Schooner Appledore II visits Lewes

The wooden schooner Appledore II stopped over in Lewes Nov. 2-3. 

According to the Appledore’s website, the 86-foot windjammer was launched in 1978 and is the largest of her sister ships, Appledores I, III, IV, and V. She is the last schooner custom built by the Gamage Shipyard. 

“The Schooner Appledore was in Lewes as part of the southbound adventure to Key West,” said General Manager and Partner Rod Veal.” It was a planned stop; however, it was planned due to weather conditions. Normally we would have waited out the weather in Camden having knowledge of bad weather. “This year, however, we have a charter schedule Nov. 11 in Key West, so we decided to leave Camden and wait out the weather in Lewes. The boat reached Beaufort, N.C., [Nov. 5] and hopefully will make Key West in time for our charter.”

The Appledore II was built traditionally, using time-honored techniques of shipbuilding. The ship was designed by Bud Macintosh, a renowned boat builder. His design is now recognized worldwide for the schooner’s heavy weather, open ocean capabilities. On her inaugural sail, the Appledore II circumnavigated the world, stopping at exotic ports along the way. She has made the trek up and down the Eastern Seaboard for the last 30 years.

For more than 25 years now, the ship has served double duty, offering day sails from her homeports of Camden, Maine, and Key West, Fla. Twice a year the ship makes the 2,000-mile offshore voyage along the Eastern Seaboard between the two harbors.

John and Jane McKean purchased the Appledore II in 1988. In 2003, the McKean family partnered with Sebago Watersports for the Key West operations. This partnership expanded in 2016 to include the Camden, Maine operations.