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THE PERSONAL TOUCH
What the Victory Chimes has
is the personal touch. Capt. Richard "Kip" Files and his eight-person crew
make sure every passenger has a special experience. "The first
question I ask in an interview," says Files, "is not 'Can you sail?' but
'Do you like people?'"
It shows. During
their brief moments of rest during the day, the crew is more likely to
be found interacting with the passengers than hiding in the crew's quarters.
Jeff, the first mate, circulates during his breaks, telling jokes
and asking where passengers are from. Carolyn, second mate, has a bachelor's
degree in environmental science and tells passengers about the
history of environmental restoration along the Maine coast. Mike teaches
interested passengers how to splice lines and perform other ropework.
Some evenings, Carolyn and Sarah, a galleymate with a remarkable voice,
lend their guitar-playing to a singalong on deck where we all sit looking
up at a clear view of the Milky Way.
Capt. Files is just as approachable.
Meals aboard are family-style, and Files spends breakfast and dinner with
his guests, telling stories and getting to know them as if they were staying
in his own home. After he gets the Victory Chimes underway each day, a
few passengers usually drift back to the quarterdeck to learn about navigation
and the history of the Maine coast from him. There is a separate set of
charts (or "chahts," as a local would say) for
passengers to plot the course as the Victory Chimes winds her
way through the
coastal islands.
Passengers can meet the
new people on board and spend time talking with them, they can spend hours
in private contemplation, they can take part in sailing this living museum
under sail, or they can simply watch the scenery from the comfort of their
lounge chairs. Some choose to explore the islands and towns where the vessel
anchors each evening; others watch the sunset on the deck with a mug of
hot chocolate. Regardless of what they do, passengers
receive personalized care along with their chance to get away from
it all while surrounded by the beauty of the Maine coast and its pink and
gold sunsets.
Michelle Flint, on board 1997
COOL
STUFF IN TOWN
The Rockland area hosts special events and festivals on most summer
weekends.
These include Schooner Days, the Great Schooner Race, Windjammer Days
in
Boothbay Harbor, Swans Island Music Festival, the Wooden Boat Sail-in,
the
Down East Jazz Festival, the Fourth of July parade and fireworks, the
North
Atlantic Blues Festival and the Wild Blueberry Festival. Call
the Rockland
Chamber of Commerce at 207-596-0376 for schedules.
Bob Linde, on board, 1997
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