Yes, there are bathrooms. We like to call them ‘heads’ on a boat
 |
| Jonathan Submarining, by Carol L. Douglas |
The Age of Sail is
June 10-14, 2018 on the historic schooner American
Eagle out of Rockland, ME.
Sea & Sky is August 5-10 at Schoodic Institute in Acadia
National Park. Here are some questions I’ve been asked recently:
 |
| Drying sails, by Carol L. Douglas |
While the rain in Maine falls mainly on the plain, it does sometimes
rain over Penobscot Bay and the ocean. American
Eagle has a canopy over the main deck for when the boat is at anchor, and
we’ll use that. At Schoodic, we have access to a pavilion. In either case, if
the worst happens and we’re totally unable to work outside, there are interior
places where we can gather.
Are there bathrooms?
Yes and no. On a boat, a toilet is more properly called ‘the
head.’ Although American Eagle is a
restored heritage boat, she does have these modern conveniences. Schoodic
Institute does, too.
On the boat, you’ll sleep in a berth. At Schoodic, you’ll
have a room in an apartment with a kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and access to laundry facilities. Out in the woods,
we either drive to the nearest park facility, or we take an amble into the
woods like the locals (bear, moose, and foxes) do.
 |
Outrunning the Storm, Carol L. Douglas
|
Are these workshops
handicapped-access?
Schoodic Institute is, but let me know if you have physical
limitations when you register. Our painting locations are all accessible by car
and involve little hiking, so you won’t miss out. American Eagle is not accessible. It was built as a working fishing boat.
What about food?
In both cases, all meals are provided, so you don’t have to
worry about where and when you eat. Schoodic’s chefs prepare lunches and snacks
for us to take into the field, and we have breakfast and dinner cafeteria-style.
American Eagle’s cook and mess-mate feed us three squares a day on deck.
Both trips include a lobster boil. Schoodic’s is prepared by
a fisherman from nearby Corea, ME, who hauls that day’s catch over to us. On
American Eagle, you’re likely to see Captain John Foss row his dinghy into a
nearby harborage to buy seafood off the dock. You're encouraged to make dinghy jokes.
 |
| An island lobster bake, in progress. |
Can I get a glass of
wine?
You can bring some along. In Maine wine and liquor
are sold in grocery stores, and you can easily pick some up along the way.
What about black
flies or mosquitoes?
I’ve painted in the far north from northern Alaska to
Labrador, and the worst black flies I ever did see were at Piseco Lake in New
York. They’re an early-summer phenomenon, which is why we’ll be out on the
water in June and on land in August.
 |
| Watercolor field sketches, by Carol L. Douglas |
What equipment should
we bring?
For Sea & Sky, all mediums are welcome. Here are my packing lists
for oils,
acrylics
and watercolor. The Age of Sail is a little different. I’m supplying everything, and
we’re going to work in field-sketch style in watercolor and gouache, the better
to capture fast impressions.
A reader once posted this comment on my blog: “Noted
watercolor painter John Marin of the Maine coast not only painted many boats
but also painted from a boat. He rowed out from Mt. Desert Island where he
sketched and painted quick minutes-long watercolors while bobbing in his
rowboat. One was on display at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art this past
summer… Mount Desert Minute Drawing, most likely a view of Cadillac Mountain,
and can be seen on this
web page.
