Atlantic Adventures

On July 6, 2022, a group of sailors made Kabeyun history, taking our Drascombe Gig out on the Atlantic. We believe it's the first time in our nearly 100-year history that Kabeyun has sailed its own sailboat on the ocean! This is something Head of the Waterfront Alex Hill has been working towards for more than five years, made possible by Kabeyun’s 2019 acquisition of the Drascombe, funded by an anonymous donor.

That initial trip on Maine's Casco Bay was such a success that Alex led at least one ocean sailing trip each week for the rest of the summer, cruising off the coast of both Portland, ME, and Portsmouth, NH.

“The Atlantic Adventure sailing trip was the coolest trip I had ever been on,” wrote Owl and skipper Atticus Borggaard in the Log of the West Wind. “We got great wind and we got to experience some huge ocean waves that rocked our boat.”

Jewell Island, about eight miles off Portland, became a favorite camping spot on these trips. As Atticus reported in the Log, this fascinating island has fortifications from both World Wars and “a giant tide pool called The Punchbowl,” where campers found periwinkles, crabs, and a small lobster.

For Alex, the marine life is a huge part of what makes ocean trips gratifying.

“You can see a different biome, tons of different animals including as dolphins, seals, and waterfowl that you wouldn't see at an inland freshwater lake.”

It’s also an opportunity to help campers learn new navigational skills, as well as how to sail on an ocean swell.

“It’s a novel experience,” Alex says. “The waves on the lake are short in frequency and it's awesome to feel the long, rolling swell of the ocean for the first time.”

Stay tuned for more Atlantic Adventures in 2023, says Alex. “We’re exploring other destinations for day and overnight trips!”