Mid-coast, Maine — If you hear Maine’s windjammers firing its cannons June 20, don’t be alarmed! They’re celebrating the “Summer Sailstice!”
First started in 2001, the annual Summer Sailstice event is a global sailing holiday with the goal of uniting the world in a common celebration of sail. Today, more than 2,000 boats around the world—and 10,000 sailors—find different ways to celebrate the longest day of the year. Here in Maine, that’s going to be at precisely 12:38 a.m. on June 20 when the 13 vessels in the Maine Windjammer Association fire their cannons in unison.
For passengers sailing aboard Maine’s windjammers, this special solar noon cannon salute marks the real start of summer. In addition to longer days, sailing in June offers lower rates and quiet harbors. June in Maine also means flowering trees are in bloom, beautiful fields of lupine line the shores and for lucky passengers, there’s a chance to spot baby seals!
Because windjamming is all about the great outdoors, the Maine Windjammer Association is proud to be partnering with Summer Sailstice in their mission to inform and mobilize sailors to enjoy and conserve the beauty of the oceans while raising awareness of human impacts on the fragile marine environment and wildlife. By participating in the Summer Sailstice event, the Maine Windjammer Association is connecting with sailors across the seven seas in this common purpose of conservation.
Maine’s windjammers depend on the sea, the environment and the pristine islands that dot Maine’s coast. To protect these resources, the captains have a long tradition of good stewardship when it comes to preservation, and each week, they give careful instruction to all their passengers to ensure minimal impact both on land and at sea so that windjamming continues for generations to come.
