OUR CREW
Photos by Paul Brenner
The Captain
and First Mate of the Surprise are
Jack and Barbara Moore. That's us! We have been offering sailing
trips out of Camden since 1984 when Camden was just being discovered
by tourists. We have been sailing together for all of our married
life. What started out as an escape from the pressures of jobs
while raising our four children soon turned into a passion. In
the winter of 1978, during a brief trip to the island of Culebra,
Puerto Rico, we found a 38 ft. steel ketch called Milky
Way, which we purchased later that year. For the next
seven years, Milky Way
was our home, our kids' school, and our "Rosinante"
as we sailed throughout the eastern Caribbean and the East Coast
of the U.S.
Cara, Heidi, Joshua, John
Milky Way 1978
In l984,
we brought Milky Way to Camden
and began offering two-hour trips on Penobscot Bay. From those
humble beginnings came the business we now operate from Memorial
Day until the middle of October on the Maine Coast. We have taken
thousands of people sailing, many of whom return each year to
sail with us, hear our stories and enjoy this beautiful area.
We invite you to discover the magic of the Maine coast as only
a fortunate few have seen it - from the deck of an historic windjammer
like Surprise!
Our sales
staff will be your first introduction to the world of Surprise
and we are very proud of them. You will meet Sharon Pratt, who
has been in charge of our reservation staff for three years now.
She manages to juggle her schedule to find time to be a soccer
coach, full time Mom and a great representative for us at the
dock. We even get her to come sailing occasionally to see first
hand what it's like out on the Bay.
Sharon at the wheel
When you
approach the table you might meet Annadeene Fowler who was a student
of Capt. Jack when she was in the ninth grade. She went on to
graduate from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and she makes
her living as a working artist (when she isn't working as a reservation
agent at the dock). Check out her artwork here.
Last September Capt. Jack was privileged to officiate at her wedding
to Tom Fowler at an outdoor ceremony the day after the passage
of tropical storm Hanna!
Annadeene the Artist
Finally,
you might remember Tia Anderson, who has been with us for many
years. As her kids have grown she has had less time for us at
the dock, but she loves to be there whenever school and daycare
work out.
Tia, Capt. Jack and son Cole
Our youngest
son Joshua, his wife Kristin Sidwell, and their children, Sophie
and Max, moved back to Camden in 2002 after having spent several
years in Durango, Colorado. They purchased a house in the village
in Camden which was built in 1904, and they have done a great
job renovating and expanding the living spaces. Josh has his Captain's
license, and acts as a relief captain for Mom and Dad whenever
he can. It's not easy to break Josh away from his duties as deputy
editor for Down East Magazine,
a job he enjoys immensely. We always have a copy of the latest
edition of Down East on board to share with our passengers. along
with signed copies of "Whats in a Picture" written
by Josh through Down East. Josh and Kristin purchased their own
sailboat so their children could grow up enjoying the wonders
of Penobscot Bay under sail. Kristin is the Administrative Director
of the Children's House
Montessori School in Camden.
Capt. Josh and Family- Max, Kristin and
Sophie
Signed Copies Available
on Board
Our other relief captain is Charlie Conlan who has
sailed for many years aboard the windjammers of the New England
Coast. Capt. Charlie has two overwhelming passions in addition
to his two children. Besides being an accomplished sailor he is
a skilled carpenter. When he is not working restoring boats you
can find him building post and beam houses or completing a house
renovation for a happy homeowner. Last winter he built work spaces
for well -known historian David McCullough, who lives in Camden.
Our daughter
Heidi Tucker, who sold tickets for us every summer from 1984 until
she graduated from Wesleyan University, works as Membership Director
at the nearby Bath Area YMCA. When she isn't competing in one
of her many summer triathlons, Heidi serves as weekend first-mate
on Surprise. . Heidi balances being a mother of precocious seven-year
old Katy, and dynamic four-year old Owen , with all of the other
demands of today's parents. Heidi's husband Michael is the"Course
Materials and General Book Manager"at Bowdoin College in
Brunswick. Having met Heidi when they were both employed by Barnes
& Noble, this position in the book world of academia seems
like a great fit for Michael. The whole family enjoys visiting
him on campus. The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin should
not be missed if you are in the Brunswick area.
Heidi spins a yarn
Katy and Owen Taking the Wheel
Our son
John, who skippers a former America's Cup boat (America II) on
the Hawaiian island of Maui doesn't get much "off-season"
time to visit us since his weather is relentlessly nice for sailing.
John is captain/papa to three active children Malia, Keoni and
Nainoa. The kids seem quite eager to see some real Maine snow
so we are hoping to get them to swap their island paradise for
some time in the winter Currier & Ives scene in Maine. Snowshoeing
can rival surfing when the conditions are just right and you are
dressed for it. Capt. Jack and Barb visited them in Maui this
past December and celebrated Christmas and Malia's 15th birthday
on December 26. We are planning a family reunion with them here
in Maine in June.
John loves
to relate the story of how, in the middle of a trip on America
II, two of his passengers revealed that they had sailed only once
before. They said it was in Camden, Maine with an older couple
that had raised and educated their four children while cruising.
John had to tell them that they were now in the hands of one of
those children. Welcome to the very small world of the sailing
community !
Here are a couple of pictures taken during our Christmas
2008 visit to Maui.
Jack, Barb, John, Keoni and Malia;
Nainoa and Keoni
Sailing on America II
Our daughter,
Cara, and her husband, Brad Read, are enjoying keeping up with
their son Brendan and daughter Becca who have become much more
adventuresome ice skaters since the "warmer" climate
of Rhode Island has had some real winter weather recently. We've
had a great time watching Brendan and Becca excel on the ice in
the youth hockey program. Cara's husband, Brad is the Executive
Director of Sail Newport, a non-profit sailing center at Fort
Adams in Newport, RI. Brad focuses his love of sailing into competitive
pursuits, having won the J 24 World Championship twice in recent
years. Cara, who was crew on the womens' J-24 Worlds has also
won that championship twice. Cara continues her career working
for Hall Spars & Rigging, a major supplier of equipment for
racing and cruising sailboats. If you call Hall Rigging, you may
get some practical advice from Cara.
Cara, Brad, Bendan and Becca
The Captain
and First Mate have thoroughly enjoyed the dramatic temperature
changes this off season . Milder weather helps us get work accomplished
in the barn more efficiently. The frigid temps give us the chance
to groom the woods trails for eventual snowshoeing...just in case
it actually snows. After a brief trip to the warm waters of the
Caribbean we will begin fitting out for our 26th season of daysailing
in Camden. We hope to see many familiar faces and look forward
to meeting some new travelers on the deck of Surprise.
The last member of
the crew is Robbie. Those of you who have sailed with us before
have come to know the ship's mascot as a stalker of ducks, a proficient
swimmer and a consumer of Glucosamine to combat his arthritis.
You will be seeing Robbie on board this year as he celebrates
his 16th year sailing with us.
Barb and Robbie
We purchased the rights to reproduce a wonderful painting
of Surprise sailing past Curtis Island Light by Maryland artist
Bill Younger . We have made full size prints (16"x 12.5")
and note cards (5" x 7")that are available for sale.
While we normally sell them on board, you may send us a note or
an email and we can arrange to ship them to you if you are not
going to make it to Camden this year. The cost of the print is
$30, and the note cards are $10 for a package of 10 with envelopes.
If you would like a print matted and framed, Small
Wonder Gallery can do it for about $100 and ship it to you
for an additional $18 (approx.).
Surprise at Curtis Island
Light
by Bill Younger
If you are planning on spending a week or more in the
Camden area, take a look at Harden
Hill House, our newly renovated village home that is available
for rent. It is so close to downtown that you can park your car
when you arrive and not have to get in it again until you are
ready to leave.
207-236-4687
