Aboard the Victory Chimes
 It is the most relaxing, restorative
vacation you could imagine. Pack up your day-to-day
cares and leave them on the dock--you won't miss
them at all. You'll be much too busy
savoring the simple pleasures of shipboard life:
the time to read a good book, the tranquility to
snooze in the warmth of the afternoon
sun, the freedom to go wherever the wind takes us,
the adventure of discovering a new harbor every evening.
You'll find special places
ashore, too, whether we're lying off an unspoiled
island beach or a salty seafaring port.
On the Victory
Chimes, passengers seem to get to know each other
more easily than they might at a
land-based resort. We think it's because the atmosphere
is so restful, so conductive to chatting over breakfast
or sharing the thrill of seeing a porpoise trace
crescents above the waves. But there's also plenty
of time and space for being quietly alone, simply
gazing at the sea.
 Don't worry about getting lax with your exercise
regimen--unless you want to! Before or after the
day's sail, you can swim, give your biceps a workout
in the rowboat, go for a run, or take an energetic
walk along the shore. If you're a sailing buff, or
are eager to become one, the captain and crew will
invite your help hoisting and lowering the sails.
To hone your navigational skills, you can practice
plotting our course with the compass and chart laid
out just for passengers, or practice marlinspike
seamanship with a crew member.
Once
the anchor is down in the evening, we enjoy gathering
on the main deck to toast the day. We provide the
hors d'oeuvres, and you're welcome to bring soft
drinks or spirits for your personal consumption (for
safety and in consideration of other passengers,
we of course cannot tolerate excessive drinking).
We always look forward to dinner with great eagerness--what
with the marvelous aromas coming from the galley,
it's all we can do to wait until the brass bell is
rung! You will feast on lobster and other unique
hardy New England fare that our Chef prepares daily.
All meals are included from fresh blueberry pancakes
in the morning to homemade breads and desserts at
lunch and dinner. After sharing in an informal sing-along
or slipping away for a final look at the stars, it's
time for a good night's sleep. You'll find you sleep
like a baby and awaken refreshed, ready for a big
breakfast! Both breakfast and dinner are served in
the main saloon. Lunches are usually served on deck
as we sail along.
Accommodations
 The
Victory Chimes size makes her a very comfortable
vessel. Her 132 feet of deck space offers
plenty of room for you to grab one of our over stuffed
deck mats and stretch out, or you can find a secluded
spot to catch some rays or to snuggle up with a good
book. Two full size on-deck showers are available
for your convenience in the forward house. Down below,
the large saloon where meals are served offers a
great spot as a respite from the sun or weather,
or a place to play cribbage or other games available
on board. We also have a large selection of books
for your reading pleasure.
Aft
of the main saloon, the passenger accommodations
open off the airy companionway. All are outside
cabins with opening portholes, and all are at least
six
feet by eight feet, with nine feet of headroom.
All have hot and cold running water, good reading
lights,
and large berths with comfortable mattresses, pillows,
sheets, and warm blankets. Some cabins accommodate
two, while larger ones have multiple berths just
right for families. Single cabins are also available.
Each cabin is comfortably
spacious with storage areas for your belongings.
We have three special
suites that are ideal for the honeymoon couple or
those who require a little more in the way of creature
comforts. Each of these cabins has a double bed,
hot and cold running water and it's own head (toilet).
The decor is a little more "yacht like" with
a stocked library. They are available on a first
come first serve basis at a slightly higher cost
than our regular cabin and based on double occupancy.
If interested please inquire.
Captain's Log
What can you expect on a Victory Chimes cruise? Following are some of the
Captain's thoughts and observations during a recent season.
June 1: First sail with Sound School, will
have these sail training students aboard for two weeks. Had a great night
sail this week. Great to see the kids enjoying the Maine coast and this
historic vessel. -Capt Files
June 8-11 First sight of whales this season off
Swans Island! -Capt Files
June 13 -15 Had a great weekend Files family reunion
on board. Found out 2nd Mate Robert, is a talented guitar player serenading
the guests -Capt Files
 June 17-20 Great to be back on Penobscot Bay for
another season. Fog finally lifted. A spectacular sight seeing all the
Windjammers, sailing like they did on the bay a hundred years ago. -Capt
Files
June 22-27 Boothbay Windjammer Days.
Saw a Minke whale off Monhegan on the way up to Boothbay. Great
lobster feed on Linaken Bay hosted by the Boothbay Chamber. Parade
was called early as fog rolled in. Saw a basking shark (The first
I have seen in these waters) and puffins on our way back down
to Rockland. -Capt Files
June 29 Baylor Academy on for two
weeks. Had a big schooner Gam with 14 vessels tied up together-what
a sight. Governor King and wife stayed aboard, so we renamed
the suite he stayed in, in his honor. -Capt Files
July 13 Fleet decided on Carvers
Cove for Schooner Gam. Enjoying my first trip taking her this
season and having Joyce, and my three boys aboard. This Gam is
something the fleet does for itself. We don't decide where we
are going until the day of the event and then we all raft up together.
What a treat for the passengers who visit from boat to boat and
experience American Maritime history up close and personal-available
no where else in the entire country.-Capt DeGaeta
July 17 Saw twin baby bald eagles
in a nest on sheep Island. -Capt Files
July 22 Saw Finback whale off Acadia.
Enjoying great summer weather.-Capt Files
July 27 Great weather continues
We keep hearing of the heat wave up to the southward. Nice here!-Capt
Files
August 3 Monday night at Bucks Harbor,
where they close off main street for the Steel Band music festival
every other week. Close your eyes and you swear you are in the
Caribbean Islands, they are that good! Gorgeous week of weather,
made it to Somes Sound, the only Fjord on the U.S. East Coast.
-Capt DeGaeta
August 10 Visited historic Castine
this week. The Dutch, French, British and Americans all fought
over this strategic location that guarded the great ship building
timbers of the Maine old growth forests. Got some great sailing
breezes. Had the vessel doing 10 knots this week on a beam reach.
What a ride as 400 tons of schooner cuts a course across the bay.
-Capt Files
Aug 17 Touch of fall this trip.
NW breeze blew the fog out and made for crystal clear nights.
Clear enough to locate star constellations you never see in cities.
You can even track satellites as the pass overhead. -Capt Files
Aug 20 Anchored in Isle au Haut,
part of Acadia National Park. Saw lots of deer. Real pretty.
-Capt Files
Aug 24 Northern Lights have been
spectacular. Great evening shows, a real treat. -Capt Files
Aug 31 Camden Sail-In week. As always
a great time. We won the passenger talent show again this year.
The trip into tight Camden Harbor is always a show stopper for
a vessel as large as the Chimes. Not much room but what a sight
to see this schooner in such a great harbor. -Capt Files
Sept 7 Wooden Boat Sail-In week.
The last gathering of the fleet for Ô98. As always a great
time. The steel band played ashore for our guests. -Capt Files
Sept 14 June Knowles on her 52 trip.
Lots of return passengers on this week. We remembered a few of
our special friends, like John Leonard, who are no longer around
to make the trips, with a memorial service. -Capt Files
Sept 21 Mother nature is starting her paint job . You can start
to see the foliage change. -Capt Files
Sept 26 Family and friend cruise, had Joyce and
a dozen close friends up from Florida avoiding the squelching heat. Also
family
from Toronto, and a mini-reunion for the 509th Parachute Infantry Bn. of WWII-America's
first combat paratroops and my Uncles old outfit. Foggy but a fun time.-Capt
DeGaeta
Sept 30 Last cruise of the season. A high-pressure
system provided one of those clear spectacular views of this beautiful
bay that we cruise on-you can
see
for miles. The Camden hills are afire with autumn colors. Sailed through
Leadbetters Narrows, granite and pine so close you can almost reach out
and touch it.
Spent
one day off North Haven riding the hook as a gale blew through, the next
day was a marvelous sail. Another great season, we sailed with over 750
Victory
Chimes family members this year!-Capt DeGaeta |
