I've not taken any of the sailing classes at WB but have been there for boatbuilding classes and can tell you I never heard anything but praise for any of the on-water instructors. And you're right, it's a beautiful place to sail. If you do end up going opt for the meals option, the food is fantastic and the kitchen staff goes out of their way to make sure everybody is happy. (Disclaimer: I am not on staff at WB and was not paid for this food endorsement, it's just that good!)

George K

Thanks for responding, George. I also heard from someone on the Wooden Boat Forum who has taught those courses at the School and it sounds like they're real winners. No surprise and I'm looking forward to it already. 

   Have you been there before?  If so you know the area, but if not, make SURE to allow a few extra days to tour the dozen or so wooden boat yards, including Booklin Boat Yard where they are building the high tech wooden boat Frers 74 and even the small towns up and down the shore road..down to Rockland, Camden, etc etc, oh and the transportation museum.

   I attended the Wooden Boat school last year for the first time taking Elements I.  I had never sailed before.  The school is really well run, the instruction is excellent, the food is very good.  It's just a great vacation and an excellent value.  I enjoyed it so much I am now building my first boat, a Skerry.

Don't wait too long to sign up because all of the courses fill quite quickly.  I signed up a couple of weeks ago for the Elements II course, which I got into but tried to get into a couple of the intro building courses but they are both filled but I did get on the wait list for one of those.

Dan

Curt, no, we've not been before. We're starting to think about some travel along the coast built around the week at the School. Thanks much for the suggestions. Have you had the opportunity to sail that Dory along the Maine coast yet?   

Dan, I'm pretty much where you were, in terms of sailing experience. I did a few lessons in a sloop rigged 16 footer eons ago, all pretty much forgotten. My wife, also a beginner, will attend if we're able to get a class. And I'm also thinking about a Skerry 15 in our future. Congrats on having started your build, and thanks a lot for the feedback about your experience. Sounds like you're sold on the School. I left a message with Kim at the School yesterday, and I'm hoping to hear from her today. 

I've been an instructor there for 16 years, but get this:  I've attended the WoodenBoat School as an ordinary paying student. A real busman's holiday, just to be there and soak up the great vibes. (I took watercolor painting.  I sucked, and learned I should stick with drafting.)  Anyway, it's sleep-away camp for boat-crazy adults.  Rich Hilsinger and friends have perfected the formula.  ALL of the sailing classes there are fantastic.

Oh, and NanoShip fans can come build one with me August 16-22 in what amounts to an advanced wood-epoxy composites class.

Sorry, shameless plug.  

Some of you might be interested in their Elements of Coastal Kayaking classes.  I was up there one year with my CLC17 LT and another with my S&G Night Heron. All the good things said by others apply.

-Ivan

"NanoShip fans can come build one with me August 16-22 in what amounts to an advanced wood-epoxy composites class."

Mr. Harris,

Before I call WBS with some other questions regarding this course can you tell me how many student / observers this is limited to and will there be any "hands on"?

JP

>>>   Before I call WBS with some other questions regarding this course can you tell me how many student / observers this is limited to and will there be any "hands on"?>>>>

I've led this one a couple of times.  There's a maximum of 10-12 students, in this case building one boat.  It is VERY hands-on. A busy week with lots for everyone to do, and a variety of techniques covered.  

The Elements of Sailing classes at WBS are absolutely first rate! I've taken four boating classes there -- Elements I and II, Coastal Kayaking, and Friendship Sloop.

There is a large fleet of Herreschoff 12 1/2 sloops and their latter-day look-alikes, the Haven 12 1/2 centerboard sloops designed by Joel White, and they are used in the classes and also available for sunset sailing by students after hours.

It's an amazing place, and you will kick yourself forever if you don't do it! 

Jim 

   Thanks, John and Jim, for the good feedback. I'm convinced and hope to sign up for the Elements of Sailing I class as soon as possible, which won't be 'til Monday. Wife, too. 

   SullivanB, Yes, I did get out on the salt water a couple times in Maine last summer...once by myself and once with my Wife that was the true test of my new found Dory sailing skills!  Looks like we're headed to Port Townsend WA for 3 months this coming summer and I'm excited to sail that area!!  Planning on taking the dory there also.

Curt

   And while you are there, by the way, take some time to experience the rest of the Blue Hill Peninsula (Brooklin's at the southern end), and Deer Isle as well. Get over to Walker Pond or Toddy Pond for some decent fresh-water swimming. Kneisel Hall in Blue Hill has great classical concerts. And watch for any appearances of the Flash in the Pans community steel drum band, which puts on night-time street happenings throughout the area all summer long. As far as I am concerned, the Blue Hill Peninsula is the absolute apex of civilization. It truly is the way life ought to be!

And please say hello to Rich Hilsinger for me when you are there.

Jim

   I'll bite.  What is the NanoShip?  I can't find info anywhere on site.  A scamp killer?

   Jim, I simply wouldn't have expected Blue Hill Peninsula to be so culturally rewarding. Just goes to show ya. We're already building a bit of touring around this sailing class (the one that we're not even signed up for yet), and we'll keep the Peninsula in mind. Flash in the Pans community steel band on the Maine coast-now that's a surprise. I'll try to remember to say howdy to Rich Hilsinger for you. Thanks.

Curt, you're killing me, man. The Maine coast this last summer and Port Townsend, this next. Some people really do know how to live. I've looked at that PT area and it just has to be a great sailing opportunity. And it seems like there's always some wooden boat events up that way.

Guy, you may find this discussion of the Nano Ship on the Wooden Boat Forum of interest. I sure did. I suspect that if I were a younger man with more of a sailing career ahead of me, or if I had some serious sailing experience and the opportunity to get some meaningful cruising in, I'd be looking closely at the Nano Ship as an real option. 

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?186442-CLC-Nanoship-12-6-quot-water-ballasted-self-righting-cruising-dinghy

Curt, PT is one of the finest towns in America. 
On one of your off days wander over to the Port Townsend School of Woodworking and look up Tim Lawson. It's right up you alley, if the pics of your craftsmanship are to be believed. Tim rows a lot and is a good resource for local knowledge on the sometimes tricky waters in the area.
Save room in your bus for timber from Edensaw Woods.
Downtown is mostly tourist, and much better than it sounds. Uptown is locals and the food is nothing short of fantastic. I want to live there when I grow up.

Too bad you cut your hair, just the other day, you'll want to let your freak flag fly.

Cheers, ev

Sorry for the thread hijack folks.

And while you're at it, spend some time in Stonington, on Deer Isle. Lots of art galleries there, and eslewhere on Deer Isle Is the world-famous Haystack School of Art and Craft. If you have a full day, take the mailboat over to Isle au Haut from Stonington, but don't miss the trip back or you'll have to spend the night there!

Also, lots of galleries in both Brooklin and Blue Hill, and the Blue Hill co-op (a food market) always has an interesting local art show on its walls.

The public library in Blue Hill has amazing programs, and the little Friend Memorial Library in  Brooklin is the best small-town library I have ever seen. (If you find one or more apparently misplaced pairs of eyeglasses in the stacks, leave it there; the librarians leave them out for people who forget to bring their glasses!)

If you can, get over to Acadia National Park and Schoodic Peninsula.

And a sunset kayak paddle, either from the Wooden Boat dock or from Naskeag Point right down the road, is a must!  

Ellsworth and Belfast are two other towns in the area well worth a visit.

By the way, Flash in the Pans got its start maybe two decades ago, when a then-young music instructor at the local Stevens Academy took a summer trip to the Caribbean, fell in love with the steel pans, and returned with a resolve to form a community orchestra. Now. it's a year-round thing, with dozens of local folks of all ages, literally from 9 to 90, spending all winter honing their musical chops, then performing all summer!

And I haven't even mentioned all the great boat yards in and around the "boatbuilding capital of the world," and the people who work there.

Do I sound like I love the place? You bet!

   Alright, Jim, it's time to 'fess up. You're an undercover agent working not so clandestinely for Wooden Boat School and the Brooklin/Blue Hill Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. And your cover is blown!

But don't worry, I'm taking it all down, and we'll plan to see and do as much as we can squeeze in. The suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks!

Nah, I'm stuck in New Jersey, and wish I could live on the peninsula year 'round, is all. I used to own a house in Sedgwick, and I still feel the pain of having to sell it.By the way, I used to work for the New York Times, and here's a link to an article I wrote about Brooklin:

 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/travel/escapes/21Amer.html?_r=0

   The wife and I just signed up for the "Elements of Sailing I" class. Thanks, folks, for all the comments. Really appreciated.

   Alright, Jim, it's time to 'fess up. You're an undercover agent working not so clandestinely for Wooden Boat School and the Brooklin/Blue Hill Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. And your cover is blown!

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   Alright, Jim, it's time to 'fess up. You're an undercover agent working not so clandestinely for Wooden Boat School and the Brooklin/Blue Hill Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. And your cover is blown!

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