The Accommodations

What can I say? If you're looking for a spacious, luxurious cabin, you won't like this at all. If you're looking for a wonderful vacation and can put up with slightly cramped quarters in pursuing your adventure, the accommodations are just fine. The literature warns you to pack light, since there's little room to stow stuff. I had a cabin with an upper and lower bunk all to myself, so I used the lower bunk to stow my luggage and slept in the upper one. There was a small porthole and a sink with hot and cold running water; an electrical outlet, a light bright enough to read by, and a little shelf for toiletries. Oh, yes, and some hooks for hangin' stuff up. That's about it!

Bebe and Sam had a cabin with a double bed and a private head. Of course, the head took up most of what would otherwise have been floor space! It's almost one of those "standing room for one person at a time" kind of cabins. So... one of them got to sleep in late... or, at least, had to stay in or on the bed... while the other one got ready for the day. When the first person finished, the other one got up and got dressed.

But, in the long run, it really didn't matter. I was only in my cabin to sleep. And I was warm and cozy in my little bunk bed.

As for the rest of the boat: most daytime activity - weather permitting - is topside. There's plenty of deck space, and there are plenty of places to sit and watch the scenery, chat with crew members or other passengers, or read a book.

Lunch is normally served topside and is always plentiful and casual, with fixings for sandwiches; soup; a hot dish like macaroni and cheese; and homemade bread and desserts.

Hors d'oeuvres are also served topside. They aren't fancy, but they're plentiful and they're good. Simple stuff, roasted potato wedges with a couple of tasty dips - not at all fattening!; toast squares with melted cheese and bacon bits, or veggies with dips. Bring your own drinks, though. The only beverages provided are coffee, tea, and juice. And while a glass of wine or two before dinner is no problem, excessive drinking isn't encouraged or tolerated, which makes the trip on such a small boat much more pleasant!

The 'saloon' is where breakfast and dinner are served, family style, at two large tables. It's also where almost everybody gathers in the evening, to chat, read, paint a picture, play cards... The interior walls are dark wood, the light is soft, and the mood is cozy.

There is one shared 'head' below (practically outside my cabin door) almost all the way aft, and another two forward at the top of the companionway out of the saloon.

Speaking of companionways... as part of the orientation, you are told to always back down these ladders that connect the upper and lower decks. It's interesting to watch people using them: the women almost all heed the warnings and back down. Many of the men simply will not. I guess admitting that your foot could easily slip off of the narrow tread isn't a macho thing to do. No matter how much they're gently nagged, the men continue to do whatever is necessary to treat the companionways as if they were regular staircases. The women just shake their heads.

There are two hot water showers, starboard and port, that are shared by all the guests. Water is limited, so you're asked to conserve by turning it off after you lather up and while you scrub down, then turn it back on to rinse off. The showers were clean and the hot water was a treat, considering that we managed to hit the coldest, wettest June they'd seen for a while in Maine.

The food was uniformly good. The galley crew slaves away almost endlessly in the small, hot kitchen and their efforts are greatly appreciated. Some of the menus are included in the pages that follow.

Although the boat isn't very big, with no more than 40 passengers and a fairly small crew, it's quite comfortable.

The Victory Chimes was declared a National Historic Landmark on September 26, 1997. She's the last 3-masted American-built schooner and largest passenger vessel still sailing under the U.S. flag. It's expensive to preserve her and keep her sailing. So they put in as many cabins and accommodate as many guests as possible to help pay the bills. Although the cabins are small and lack TVs, phones, and other amenities you normally find on large cruise ships, it's well worth being a little cramped in exchange for the privilege of contributing to the preservation of this national treasure and for the experience of cruising Penobscot Bay under full sail in a truly beautiful and historic schooner.

You can read more about the Victory Chimes and her history at www.victorychimes.com/