Cruise Weddings

A lot of people have discovered the romance of having their wedding on a cruise. And why not - what could be more romantic than exchanging vows at sea!

Most cruise lines offer highly flexible wedding packages that feature a memorable way to wed or renew vows which include perks like candlelit wedding chapels, photographers, bridal bouquets, wedding cake, champagne toasts with keepsake flutes and much more.

For the latest news in wedding at sea take a look at the last two news announcements at Prow's Edge.



Maine Windjammer Cruises and their special weddings at sea

Cunard Line wedding cruises for weddings at sea

Windjammer Gatherings of the Fleet

At certain times of the year and for special events the sailing ships of the The Maine Windjammer Association get together in what is called the “gathering of the fleet”.

It is a rare thrill to see all these beauties together.

The line up for 2011 gatherings includes:

• Schooner Gam – Week of June 13th, 2011
Kick off the summer season with a windjammer gathering of the entire fleet! Relive the age of sail during this quiet rendezvous of more than a dozen 19th-century-style sailing ships. Location is determined by the weather of the day!



• Windjammer Days – Week of June 20th, 2011
Participate in a grand sail parade through picturesque Boothbay Harbor. Majestic windjammers come from up and down the coast to participate in this exciting early-season event. Shoreside activities include music and fireworks.



• Great Schooner Race – Week of July 4th, 2011
More than two dozen tall ships gather for an exciting all-day race in which guests may participate. This year marks the 32nd anniversary of the Great Schooner Race, North America’s largest annual gathering of tall ships!



• Maine Windjammer Parade – Friday, July 15th, 2011
The entire windjammer fleet participates in an afternoon Parade of Sail past the mile-long Rockland Breakwater, providing spectators with stunning, close-up views of Maine’s fleet of tall ships. Festivities also include tours of the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse, free trolley rides to satellite parking areas and Owls Head Transportation Museum flyover.



• Music Festival – Week of August 1st, 2011
Many of the windjammers gather midweek for the Sweet Chariot Music Festival on Swans Island where more than a dozen groups perform traditional music of the sea. Fleet also gathers on Friday night for live shipboard performances ranging from sea chanteys and blues to story-telling and folk.



• Camden Windjammer Weekend – September 2nd & 3rd, 2011
The fleet gathers in picturesque Camden Harbor for festivities reminiscent of the days when hundreds of coastal schooners lined the waterfront. Festivities include a parade of sail, flag-raising ceremonies, live music, dancing and fireworks. 


• WoodenBoat Sail-In – Week of September 12th, 2011 (Tues. Sep. 13th)
The fall gathering of the fleet takes place in Brooklin, Maine, headquarters of WoodenBoat Magazine and WoodenBoat School. Now in its 25th year, the event includes refreshments, live music, tours and a harbor full of historic schooners.

For an overview of the ships of the Maine Windjammer Association, take a look at the Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine profile at http://www.prowsedge.com/cruise-lines-maine-windjammer-cruises.html or for more information about the Maine Windjammer Association visit the web site at http://www.sailmainecoast.com

Maine Windjammer Cooking Earns Rave Reviews

Imagine cooking three “squares” a day for 30 hungry guests in a kitchen the size of a walk-in closet? Don’t even think about using mixers, Cuisinarts or a gas stove…you are restricted to using hand utensils and piling logs into an antique wood stove that’s often tilted as you sail past the islands off mid-coast Maine!

Welcome to the world of Windjammer Cooking!

The good news is that two of the chefs battling these conditions have shared a recipe each for the Captain’s Table pages of Prow’s Edge Cruise Magazine at http://www.prowsedge.com/cruises-chef-paul-dorr.html and at http://www.prowsedge.com/cruises-chef-cara-lauzon.html.

More good news is that sailors and landlubbers alike can now recreate even more of these delicious dishes at home, using the newly released cookbook, Windjammer Cooking: Great Recipes from Maine’s Windjammer Fleet.

The 154-page cookbook, a collaboration between each of the 12 captains in the Maine Windjammer Fleet and Smith/Kerr Associates, LLC, features chapters about each windjammer, including histories of the vessels, 115 breathtaking, full-color photographs, and 60 recipes.

An introductory chapter describes the windjamming experience and guides the reader to the various islands in the Penobscot Bay area—the sailing grounds of the fleet—and a charming treatise on the traditional Down East Lobster Bake, which is a hallmark of every windjammer cruise.

Windjammer Cooking: Great Recipes from Maine’s Windjammer Fleet is available at a retail price of $27.00, the book is available in select bookstores or online at www.sailmainecoast.com.

THE MAGIC OF THE WOODEN SHIPS

Following on from our news about the Maine Windjammer Association being featured in Patricia Schultz's NYT bestseller 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, here is a wonderful video by Eniko 1 at You Tube which gives a great taste of the magic of the oldest fleet of historic vessels offering sailing vacations in America.

MAINE BY SCHOONER - ONE OF THE 1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE

It's not often that a vacation idea like cruising is named as of the 1,000 places to see before you die - but that is just the honor awarded to the offerings of the Maine Windjammer Association in Patricia Schultz's NYT bestseller 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.

On page 640, the introductory heading states: "The Greatest Sailing on the Eastern Seaboard" followed by a nice write-up and photo by Fred LeBlanc.

"Quite a few of our guests," says the Maine Windjammer Assocoiation, "found out about us through this book."

The oldest fleet of historic vessels offering sailing vacations in America was established in 1936 and has been the cornerstone of the industry for over 60 years.

The schooners offer an opportunity to cruise among the spruce-clad islands of Maine in a convenient, exciting, and historic way. They sail with no inboard power, as they did a hundred years ago, with wind and canvas still providing this unique way to travel in the 21st century.

The authentic turn-of-the-century coastal cargo schooners, Grace Bailey & Mercantile, have been lovingly restored and recognized as National Landmarks.

Maine Windjammer Cruises offers a variety of weekend cruises and 3-, 4-, and 5-day cruises from through October. There are also pre-season cruises and Fall Foliage cruises.

For more information see the Prow's Edge cruise line profile of Maine Windjammer Cruises or visit the official Maine Windjammer Association web site at www.sailmainecoast.com

Photo courtesy Maine Windjammer Cruises