Lewis R. French, National Historic Landmark schooner in Camden, Maine
The Lewis R. French is a two-masted wooden schooner about 65 feet (20 m) long, docked in Camden, Maine, and listed as a National Historic Landmark. The vessel has 12 passenger cabins and operates both as a museum ship and an active sailing vessel on the coast of Maine.
The schooner was built in 1871 at Christmas Cove on the Maine coast and spent its early decades carrying cargo along the New England shoreline. Over time it shifted to fishing, and was later restored to remain in active use rather than being retired to a dock.
The Lewis R. French is one of the oldest wooden vessels still sailing in the US, and guests can take an active role in handling sails if they choose. Watching the crew navigate using traditional methods gives a direct sense of how sailors worked on these waters generations ago.
The ship runs sailing trips from late spring through mid-autumn along the Maine coast, and booking in advance is strongly advised. Bring sturdy shoes, as the decks can move and the passages between cabins are narrow.
The ship's galley still uses a wood-fired stove to cook fresh meals every day, a feature carried over from the vessel's working days. This makes the kitchen one of the few places on board where the original way of doing things has never changed.
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