Maine Windjammer Cruises

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Mary Day
Day 3: Pulpit Harbor, North Haven to Camden

Ben McCanna

    Years ago I rented a two-room, off-the-grid shack in north-central Vermont. It was sited on a hilltop acre of mixed forest and pasture, and had a sprawling view of the distant Green Mountains. When the snow melted during the first spring, I started building a stone bench where I planned to sit, take in the view, and relax. When it was done, I built another seat higher on the hill. When that was done, I built a swing between two hemlocks. These were all fine perches, and yet I continued building. By mid-summer, I'd built no less than eight seats on which to relax, but I seldom sat in a single one. It soon became apparent that sitting was not relaxing for me, but the endless pursuit of relaxation inexplicably was.

    As I climb onto the deck of the Mary Day in the morning, I watch as the crew fires up the motorized windlass, the chain spools onto the deck, and the Mary Day sails off her anchor toward Camden. The extended deck crew handles the lines, the galley crew washes our breakfast dishes, and I take a seat alongside the other passengers on the quarterdeck near the captain's helm. Abaft, a flock of seagulls draft effortlessly behind the mainsail.

    I suddenly have a greater understanding of the fastidious Captain Barry. Here's a man who values his guests' relaxation above all else; a man who toils endlessly to provide a relaxation that he values so highly yet may never pause long enough to enjoy. After all, this is a guy who was married on the Mary Day on a Sunday morning, then cleared the decks and boarded passengers that very same night.

    The feverish degree of Captain Barry King's selflessness is nothing if not admirable.

    Upon crossing Penobscot Bay, we coast under light airs into Camden Harbor, lower the sails, and motor to the dock. Before the passengers depart, Captain Barry gathers them around for a parting speech. He asks us to think twice before we turn on our cell phones, check our e-mail, or read the morning paper.

    "Don't undo in three minutes, what took three days to achieve."

Coming soon: Three nights of wine tasting aboard the Stephen Taber.

Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 in Permalink