One of my goals for the second half of my life is to do things that are outside of my comfort zone. In June, I sailed on the Windjammer Angelique around the Penobscot Bay in Maine with a group of women. Of the roughly fifteen women on the boat, I knew only four.
I have never gone on a women-only travel adventure before. Traveling is something I do as a family or as a couple. But my dear friend Mary-Anne loves to sail and she loves to spend time with her female friends. So each year she invites a group of women to join her for a week of sailing around Maine. This year she invited me.
“Yes!” I enthusiastically said before completely realizing what I was agreeing to. “Where are you sailing?” asked my husband. “I don’t know!” I had no idea just how factual that statement was until we got on the boat that first day.
A Windjammer cruise is an ambling sail that depends entirely on the winds. There is no set itinerary because there is no guarantee what or where the wind will be. Can I tell you how crazy that is for someone like me? I am a type A planner. I even know where we will have our meals as we drive across the country!
This laissez faire attitude to travel was a bit unsettling at first, but it was an adventure. So, in my small cabin, I took a deep breath, settled into the gentle rocking of the boat and made my way to the deck.
Mary-Anne is a planner like me. But she is far more adventurous, and this is what draws me to her. Her infectious laugh and ever ready smile makes everyone around her want to have fun. And try something new. She had the entire week planned out and had given us all ample warning to bring dress up clothing, prepare for a lobster bake, and even do karaoke and line dancing.
The captain of the boat is an amazing fellow who was by turns salty and fun. He takes his job seriously and wants to make sure all of the crew (we ladies included) have fun and do some work as well. Dylan the first mate was a true Mainer with a big smile but a heavy dose of snark thrown in. I loved the crew so much.
We set sail in mid-June and the weather was very cold. Dressed in a down coat and layers, I sipped tea from a steaming mug and sat looking out at the water, with lobster boats and land passing by us.
Scanning the coastline I looked for seals, whales and dolphins. Over the course of the week I was able to clearly see seals and dolphins but only glimpsed a whale … and a Great White shark!
During the course of the journey the weather turned from cold to sauna hot. We baked on a deserted island while cooking our lobsters and corn. Almost all of us donned swim suits and took the plunge into the cold Atlantic Ocean. And every one of us slept soundly each night as the boat rocked gently and we were lulled to sleep by the lapping water on the sides of the boat.
My favorite takeaways from this trip were multifold. Experiencing a trip with a group of women is amazing. We shared with each other some stories from our lives, we felt free to sing off key at karaoke, we dressed up and looked silly. We were also free of judgement for those who chose not to participate in line dancing. We had ample time to sit in solitude either on deck or below and let the water, the wind and the beauty help each of us reset.
I know that I want to go on the Angelique again. Hopefully, I will make some more connections with new people next year. I am also actively looking for opportunities to travel more on my own in women only trips. The sense of freedom I gained from that week away in Maine was like a nourishing meal after a long absence of food.
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