This 28-day sailing expedition along the North Atlantic seaboard is our premier sailing course. Sailing expeditions offer intense conditions, team challenges and significant technical skill development. This course is ideal for teens seeking challenge and adventure that enjoy learning and welcome the idea of being a part of a tight knit group.

Course Area
The intricate and indented shoreline of the coast of Maine is unique along the North Atlantic seaboard. It is known for the picturesque beauty of it bays and harbors, rocky islands, and relative lack of development. The Downeast area extends from Acadia/Bar Harbor region east to the Canadian border. Few recreational boats travel beyond Schoodic Peninsula and the coastal communities are smaller, oriented towards fishing, not tourism. The coast is more rugged, tides and currents greater, fog more prevalent and wildlife abounds.

The coast of Maine is rich in history. The islands still hold evidence of the Abenaki Indians, early Europeans’ use of islands for farming and timber, the quarrying of granite, and centuries of fishing. Natural history is also abundant. The coast is home to a wide range of sea birds, seals, porpoise, and the occasional whale. The many islands were once the peaks of a sunken mountain range, and the geology reflects its volcanic origins.

Course Description
This is our flagship sailing course for teenagers. Sailing a small open boat is not just about boat handling and seamanship; it is about leadership, teamwork and communication. The length of this course and the design of our boats allow novice sailors to gain true competence so that for the last few days, all the sailing and decision-making is in the hands of the students. This requires good teamwork on a level rarely experienced ashore; because we really are ail in the same boat.   Start off with a morning dip in the ocean, breakfast and a meeting to listen to weather forecast and plan the day’s route. Once you raise anchor you will row or sail all day taking turns navigating, handling lines, rowing, steering, etc. Over dinner, enjoy the stars of the summer sky and relax as the boat rides peacefully at anchor. After an evening meeting to discuss tomorrow's plan or talk about the events of the day, you'll spread the oars across the boat to create a sleeping platform, pitch a tarp, lay out your sleeping bags and crawl in. Throughout the night, everyone takes a shift awake at anchor watch making sure all's well and maybe journaling a bit, while the sleeping crew rocks gently to the motion of the boat.

Test your limits climbing granite sea cliffs along the way. Each Downeast course will spend several days on Cross Island. Island stops provide time ashore for rock climbing, running, a period of solitude (solo), team-building, expedition planning, and provisioning. Actual itineraries are based on weather and tides.

What is a pulling boat? Pulling boats are 30 foot open boats. Groups live, cook and sleep on board. Travel is either under sail or using oars. Groups spend some nights on shore but the majority of the nights are spent aboard under a tarp pitched between the masts.