Camden, Maine

September 30, 2021

Happy Thursday friends! As I mentioned yesterday, I am excited to spend the next couple of weeks sharing with y'all some recap posts from the girls trip that I took four years ago through New England, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia (along with some new posts from this time that I never shared also!)! I hope that it encourages you to consider taking a road trip (in part or in whole depending on your circumstances) this fall to these beautiful places in the world.

With the world slowly opening back up to some travel, the places that we went to and explored and the posts that I will be sharing are really good options (especially for those - who like myself) are extremely cautious with health reasons as we were outside and separated away from others so much. I hope that these can be adapted for your own personal needs.

As I shared in my last post about the trip, we spent some time at the Cape Neddick Lighthouse in York, Maine (you can read about it HERE) before driving approximately 2 and 1/2 hours to Camden, Maine.

Camden is an adorable seaside town that offers gorgeous views and a quaint and lovely town. You can see more pictures from the town (HERE) and our stay (HERE) and today I am excited to share about an opportunity we had to go on the Maine Schooner Olad Sunset Cruise while we were there.

Our cruise was extremely close to our hotel (Lord Camden Inn), and was only about a 2-3 minute walk to the harbor where we were met and checked in for the cruise. We were a few minutes early so we had a couple of minutes to walk around the harbor which was simply adorable.

As we enjoyed viewing the boats, it became time to get ready to go on the cruise, the Schooner Olad.

The Schooner Olad (originally known as the "whistle binkie") was designed in 1926 and launched in 1928. It was owned by Alexander Smith who was originally from New York.

Smith kept the boat for years and used it for sailing in the New York and Massachusetts waters. Unfortunately, during the great depression he was forced to sell his beloved boat. The boat changed hands again before the Mason Family bought it in the 1940s.

The Mason family is credited with renaming the boat the Schooner Olad.

After the Mason's the boat traveled to the Caribbean where it became a charter boat, until the 1960s when it returned to Massachusetts. At that time it became part of the Province Town sail fleet, where it stayed until 1985.

After this John Nugent purchased the Schooner Olad and brought it to Camden, Maine where it has remained.

The rich history of the boat fits with the history of the cruise itself and the unique experience that this once-in-a-lifetime memory holds.

While each sailing trip is unique the classic remains. On our trip we were able to see Maine's beautiful coastline, other sailing ships, shore birds, a gorgeous sunset, and lighthouses.

The trip has a relaxed atmosphere and our captain, Matt, and the assistant, Zoe where both fantastic.

Each were attentive without being intrusive and it was obvious that both had a passion and knowledge of the history of the ship, the company, the sea, and the passengers on board.

Our cruise held approximately 20 people... families, couples, and friends who were all excited to see the beauty of this area from the water.

You can bring snacks and drinks on board (I definitely recommend picking them up from French and Brawn... an adorable shop located just up the street from the harbor), which many people did.

For what to wear people came in all different outfits- from a bit dressier to completely casual. I would definitely wear something that you feel comfortable in and if you are going in the early fall months like we did definitely bring something warm to wear.

I wore black leggings and brought a warm sweater and blanket scarf for the evening and it was the perfect amount of clothing. The ship also provides wool blankets for those who need them.

Another extra thing that is nice is that they will take a picture of the group you are traveling with and give you the picture as a souvenier of your trip. It is a great little keepsake of the whole experience to treasure.

I would definitely recommend this experience if you are in Camden, Maine. I loved the whole thing.

It was such an amazing opportunity to be out on the water, to see and experience the Maine Coastline in this unique and memorable way. There are so many different opportunities to take advantage of with this experience. It is a great activity to do as a date or with a group of friends. You could even get a group together to enjoy this! Our Captain, Matt, was telling us that the tour cruise before ours was a bridal party- how fun is that?

If you are interested in finding out more about a cruise, you can find out more about the Maine Schooners, including the Olad, on their website HERE. You can also find them on Facebook, HERE.

Additional Posts on Camden, Maine:

A Walk Through Downtown Camden, Maine

Lord Camden Inn Review // Camden, Maine

A huge thank you to the Olad Owl, The Schooner Olad, and to Susie for this amazing opportunity. It was truly amazing.

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Cape Neddick Lighthouse (Nubble Lighthouse) // York, Maine

September 29, 2021

Happy Wednesday friends! As I mentioned yesterday, I am excited to spend the next couple of weeks sharing with y'all some recap posts from the girls trip that I took four years ago through New England, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia (along with some new posts from this time that I never shared also!)! I hope that it encourages you to consider taking a road trip (in part or in whole depending on your circumstances) this fall to these beautiful places in the world.

I drove over to Boston and met up with my friend Ali on Saturday, September 30th. From Boston we drove through the rain north for about an hour to York, Maine, where we stopped to visit the Cape Neddick Lighthouse.

The Cape Neddick Lighthouse, also known as the Nubble Lighthouse was absolutely gorgeous with the waves crashing against the Maine coastline. It was freezing, but absolutely gorgeous.

Cape Neddick Lighthouse is located in Cape Neddick on Nubble Island in York, Maine. Commissioned in 1874 by Congress, the construction at the "Nubble" started in 1879. Congress appropriated approximately $15,000 to build the lighthouse, which is still used to this day.

There are lots of stories that surround the lighthouse, but there are three particular ones that I found really interesting.

One of the stories comes from the early 1900s. In 1912 the lighthouse keeper and his wife decided to lean into the booming tourist business that was taking place at the York beaches. They developed a thriving business that included taking tourists across to the little island where the lighthouse sits and gave tours.

Unfortunately, they were so successful that the lighthouse requirements became neglected and eventually the lighthouse keeper was fired from his position. Since that time the lighthouse has been closed to the public and has remained inaccessible.

A humorous story that came out of the Nubble Lighthouse was of another lighthouse keeper who was known to own a 19 pound cat who attracted a lot of attention. The cat was known to swim across the channel on many occasions to visit the crowds, or "his friends" on the mainland. *hahaha*

Getting food and supplies to the lighthouse proved to be a challenge, especially in the winter. Eventually in 1950 a bucket was suspended from cables from the lighthouse to the mainland. It was used for food and supplies, and on more than one occasion transported a newborn baby!

Aside from these stories emerges a rich history stating in 1602 when Bartholomew Gosnold dubbed the little island, "savage rock".

Despite the fact that many local mariners and the community had called for a lighthouse and a proposal was offered in 1837, it was later rejected.

Even after the wreck of the Isidore in 1842, the congressional approval would not come until 1874. Since its first inception in 1879, the lighthouse has remained a famous landmark that continues to provide help and protection to those traveling along the coast of Maine.

If you are interested in visiting the lighthouse it is available for viewing seven days a week. You can find out more information on the Nubble Lighthouse website by clicking HERE.

You can read all of the posts from the trip by clicking on the links below:

MAINE: