Sail the Maine Coast out Quahog Bay the Eastern side of Casco Bay, Brunswick, Maine on a classic Hunter 41 foot sloop, Summer Wind. Enjoy the pristine ocean waters and feel the crisp salt breeze as you take a turn at the helm. Savor a day of peace and tranquility, the wind to your face, the warm rays of the sun, the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore as you embark on your sailing adventure. You'll see miles of endless coastline with numerous islands, catch a glimpse of harbor seals basking in the sun in their natural habitat, watch bald eagles and ospreys soaring in the sky then diving for a fish... experience the coast of Maine from a new perspective, sailing with Maine Sailing Charter.
Captain Bruce Freeman will customize your sailing experience to match your desire for a quiet glide or an exciting heel through the bay, or into the open ocean, as Summer Wind slowly slips away.
For reservations call the Freeman's @ 207.729.1638, cell 207.751.8405
Day Sail — 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM; (7 hours of sailing)
$175.00 per person, double occupancy, $100.00 per additional person for a maximum of 6 people. Lunch and beverages are all inclusive.
Sailing out of Quahog Bay into Casco Bay, sight seeing all the way with a quick lunch stop at our private mooring overlooking the world famous Crib Stone Bridge and local beaches.
Half Day Sail — 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM; (4 hours of sailing)
$125.00 per person, double occupancy, $80.00 per additional person for a maximum of 6 people. Beverages and snacks are all inclusive.
Sailing out of Orr's cove into Quahog Bay the East end of Casco Bay, sight seeing all the way.
Evening Sail 6:00 PM to Sunset;
$110.00 per person, double occupancy, $50.00 per additional person for a maximum of 6 people. Beverages are inclusive.
Sailing out of Orr's cove into Quahog Bay the East end of Casco Bay, sight seeing all the way.
Destination Cruising — A Sailing Adventure
Want to experience cruising up and down the coast of Maine, constantly changing coastline, a new port or discover a quaint anchorage for the night. Live the simple life and indulge yourself into a true sailing adventure one could only dream of. Maximum of 2 people and no cell phones, blackberry, lap tops, etc., just a good book and conversation allowed on board.
Custom Sailing Charter
Design your own private charter for you and your guest. Your charter can include special events such as anniversaries, birthdays, company outings, anniversaries, weddings, etc.
Reservations & Payment Policies
Additional information and reservations can be made by calling 207.729.1638 or Capt. Freeman's mobile phone, 207.751.8405 or drop us a note at Maine Sailing Charter, 14 Fairway Drive, Brunswick, Maine, 04011.
Payment
Cash is always the preferred method of payment. We also accept all major credit cards; MasterCard, Visa, Discovery. Credit card companies charge us to use their services therefore a 3.8% fee will be charged to offset these expenses. Payment in full will be required before we set sail.
Reservations
Reservations can be made by calling; 207.729.1638, cell 207.751.8405. To confirm your reservations we are asking for a 20% deposit which can be mailed to; Maine Sailing Charter, 14 Fairway Drive, Brunswick, ME 04011
Cancellations
In the event of inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances where the sail charter needs to be cancelled a full refund will be immediately issued to you or we can give you a rain check.
Gratuity
Typically the Captain of the vessel set the price of the charter and gratuity is not expected. As for the first mate she is the one that sees to your needs and I’m sure she would appreciate gratuity for her service.
Claudette and I invite you to join us for your sailing adventure, sailing the coast of Maine. We dedicate ourselves to taking care of your needs, making sure your sailing experience will be a very memorable one not soon to be forgotten. Your host Capt. Bruce & Claudette are bilingual, English & French.
"I wanted to write to tell you what a wonderful time Martha and I had with you both on Tuesday. Even if the sun were shining, it couldn't have been better. Good wind, Good rain, Good lessions, Good sailing, Good lunch, Good company. Thank you both so Much!"
Ellen Bennet
What Should We Wear?
Dress in layers. A wind breaker, sweatshirt, long sleeve shirt, tee shirt, jeans & shorts constitute the basics. Boat shoes or sneakers with light colored soles that will not mark up the boat deck are a necessity. Sunglasses, sun block and a hat with visor are useful. You will want to bring your binoculars, camera or camcorder to record the highlights of your Maine vacation.
Luggage
Space is always at a premium on a yacht, especially on a sail boat. Having hard luggage adds another element to the confine space on board. Where do we stow the suitcase so when we are under way it will not slide around the cabin and damage the interior casework? For this reason we recommend the use of soffit luggage. You will be able to stow it away in such a manner that it will not damage the casework in the yacht.
Maine Sailing Charter sails out of Great Island Boat Yard, Orrs Cove, Harpswell, Maine the gateway to the Gulf of Maine.
From the I-295 take exit #28, Brunswick & Bath. This will put you on U. S. Route #1 North, known as the Coastal Route. You will go through 3 sets of street lights and at the third light U. S. Route #1 takes a hard left so stay in the left lane. You will then travel approximately 4 miles at which time you will take the Cooks Corner Exit. This will immediately put you at an intersection of Route #24 South. Go Straight through the intersection onto Route #24 South and 7 miles on your left you will find the marina, Great Island Boat Yard.
- Bailey Island Motel - 8 miles to Great Island Marina or at the Bailey Island Motel's dock
- Comfort Inn - 10 miles, 15 minutes to Great Island Marina
- Parkwood Inn - 5 miles, 10 minutes to Great Island Marina
- Sebasco Harbor Resort - 16 miles, 25 minutes to the Great Island Marina or at the Resort dock
- Captain Watch `Sail Charter - Private sailing charter
- Camden Sailing Charters - Private sailing day charter
- Goddess of the Sea Cruises -Private sailing charter
- Liberation Charters - Private sailing day charters
- Maine Sailing Adventures - Public and Private sailing charters
- Sail Twilight Charters - Private sailing charter
- Johanson Boatworks - Bareboat charters
- North Point Yacht Charters - Bareboat charters
- Points East Sailing - Bareboat charters
- Tevake Sailing Charters - Private sailing charters
- Boatwise, LLC - professional boating instruction for everyone on the water
- Great Island Boat Yard - full service marina
- Maine Charters - your site to other chartering companies in Maine
- Maine Seek - information directory about Maine vacations & living in Maine
- Yacht North Group - yacht charter management
Sea Sickness?
Avoiding sea sickness while sailing is easier than you might think.
Nothing can spoil a day on the water like a case of motion sickness. When it happens at sea, we refer to it as mal de mer or sea sickness. Whatever you call it, it feels miserable when it besets us. This page then is dedicated to reducing or eliminating its severity or occurrence, or possibly preventing it altogether, so we you may enjoy your sailing adventure.
What is motion sickness?
Motion sickness is a conflict between your senses. A fluid filled canal in your inner ear that controls your sense of balance tells your brain that your body is moving, while your eyes, looking into the cabin of the boat, tells your brain that you are not moving. That conflict can cause your body to be out of balance, and we know how the digestive system feels about that.
Our metabolisms are nearly as unique as our personalities. Some preventatives will work for some people and not others. Others will work, though with varying degrees of effectiveness. You may have to do some trials and experimenting to find what works best for you. Nothing works the same for everybody.
There are two symptoms of seasickness, dizziness and nausea. Since a number of factors contribute to sea sickness and can trigger either or both parts, it makes sense to follow the following guidelines to reduce the chances of succumbing to it.
Be proactive instead of reactive, here are a few things which you can do to as a preventive measure for motion sickness, keeping the mind, body and spirit in harmony.
Prevention
1. Get plenty of rest before you go out on the water. Weariness and exhaustion can make you more susceptible to other things that can bring on motion sickness. Do your gear preparation early the day before and take care of other business well before a proper bed time.
2. Do not eat greasy or acidic foods for several hours before your sailing adventure. This includes having coffee also. You don't want to have a lot of acid or heavy, slow to digest foods rolling around in your stomach while you are rolling around on the sea. Heavy, greasy foods like bacon and eggs, sausage, waffles or pancakes with syrup, alone or combined with acidic juices like orange juice, can wreak havoc on your system and end up recycled as lunch for fishes. Consider less acidic fruits (apples, bananas, pears, grapes, melons, etc.), breads (muffins, croissants, rolls), cereals and grains as alternatives. Milk, water, apple juice, cranberry juice and other low acid beverages are gentler alternatives to orange juice or grapefruit juice.
3. Caffeinated beverages (including soft drinks) should be avoided as they are diuretics (make you urinate), which accelerates dehydration. The gas in carbonated beverages has negative responses in some, avoid them also.
4. Do not skip eating before sailing. An empty stomach can be almost as bad as one with the wrong types of food in it. Give your stomach acids something to work on other than your well-being. Give your stomach time to begin digesting you meal. Get up a little earlier if you must to eat, relax an hour or more before going out on the water. Don't overeat and get bloated either. Easy does it.
5. Drink plenty of water. Partial dehydration lowers your body's resistance to the stressful factors caused by the boat ride. Take lots of water with you and drink often.
6. Do not drink alcoholic beverages for several hours. Alcohol tends to dehydrate the body. Its other symptoms are not desirable either. Alcohol can prevent the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage of sleep, the one in which you dream and your brain rests. You may feel tired and unalert from just a few drinks, two qualities not conducive to safe boating. If you do plan on drinking, make every third drink a glass of water. It will reduce dehydration and your chances for a hangover.
7. Avoid gasoline or diesel fumes. They can put you over the edge literally and figuratively. Stay out of direct sunlight as much as possible. Avoid becoming overheated and dehydrated.
8. Again, if possible, avoid the cabin and other enclosed spaces. Sometimes, a breezy spot in the sun may be preferable to a shady spot in a stuffy cabin. The open air and ability to look out over the horizon are often more important than being in a shady spot, which can be stuffy and enclosed, limiting your view of the horizon and perhaps making you more prone to motion sickness.
9. There will be less motion towards the center of the boat, both horizontally and vertically, and it will increase with the height of the waves. Avoid the upper decks as the higher you go, the more you will experience swaying back and forth. Horizontally, you want to be amidships, towards the center, rather that at the bow or stern. The more sensitive to motion sickness you are, the closer you need to be towards the center, which is the calmest part of the boat.
10. If you are beginning to feel a bit queasy, stand up and look out over the horizon. Despite what you might think, sitting or laying down is the worst thing you can do at this point. Don't do it. This is a critical moment. You will get much worse even faster and may reach a point of no return if you make the wrong choice. Soda crackers seem to help some people by calming their stomachs and reducing nausea. Steering the boat is an instant remedy.
11. When the boat is rolling with the waves rather than moving under its own power and you are standing on deck, possibly getting hot, your resistance to motion sickness diminishes rapidly. Reduce that exposure time to an absolute minimum.
12. Have some water and fruit before. It can help by rehydrating you.
13. If someone in your party is overcome by sea sickness, get away from them at once! Unfortunately, many of us can do fine until someone else loses it. Then we have a sympathetic reaction and succumb as well. It could be the sound, the smell, the sight, or a combination of them that triggers the same response in us. You don't have to be close to your buddy at this time. There is nothing you can do to help. If you feel nauseous and about to succumb, please avoid the entry and exit areas of the boat. Hang your head over the gunwales.
Medication and Natural Preventatives
Ginger is a natural preventative. It soothes a queasy stomach and has no side effects. You can get it in pill form, tablets or powder, as ginger root in many herb and health food stores, or as pickled ginger slices at Japanese food marts and even at many Japanese restaurants. Most serve it pickled with sushi, hand rolls, and other of their dishes. It puts out the fire that too much wasabe can start.
Some doctors recommend that you can take it 12-24 hours before, as preventing sea sickness is easier than curing it. Somewhere from 1 gram up to 4 grams per day of powdered ginger is recommended. Some studies seem to indicate that ginger is more effective in the reduction of vomiting and sweating than nausea and vertigo, although they reduce those symptoms as well. You can try gingersnap cookies and ginger ale, although their lower ginger content may not be as effective. They do work for many sailors though.
Eating peppermint in conjunction with ginger is reported by as being even more effective. Since mint does have some of the same calming qualities as ginger, this may be true. Perhaps it is just the belief that it works that is effective. Regardless, it is an inexpensive and pleasant addition. An added benefit is making your breath sweeter.
Another treatment is an acupressure wrist band. It applies pressure to a particular point on your wrist, which can prevent the feeling of nausea.
Here's an interesting treatment that was found. It is a treatment that works on some after they are feeling queasy, rather than as a preventative. Immerse your feet in ice water. Anecdotal reports indicate it helps some people.
There are other preventatives, such as over the counter and prescription medications. Most should be taken in advance and not on an empty stomach. Be sure to read the instructions. Dramamine is one that has been used for years. Meclizine and bonine are also effective. You can find them at most pharmacies and drug stores. Scopolamine was used for awhile in the Transderm patches, but was taken off the market because of quality control problems, though it is now available again (as of fourth quarter 1997). Be sure to read this warning about sea sickness medications. It might give you more reasons to try other methods of prevention than medication.
Scopolamine is a prescription drug in the family of chemicals known as belladonna alkaloids (belladonna from the Italian for beautiful lady. Renaissance women took belladonna to get dilated pupils, an effect of scopolamine). Scopolamine should not be used by people with glaucoma. Its side effects can include dry mouth (the most common side effect,) dilated pupils with blurred vision, drowsiness, disorientation, confusion, memory disturbances, dizziness, restlessness, hallucinations, and difficulty urinating. When you stop using the patches you can also get disorientation, confusion, memory disturbances, dizziness, and restlessness.
Scopolamine's side effects are not predictable. You could have used it without problems many times before and still develop an untoward reaction. Some of the side effects are similar to the effects of nitrogen narcosis, and even if you're having a mild reaction to the scopolamine (and maybe not even know it) the reaction could be more pronounced at depth.
