Each year, the ninth grade travels to the coast of Maine during the first week of June to sail the waters of Penobscot Bay. For more than 20 years, this long-standing IMS tradition has proven to be a powerful culminating experience before students chart the course of their next academic adventure.

 

Upon arrival in Rockland, Maine, students and chaperones join the captains and crews of the schooners J. and E. Riggin and Stephen Taber, two of Maine’s renowned windjammer fleet operated by Sailing Ship Adventures. Sailing along Maine’s island-strewn coast provides unparalleled scenic beauty and opportunities to see wildlife such as harbor seals, ospreys, and even whales.

 

The two boats sail in tandem, anchoring each evening in various ports. Students and faculty hoist sails, learn nautical knot-tying, cook, and crew. The class also gathers as a group to enjoy a lobster bake on the rugged shores of one of the many small uninhabited islands.