For Information on our Sailing and Navigation series, daysails, charters, or sailing lessons, visit our Midcoast Sailing Center Page
Captains' Quarters Schedule - Winter 2024-2025
Join us online for fascinating conversations with Captains. Registration is free. Please register for each talk that you will be viewing live. Recordings will be made available following each event.
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January 7, 2025 at 6:30pm
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January 21, 2025 at 6:30pm
Captain Alexander Peacock - Sailing Schooner Bowdoin to the Arctic (2024) Registration required: To Register, Click Here This online talk will begin with an introduction by museum founder Captain Jim Sharp who will be joined by Capt. Alexander Peacock of the Arctic Schooner Bowdoin. Built specifically for Arctic exploration in 1921, she has sailed for over 100 years. This was the ship's 33rd trip to the Arctic and the first in 16 years. Crewed by 9 Maine Maritime students as well as professional crew, she braved high seas, icebergs, and "katabatic" winds caused by super cold air flowing downhill. Boat and crew traveled 4,575 miles during the 8 week trip, reaching their objective to sail north of the 70th Parallel, approximately 240 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Schooner Bowdoin is the official sailing vessel of the State of Maine, the flagship of Maine Maritime Academy, and she was the first ship designed for Arctic exploration. |
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February 4, 2025 at 6:30pm
Harbormasters' Roundtable Registration required: To Register, Click Here Join us for an engaging online talk featuring three of our local harbormasters. We are excited to welcome harbormasters from Belfast (Kathy Givens), Rockport (Abbie Leonard), and Rockland (Molly Eddy). Attendees will gain a deeper appreciation for the vital work these harbormasters do to sustain and enhance the vibrancy of our coastal communities. Whether you’re a boater, local resident, or maritime enthusiast, this presentation offers a fascinating look at life behind the helm of Maine’s harbors. This online talk will be hosted by museum founder Captain Jim Sharp and museum Waterfront Programs Director Captain Jen Feeney. |
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March 4, 2025 at 6:30pm
Battle of Ice and Ink with author Darrell Hartman Registration required: To Register, Click Here We are excited to invite you to join us online in welcoming author Darrell Hartman. He will share the thrilling story of a 60-year saga of frostbite and fake news that followed the no-hold-barred battle between two legendary explorers to reach the North Pole, and the newspapers which stopped at nothing to get (and sell) the story. Detailing the competition between American explorers Robert Peary and Frederick Cook to lay claim to the discovery of the North Pole as well as the rivalry between newspapers New York Herald and New York Times, this story will captivate mariners, sailors, adventurers, and adventurers-at-heart. The author will be introduced by museum founder Captain Jim Sharp. |
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March 18 2025 at 6:30pm
In Slocum's Wake with author Nat Warren-White Registration required: To Register, Click Here Written for sailors and non-sailors alike, In Slocum’s Wake is an autobiographical tale of a hard-won circumnavigation aboard a 43-foot cutter. We are honored to host the sailor and author for this online talk. Nat Warren-White's five-year journey follows many of the same passages and roughly traces much of the route followed by Joshua Slocum who, in the late 1800s, became the first person to sail alone around the world. In Slocum’s Wake compares the challenges Warren-White faced aboard his South African-built sloop, Bahati, with those faced by Slocum aboard his 37-foot Chesapeake Bay oyster-fishing vessel, Spray. The two boats are similar in design and capability though built more than 100 years apart, one in wood, the other in fiberglass. The two captains are similar in background and stature, though born almost 100 years apart. To both men, navigating the world's oceans came from a similar motivation: "...a natural outcome of [a] love of adventure, [and] of [our] lifelong experience" in, on and around the sea. Museum founder Capt Jim Sharp will introduce Warren-White. |
Additional Captains' Quarters Dates (details to be announced soon):
- February 18, 2025 at 6:30pm - TBD
- April 1, 2025 at 6:30pm - TBD
- April 15, 2025 at 6:30pm - Mapping Ocean Stories. Registration coming soon! Mapping Ocean Stories is a collaboration between The First Coast, Maine Sea Grant, College of the Atlantic (COA), and the Island Institute. The goal of the Mapping Ocean Stories project is to find, collect, archive and share oral histories from coastal community members in Maine. The project seeks to document the voices of Maine fishermen and fishing community members so that the stories of our past are remembered and celebrated. The knowledge of fishermen and fishing community members, aggregated from oral history interviews and historical documents, can help illustrate important issues faced by these industries and the communities they call home.
Boat Talk Schedule - Winter 2024-2025
Join us for coffee and donuts at 75 Mechanic Street, Rockland, Maine for exciting in-person talks and demonstrations! Registration is requested, and $10 admission gratefully accepted at the door.
Saturday Mornings at 9:00am
February 1, 2025 Buying and Selling Boats - with Maine Design Co, Marine Surveys -- Click here to register!
February 15, 2025 Outboard Engines - with Jeff's Marine -- Registration coming soon!
March 1, 2025 - Marine Electronics with Hamilton Marine -- Click here to register!
March 15, 2025 - Sails and Rigging with Bohndell Sails and Rigging -- Click here to register!
March 29, 2025 - Marine Coatings and Finishes with Epifanes -- Click here to register!
April 12, 2025 - Marine Safety Equipment with Chase Leavitt -- Click here to register!
Join us for coffee and donuts at 75 Mechanic Street, Rockland, Maine for exciting in-person talks and demonstrations! Registration is requested, and $10 admission gratefully accepted at the door.
Saturday Mornings at 9:00am
February 1, 2025 Buying and Selling Boats - with Maine Design Co, Marine Surveys -- Click here to register!
February 15, 2025 Outboard Engines - with Jeff's Marine -- Registration coming soon!
March 1, 2025 - Marine Electronics with Hamilton Marine -- Click here to register!
March 15, 2025 - Sails and Rigging with Bohndell Sails and Rigging -- Click here to register!
March 29, 2025 - Marine Coatings and Finishes with Epifanes -- Click here to register!
April 12, 2025 - Marine Safety Equipment with Chase Leavitt -- Click here to register!
NEW for 2025! Coastal Piloting and Navigation Class
with Captain Jen Feeney
Every Saturday in February at 11am.
75 Mechanic Street, Rockland, Maine 04841
$200 for the 4-week course
Registration required: Click here to register and pay
Master the essentials of navigation, developing the skills and techniques to confidently navigate coastal waters! This course focuses on the fundamentals of marine navigation and coastal piloting to ensure safe and accurate passage-making.
Perfect for beginners or boaters looking to strengthen their foundational navigation skills, participants will learn the time-honored techniques of coastal piloting, emphasizing practical tools and methods for safe and accurate navigation.
Key topics include:
Reading and interpreting nautical charts
Using compasses, bearings, and landmarks for piloting
Plotting courses and fixing positions with triangulation and running fixes
Applying dead reckoning to estimate positions and track progress
Understanding tides, currents, and their effects on navigation
Integrating basic electronic navigation tools with traditional methods
Through hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios, participants will gain practical experience in chart plotting, voyage planning, and problem-solving on the water. Whether preparing for short coastal trips or advancing your maritime knowledge, this course provides the skills and confidence needed to navigate with accuracy and safety.
with Captain Jen Feeney
Every Saturday in February at 11am.
75 Mechanic Street, Rockland, Maine 04841
$200 for the 4-week course
Registration required: Click here to register and pay
Master the essentials of navigation, developing the skills and techniques to confidently navigate coastal waters! This course focuses on the fundamentals of marine navigation and coastal piloting to ensure safe and accurate passage-making.
Perfect for beginners or boaters looking to strengthen their foundational navigation skills, participants will learn the time-honored techniques of coastal piloting, emphasizing practical tools and methods for safe and accurate navigation.
Key topics include:
Reading and interpreting nautical charts
Using compasses, bearings, and landmarks for piloting
Plotting courses and fixing positions with triangulation and running fixes
Applying dead reckoning to estimate positions and track progress
Understanding tides, currents, and their effects on navigation
Integrating basic electronic navigation tools with traditional methods
Through hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios, participants will gain practical experience in chart plotting, voyage planning, and problem-solving on the water. Whether preparing for short coastal trips or advancing your maritime knowledge, this course provides the skills and confidence needed to navigate with accuracy and safety.
MUSIC - 2025
Music is part of the very fabric of our maritime heritage. Ballads and sea shanties were all part and parcel of life at sea and on shore and their influence can been heard in the music of today. There is debate about their origins, but historians have traced them back well into the 15th century. With close ties to folk music of the British Isles, the instruments, lyrics, and melodies remain popular with modern audiences.
At the Sail, Power, and Steam Museum, we honor this music and are proud to have built an audience who shares our love of traditional music. From Sunday Music Jams, to concerts of internationally known musicians, we invite you to join us in these musical offerings throughout the year.
At the Sail, Power, and Steam Museum, we honor this music and are proud to have built an audience who shares our love of traditional music. From Sunday Music Jams, to concerts of internationally known musicians, we invite you to join us in these musical offerings throughout the year.
Sunday Afternoon Music Jams - Every Sunday, All Year Long!
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Every Sunday from 1:30 -4:00pm
Bring your instrument of choice, warm up your vocal cords, and prepare to tap your toes! Click Here to see a sampling of one of our jams. (caution - you're gonna want to start dancing!) |
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