The 62nd annual Boothbay Harbor Windjammer Days will take place on Sunday, June 23 through Saturday, June 29. This year we will celebrate our local boatbuilders and shipwrights. Please visit boothbayharborwindjammerdays.org for the full schedule of events.

In the summer of 2007, I found myself adrift – at 20 years old, my drive to become a teacher had faded, and prospects within the field of history seemed sparse. An internship brought me to the Mystic Seaport Museum where I was introduced to the maritime industry. Walking the museum’s campus one night, I found myself taken aback by the impressive silhouette of the full-rigged ship Joseph Conrad against the overcast sky. The experience was very powerful, and after completing my history degree, I returned to work in the museum’s interpretation department.

By 2011, I had established myself working in the historic Charles Mallory Sail Loft, repairing sails for the ships and boats in the museum’s collection. It became clear that the Seaport had a need for a sailmaker and I was sent to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to learn the trade from Dan Moreland, captain of Picton Castle. It was an intensive course that covered the fundamentals of sailmaking and sail repair while also emphasizing the importance of attention to detail and efficiency.

Those lessons became even more important when I moved to Boothbay Harbor in 2013 to work at Nat Wilson’s sail loft. Nat had just been contracted by Mystic Seaport to build a full suit of sails for the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan and had an opening on staff for me. A true master of the craft, it is impossible to overstate the caliber of work coming out of the Wilson loft. For the next six years, I would come to master the trade of sailmaking, making sails for many of the same historic vessels that I had met in Mystic along with restoration-quality projects for the many classic yachts that cruise and race along the coast of Maine. The attention to detail required to produce authentic and efficient sails for the classics remains a specialty of mine today.

Having the opportunity to work with so many leaders in the industry instilled a deep appreciation for the sense of community that permeates the sailing world. Over the past decade, my contemporaries at Mystic Seaport have stepped up to lead the next generation of maritime professionals – captaining ships, opening boatyards, publishing magazines, and curating museum collections, to name a few, and it is an honor to be in the same class. I am also proud to be a part of the maritime legacy here in Maine.

Sailors from all over the world come to Maine to have their boats built and maintained, and the responsibility to live up to this reputation is not lost on me. Seeing the craftsmanship of my colleagues here in Boothbay and elsewhere inspires me to make sails to the highest degree without compromise.

Work within this community has proved to be among the most satisfying. Just last week, I finished a sail for a friend who has taken over stewardship of the fleet of boats from Chewonki. Several years ago I had the opportunity to redesign the sail plan for the 74-foot cutter Frances, enhancing her upwind sailing abilities. I am also proud of the work I have done within the classic yacht racing circuit; this past summer two of my clients won their divisions at the Camden Classics Cup and the Opera House Cup.

In the meantime, I find myself at a curious intersection – sailing is inherently old-fashioned, yet it is constantly inundated with the latest developments in building materials in search of speed under sail. While so many others attempt to make their mark on the industry, my history background serves me well. Through time-honored technique, with contributions from modern materials, I can be sure that the sails passing through my loft will stand the test of time.