Camden Maine: Windjammer Sunset Sail on Appledore II

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/7

Duration2h

GroupUp to 49

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Raise the Sails & Watch the Sun Drop Over Mount Battie

You board at Bayview Landing, help raise the sails on a traditional wooden ship, and sail into Penobscot Bay past Curtis Island Light. Watch for wildlife along the rugged coastline, take a turn at the wheel, and toast the sunset over Mount Battie with a drink in hand. The whole experience runs about two hours, with the ship's small passenger limit keeping the deck comfortable and the view uncluttered.

Step-by-step itinerary

Sunset sailing cruise from Camden Harbor

Depart from Bayview Landing
Crew hoists the sails
Help raise the sails
Take a turn at the wheel
Sail past Curtis Island Light
View mountains and coastline
Watch for porpoises, eagles, seals
Enjoy drinks available for purchase
Toast sunset over Mount Battie
Return guided by Curtis Island Light

The Experience

The Appledore II casts off from Bayview Landing right at the heart of Camden Harbor, and within minutes the crew starts hoisting canvas. You can join in if you want — grab a line, help pull, feel the weight of the sail as it catches. The ship's a wooden windjammer built in 1978 at the Gamage Shipyard, hand-built in the old tradition, and she's sailed around the world twice. Forty-nine passengers max, which means the deck doesn't feel crowded, and you can actually move around without bumping elbows.

Once you're out past Curtis Island Light — that beacon's been guiding boats since 1836 — the mountains come into view. Camden's one of only two spots on the entire Atlantic coast where the mountains drop straight into the ocean, and from the water you see why people talk about it. The rugged coastline opens up, and if you're lucky you'll spot porpoises, eagles, maybe a seal hauled out on the rocks. The crew knows what to look for and will point things out, but mostly you're just there with the wind and the view. You can take a turn at the wheel too, if you want to feel what it's like to actually steer the thing.

As the light starts to change, the sky turns the kind of orange and pink that doesn't photograph right — it's too much. Mount Battie glows on the horizon, and that's when people usually gather close, order a drink from the bar (cocktails, beer, wine, soft drinks all available), and just watch it happen. The sun drops, the sky darkens, and Curtis Island Light starts blinking in the distance, marking the way back to harbor. By the time you're tying up at Bayview Landing again, the whole thing feels like it happened in a different world, even though you never left Camden.

What’s included

Your sunset sail includes the two-hour cruise aboard the Appledore II departing from Bayview Landing, participation in raising the sails, a turn at the ship's wheel, and passage past Curtis Island Light into Penobscot Bay.
Drinks and cocktails are available for purchase during the sail.
Children under 21 cannot purchase alcohol; infants and small children can bring a pram or use specialized infant seats.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats available

Operated by Schooner Appledore Maine

Is this one for you?A good fit if you want to experience traditional sailing without the logistics of owning or chartering a boat — the small passenger limit and the crew's knowledge of the harbor and wildlife make it feel less like a tour and more like being invited aboard. Plan for two hours on the water, which is what lets you sail far enough to see the mountains and still catch the full sunset.