Windjammer Exhibit Documents Maine's Commercial Sailing Fleet

Photo: Benjamin Mendlowitz

June 23, 2010 -- Maine's windjammers are the subject of a new exhibit at Penobscot Marine Museum. Opening July 1, Earning Their Keep: Maine's Windjammers will include historic photos, artifacts, ephemera, videos, schooner models and rotating exhibits by contemporary marine photographers.

"Maine's windjammers are the largest commercial sailing fleet in the world," said museum curator Ben Fuller. "They're still sailing not because of the efforts of some marine preservation society, but because their skippers are making them pay their way." Fuller added that the passenger-carrying schooners played a major role in establishing Maine's modern reputation for coastal tourism, and they continue to be an important part of the Midcoast region's economy.

The first rotating exhibit to open the show will feature the photography of Benjamin Mendlowitz of Brooklin, Maine. Mendlowitz is renowned for his work in WoodenBoat magazine and his annual Calendar of Wooden Boats. The Mendlowitz exhibit will run through August 3, followed by photographers Michael Kahn (August 5 - 24), Fred LeBlanc (August 26 through September 14), and Neal Parent (September 17 through October 24). Historic photos, ship models and artifacts of the windjammer trade will remain on display throughout the exhibit.