Bad fog and apparent resupply needs yesterday morning turned the tough-it-out Outward Bound Maine sailing program into a wait-it-out event in our Naskeag Harbor. As you probably know, Outward Bound (OB) conducts challenging adventures designed to help troubled teenagers and others by increasing self-esteem, self-reliance, concern for others, and care for the environment.
Above, you see the OB vessel “Sally Drew” being secured just after she came ashore and most of the teenaged crew went off to rest on the beach. She apparently is a standard OB-commissioned Hurricane Island wooden pulling boat/sailing ketch.
These double-ended vessels are 30 feet long with a beam (widest part) of 8 feet. They have eight rowing stations (four per side) for use when in the rowing phases of their program and two sails that are sprit-rigged as a ketch. (A sprit is a diagonal spar that helps the mast support a four-sided sail.) The boats are “open vessels” in that they have no cabins or permanent shelters, although tarps can provide needed protection.
(Image taken in Brooklin, Maine, on July 18, 2023.)