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In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we transports listeners to the gorgeous coastal waters of Maine as we set sail aboard the Lewis R. French—the oldest commercial sailing vessel in the US and a National Historic Landmark.

Join host Dylan Thuras as he learns about windjammers from Captain Becky Wright, who just took the helm of the Lewis R. French in 2022. Originally built as a freight schooner and launched in April, 1871, the Lewis R. French was rebuilt for the passenger trade in the 1970s and has had a second life taking travelers on multi day adventures up and down the coast of Maine.

We’ll hear about Captain Becky’s background and how her father’s love of maritime fiction inspired her to pursue a career that seemed impossible until she learned about the windjammers in Maine. Her stories and experiences will illuminate why cruising on a windjammer is the ideal way to experience Maine…and we’ll find out why Maine is one of the only places in the world where visitors can still have these authentic nautical experiences.

Photo Courtesy of Lewis R. French