Evening star., 1941-07-06
Land|ubbers Sign A
As Dude Tars' on
Vacation Ships
Where Old Windjommer.
Go Depends on Whim
Of Cop'n Swift
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ROCKLAND, Me, July 5.-Whai
dude ranches have done for the Fal
West, dude windjammers may vel
do for Way Down East.
More of the old sailing ships than
ever. crowded out of trade by EN-
cient modern motorship, have beer
given refurbishing and taken ou1
to sea with loads of landlubbers who
long for the wind and the spray In
their hair.
From Rockland, the schooner Lii
han, with "1876" chiseled on one OF
ist oaken beams, is making regular
cruises among the rock-ribbed
spruce-covered isles in and near
Penobscot Bay. From nearby Cam
den, Cap'n Frank Swift runs q small
fleet Of remodeled windjammers.
And from other ports q few schoon-
ers manned by harder crews Of
amateur sailors 50 much farther
out to sea.
Want to Go Along?
Let's take a cruise on the Lillian,
just 10 see now IL is.
Where the Lillian will 90 each day
depends pretty much on the wind,
the tides and the captains whim.
He tries to reach some snug harbor
for anchor each night. Chances
are, you will hit at least two or
three of these summer colonies and
fishing towns: Bar Harbor, Camden,
Dark Harbor, Belfast, Isleboro,
Castine, Northeast Harbor.
You are expected to keep your
bunk tidy, and bring your own
blankets and linen. Fancy clothes
will be out of place. And as you
come up on deck in the morning,
you rinse your face with water,
slightly favored, from an old wine
eaSk.
Eat Standing on Deck.
Technically, the place to eat Is
ut a long table in the main cabin.
No one ever does unless it rains.
Instead, you stand and rest your
elbows on the roof of the cooks
galley. 1t puts you closer to the
source of supply. The cook hands
you plate of food through a win
dow. You hand it back for more
when 1t is empty.
In your more energetic moments
you will try to demonstrate how you
have become an old seadog over
night by helping hoist clouds of
canvas, by tugging at the anchor
winch and by standing trick at the
wheel.
When squall blows up and the
Lillian races across the churning
water you will dash about in a
dither, trying to take in a flying jib
or let olt slack in the mainsail. You
will be thrilled if you win a grunt of
approval from the grizzled captain.
And when the Lillian creeps into
q harbor after dark you take sound
ings and shout out Importantly:
''36 fathoms 35 fathoms." Or
you will climb into a pitching dory
and row ahead to try to locate the
buoys with flashlight.
War Talk Taboo.
During much of the day you fish,
you read, you swim or make a stu
dious effort to memorize lingo of
the sea. But mostly you will sit
around and wonder when the next
stiff wind will come, or gossip about
what is likely to be served for sup
per. All talk of war and your job
back home is, by common consent,
taboo. Also taboo Is any elaborate,
planned-in- advance program of en-
tertainment.
At night there are the small town
movies, the ice cream bars, the yarn
spinning, congenial residents.
Back on the boat before bedtime,
you join the shadowy circle on deck
and listen in as the captain tells
how he fought pirates when he COM
manded a bark in the Dutch East
indies. You try to solve creepy,
mystery puzzles. Or you join in the
singing Of sea chanties.
The stars, the salt air, the music,
the soft tapping of water against the
boat do things to you. BY 10 o'clock
you catch yourself doing. You slip
away from the circle, grope down
the hatch and tumble into bed.