We have purchased schooner GRACE BAILEY. We will be operating our windjamming business from this vessel.

 

We believe in preserving these historic working ships. We have a passion to share the best of Maine. We still believe in the unique magic of windjamming.

 

When the opportunity came up to continue on with GRACE BAILEY, we rallied. The GRACE BAILEY is an 1882 schooner. As you can tell in the above picture, Captain Sikkema already had a fondness for the vessel.

 

GRACE BAILEY is from the fleet of the very first windjammer business. In 1936, Captain Frank Swift saw that these grand old sailboats were being scuttled, dismantled and left behind.

 

He was the first to repurpose them into pleasure craft. Built sturdy, with lots of life left in them and a joy to sail, he began his business.

 

We carry on in that spirit. Like Captain Swift, we believe in these ships. We believe they're the best way to experience Maine.

 

We believe that nothing is more authentic than to explore the enduring rugged, beautiful coast of Maine from aboard a vessel equally rugged, beautiful and enduring.

 

We invite you to visit our new website. We invite you to sail with us along the coast of Maine that we love. We invite you aboard to tell and hear stories of our alma mater, VICTORY CHIMES. We honor her by keeping alive that windjamming spirit. We hope you'll join us.

 

Continuing with VICTORY CHIMES was not viable. Click here for past press release. 

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"We are still working to find a solution for VICTORY CHIMES' future.

 

Up to this point we have approached a couple of maritime museums about preserving the vessel and worked with two different groups to start a not-for-profit to support the vessel, both here in Maine and in the Chesapeake Bay.

 

As of this writing an answer has not been found. It is my sincere hope that the maritime preservation community in this country will rise to the occasion and find the means to save the ship." 

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- Captain Sam Sikkema