjoying the scenery of the park from the water.
sailacadia.com
SCHOONER LILY • If you are enjoying the warmth of the Florida sunshine, you can also enjoy a cool breeze and delightful sail aboard the Schooner Lily out of downtown Stuart.
schoonerlily.com
We love museums. We enjoy visiting museums whenever we travel, so we have a very long list of museums we'd recommend. The following is short list of maritime-oriented museums along the East Coast, as well as a shout-out to the Abbe Museum, where Astra worked for years. The following list is organized from Northeast to Southwest, as if you were sailing down the coast, and all are accessible by boat.
ABBE MUSEUM • Located in Bar Harbor, Maine with a historic 1928 location also nestled inside Acadia National Park, the Abbe Museum's exhibits focus on the history and contemporary life and art of the Wabanaki Nations. Among the museum's collections you'll find beautifully made birchbark canoes.
abbemuseum.org
PENOBSCOT MARINE MUSEUM • Located in Searsport, the PMM has a lovely collection of local and traditional vessels. Their onsite displays communicate the importance of the maritime trades in Maine's history, and they have an extensive photography collection which is also accesible online.
penobscotmarinemuseum.org
SAIL POWER & STEAM MUSEUM • In Rockland you'll find the Sail Power & Steam Museum, which is also the current host of the Friendship Sloop Society. The museum's exhibits, designed by Captain Jim Sharp, share the history of the Rockland area and in the workshop you'll find volunteers rebuilding classic Maine Friendship Sloops.
sailpowersteammuseum.org
MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM • Just north of Portland, in Bath, the Maine Maritime Museum is a great place to visit to better understand the size of the commercial vessels built in Maine, both during the age of sail and the present. Take a trolley tour through Bath Ironworks, explore the old workshops of the Percy & Small Shipyard, and stand within a sculptural representation of the six-masted schooner Wyoming.
mainemaritimemuseum.org
MYSTIC SEAPORT • Mystic Seaport not only offers a variety of exhibitions, but a living history experience perfect for families.
mysticseaport.org
INDEPENDENCE SEAPORT MUSEUM • Located along Philadelphia’s waterfront at Penn’s Landing, Independence Seaport reminds visitors that the waterfront is an important part of the city’s history.
phillyseaport.org
CHESAPEAKE BAY MARITIME MUSEUM • A gem along the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the museum in picturesque St. Michael’s shares the unique vessels, history, maritime traditions, and ecology of the Chesapeake Bay.
cbmm.org
THE MARINERS MUSEUM & PARK • Surrounded by a lake and walking path, this museum in Newport News, Virginia, has a wide variety of exhibits including replicas and reconstructions, artifacts and the conservation lab for the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, an extensive collection of small craft from around the world, and a new exhibit featuring Oracle Racing’s AC72 catamaran from the 2013 America’s Cup.
marinersmuseum.org
NORTH CAROLINA MARITIME MUSEUMS • With locations in Southport, Beaufort, and Hatteras, North Carolina Maritime Museums each offer a little something different. As the resting place for many artifacts collected from the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” you’ll find everything from treasure, piracy, small craft and local tradition.
ncmaritimemuseums.org
COUNCIL OF AMERICAN MARITIME MUSEUMS • For a great reference to Maritime Museums throughout the United States, please visit CAMM's website.
councilofamericanmaritimemuseums.org
THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF A COUNTRY LAD • This autobiography by Benjamin O. Severns tells of Mr. Severns life growing up on a farm in Indiana in the early 1900s, joining the Navy during WWII, meeting his wife and starting his career as an engineer for Singer Co., and then fulfilling his dream of building and cruising aboard a seaworthy sailboat. Launched in 1985 and christened the Benelly, we would come to know and love that same boat years later as our Evelyn. We are particularly fond of this book because Severns goes into wonderful detail about his experience and methods while building the Benelly, as well as the two year cruise that he and his wife enjoyed after her completion.
Find it on Amazon.
A KETCH CALLED TAHITI • This book by John Stephen Doherty (published 1987), is the best reference for the history of the Tahiti Ketch, biography of her designer John Hanna, and stories about various builders, owners, and sailors. It is currently out of print, but it is possible to find used copies.
Find it on Amazon.
OFF CENTER HARBOR • For those who love wooden and traditional boats, Off Center Harbor is a wonderful resource. With an annual membership, you gain access to hundreds of high quality videos -- tours of yachts, building methods, sailing techniques, and much, much more. In September of 2013, on the very first night of a seven-month cruise, Lou and I were lucky enough to meet some of the Off Center Crew, and they produced a beautiful video of Evelyn that we will treasure forever.
Watch a preview of "Destination Unknown: The Tahiti Ketch Evelyn" or visit offcenterharbor.com
WOODENBOAT • Known as the "magazine for wooden boat owners, builders, and designers," WoodenBoat also offers additional resources, forums, education and more.
woodenboat.com
THE NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY • An organization dedicated to the preservation and history of American maritime culture, the National Maritime Historical Society also publishes Sea History magazine.
seahistory.org
FRIENDSHIP SLOOP SOCIETY • Lou captained a Friendship Sloop for five years, and we lived aboard her for two summers prior to purchasing Evelyn, so these beautiful boats will forever hold a place in our hearts. This organization is dedicated to the preservation of the type and her history, and maintains a catalog of all Friendship Sloops known to still be in existence. Every year, a series of rendezvous, get-togethers, and regattas are hosted in various harbors. Lou and I have been fortunate enough to have participated in the Southwest Harbor Rendezvous many times, and were excited to sail aboard the Helen Brooks (#114) in 2010 & 2012, when she placed first in this friendly race.
fss.org
LASTING FRIENDSHIPS: A CENTURY OF FRIENDSHIP SLOOPS • This book, produced by the Friendship Sloop Society, provides an excellent history of the Maine Friendship Sloop, as well as information about the boats that are still sailing.
Find it on Amazon.
THE CRAFT OF SAIL: A PRIMER OF SAILING • One of my favorite little books, by Jan Adkins, that explains the basics of sailing with beautiful descriptions and illustrations.
Find it in the WoodenBoat Store.
