Here you see the Lewis R. French moored in Great Cove yesterday morning, waiting to raise sails. She was on a three-day sailing and hiking cruise, according to her schedule. The 101-foot French was launched in 1871 out of Christmas Cove, Maine. She was built there by the French brothers and named after their father.
In her youth, her life was varied and hard: Among other things, she freighted bricks, granite, fish, lime, firewood, and Christmas trees. Now, the French is a classic and almost luxurious vessel out of Camden, Maine. Here you see her raising her foresail and weighing anchor yesterday:
The old schooner has never had an inboard motor. Yesterday, the wind was so light that her powerful yawl boat had to be lashed to the stern to assist her departure with a steady push:
As she headed north in the Cove, she raised one of her jibs to grab more air. Then, as she reached the Cove exit, she raised another jib to enter Eggemoggin Reach.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on June 4, 2022.)