SAIL ACADIA

Sailing Tour

FROM $75

Sail Acadia National Park aboard a traditional Friendship Sloop.

Lobster & Nature Tour

FROM $55

Enjoy a nature cruise aboard a Maine lobster boat with a lobster trap demonstration.

Private Boat Charter

FROM $600

Explore Acadia from the deck of a Maine lobster boat.

Sunset Cruise

FROM $55

Watch the sun set behind the mountains of Acadia.

Sailing Tours Acadia National Park

Escape the crowds of Bar Harbor and explore the spectacular coastline of Acadia National Park.

Sail aboard a classic Friendship sloop or a Maine lobster boat for a private or shared tour of Maine’s most beautiful coastline along Mount Desert Island. Sailing and lobster boat cruises depart several times each day from Southwest Harbor and Northeast Harbor, just twenty minutes from Bar Harbor.

At Sail Acadia we maintain and operate our locally built wooden boats with a great respect for Maine’s maritime heritage. We believe in smaller groups and personalized attention for an authentic boating experience in Acadia. Our captains and crew will share their local knowledge and give you their best tour of Mount Desert Island.

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History of the Friendship Sloop

These beautiful boats were the original lobster boat! In the late 1800’s, fishermen worked aboard small sloop-rigged sailboats fishing and hauling lobster traps by hand. The need for a stronger boat that could handle Maine’s harsh winter weather led to the building of a larger and more stable sailboat. These new boats were built by various boat builders along the mid-coast of Maine, such as the McLain’s, Morse’s, and Winchenbach’s, especially near the town of Friendship, which became their namesake.

The Friendship Sloop was extremely stable and had a great carrying capacity. Around the early 1900’s, Friendship Sloops were so common and useful on the Maine Coast, a dozen or more would be found in any harbor tending to fishing, lobstering, carrying firewood, or people to islands. They are fondly referred to as the pickup truck of the sea.

While not in regular use as lobster boats anymore, yachtsmen kept the design alive because of its beauty, sail-handling, and stability. This also makes for an excellent day charter vessel. Sailing a Friendship sloop is an experience in both the local history and maritime heritage of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park.

Our Story - SAIL ACADIA

Captain Karl Brunner began Sail Acadia in 2001, with a family loan from Grandma Helen that enabled the purchase of the Friendship Sloop Helen Brooks. The mission was to share a relaxing sailing experience as friends. While the company has grown to include a lobster tour boat, two sailing vessels and a Sail Acadia team, the original mission statement remains true.

Karl is a USCG-licensed captain who grew up sailing on the coast of Maine. While at Colorado College, he earned a degree in Geology and studied in New Zealand. After graduating, he thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and then returned to Maine to work in the Windjammer industry in Camden. He began working toward his USCG Master’s license by serving as a deckhand aboard a turn-of-the-century wooden schooner sailing from Maine to the Caribbean.

Since then he has logged thousands of bluewater miles by delivering private yachts between the Caribbean and the East Coast. While living aboard a small sloop in the Caribbean and going sailing with friends he decided that would be a cool summer job in his native Maine waters.

At Sail Acadia we maintain and operate our locally built wooden boats with a great respect for Maine’s maritime heritage. We believe in smaller groups and personalized attention for an authentic boating experience in Acadia. Our captains and crew will share their local knowledge and give you their best tour of Mount Desert Island. If you are looking for a unique experience and custom boat tour please call us and we can work with you to design a fantastic day on the water. As always, we look forward to sailing with you!

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FIVE STAR SAILING & BOAT TOURS

★★★★★
Exceptional private sightseeing/lobstering tour

We were blown away by the service at Sail Acadia. We did a mid-morning private tour for 7 of us. We were able to bring our own mimosas :) Our captain and first mate were knowledgeable, inviting, friendly and easy going. They were very welcoming to our pup! They had blankets and cups on board. Definitely recommend!

Quincy L. | TripAdvisor

★★★★★
Sunset cruise

We thoroughly enjoyed our sunset cruise with Mike and Kelly. Mike told some great stories of the area, we took wine and dinner to have on the boat, and we enjoyed seeing guillemots and porpoises in the bay. The wind was very light that evening so we had to motor a bit, but it was such a treat to be out on the water on a 120 year old wooden sail boat. We loved it!

Rooface | TripAdvisor

★★★★★
Perfect Way to Enjoy the Acadia Sunset

We booked a 3 hour sunset sail and it was so much fun. It wasn't the windiest day, but being on the water on a beautiful summer night watching the sun go down can't be beat. We saw plenty of porpoises and other sea wildlife throughout the ride. Bonus points: the tour is BYOB so we brought a bottle of wine with us and the crew provided cheese, crackers and snacks. Thanks for having us!

Ashley | TripAdvisor

★★★★★
Fabulous afternoon!

An awesome experience we can't recommend more highly. Not only was it a fantastic sailing experience, the crew were informative about the area, history, wildlife and the things we were seeing along the way. The crew was great, the boat charming and historic. The best afternoon we have had in Maine for as long as we can remember!

reeds | TripAdvisor

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