One Photo: Schooner "Lewis R. French"

This is the 64-foot schooner "Lewis R. French", out of Camden, Maine. Launched in 1871, she is the oldest commercial schooner in America, and was recently designated a National Historic Landmark. I took this picture from the shoreline of  Penobscot Bay after the schooner exited Eggemoggin Reach. I love that name. It makes me think of egg nog.

This shot was taken during a summer trip to Maine.  I first posted it in August in color on Instagram. But I’m now thinking it looks better as a black and white image. I like the contrast created by the dark (water and masts) and light areas (sales and whitecaps), and the sky is basically grey either way. Perhaps if the sky were a bit more interesting I’d vote for the color version.  

Schooner Lewis R. French

Panasonic GX85 and 100-300mm zoom at 300mm (600mm equiv)

1/1000sec, F8, ISO250

Processed in Lightroom 

Schooner "American Eagle" out of Rockland, Maine

After taking the photo below I wanted to identify the schooner.  I couldn’t quite make out the name across the bow even when zooming in on my computer monitor; but after spending some time with google and photos of the various cruising schooners around Camden and Rockland, Maine it became obvious that this is the “American Eagle”.

The American Eagle was built in Gloucester in 1930 and was the last fishing schooner built there, this being an auxiliary schooner as it was (and is) powered by both sails and engine.  She is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places (as of 1991) and is a National Historic Landmark (1992).  I have read that she is the last known surviving vessel of this type.  She is 92 feet long on deck and about 20 feet wide.  Outfitted for passengers, looking at the schematic diagram on the Web site http://www.schooneramericaneagle.com, I counted thirteen double-occupancy passenger cabins.

She was purchased by John Foss in 1984 and converted for cruising, spending summers in Penobscot Bay (where I took this photo) on 3-7 day cruises.  I have included below some details from the Web site.  Interestingly, I read in “Yacht World” (I can’t figure the date of the posting) that the schooner is (or at least was) for sale for $750,000.