Schooner Ladona

I and various people in my family have sailed on Ladona yearly for the past 5 or 6 years. This is an awesome experience if you like sailing, being on the water, Maine or Food. It is a curated Penobscot Bay / Maine sailing experience with Captain JR and crew. He draws on decades of experience in Maine to find awesome anchorages and villages . This is a sailing boat and he will sail whenever the weather serves. Learn History , Culture, Sailing lore and more all for the asking and sometimes just because. It is also an Epicurean delight with Chef Anna providing cook to order breakfasts and a curated menu designed around guests preferences and allergies. Afternoon cheese and wine. A lobster bake with chicken sambal and steak, corn on the cob and more. If your lucky you may get a treat from the leftovers like Lobster (bernaise?) and eggs on a savory waffle. Sublime!. It is time on Penobscot Bay and its islands with a friendly and very engaging crew. You can raise sails, discuss navigation, or just sit and enjoy the scenery, which is spectacular. It is upscale accommodations, not huge, but spacious by boating standards. This is the luxury version of Maine windjamming. People arrive as stranger and leave as friends. Many of us repeat as often as we can

Sailing on Ladona is an experience like no other. She is small enough to tuck into tiny harbors but large enough to never feel cramped. Captain JR, Chef Anna, and the crew go above and beyond to make sure every guest has an excellent voyage. Ladona was my first time spending an extended amount of time on a sailboat. There are certainly aspects of this type of trip that are unique and can take some getting used to—shared bathrooms, small cabins, the motion of the ocean—but that’s the point of windjamming! There is also a lot of down time when traveling from port to port. I’m usually an “activity traveler”—I like to walk around a new place and plan out my day with museums and restaurants and sightseeing. Ladona is a much slower pace. Bring a few books, binoculars, a camera, a knitting project, and a willingness to strike up conversation with the cabin next door. One of the best parts of the trip, though-was Anna’s food. My family still talks about the beef stew, the fried squash blossoms, the fresh pasta, the lobster bake, the lobster benedicts with the leftovers from our lobster bake….all prepared by hand in a tiny galley, often while the boat is underway, and every bite exceptionally delicious. We even found out that Anna is originally from NJ—we live in Philly—and she asked us to bring her some regional delicacies (pork roll and scrapple, IYKYK) if we were able to sail again in the future. We were lucky enough to get that opportunity, and not only were we recognized and remembered immediately upon boarding, but Anna asked if we had brought the goods-which of course we had-and incorporated them seamlessly into the menu for the sail. Sailing on Ladona is worth every penny, every minute of the drive up the coast to Rockland. You’ll see harbors and islands you wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach, learn so much about Maine and sailing and the coast, meet a group of excellent people, and enjoy delicious homecooked meals at every turn.

I went on a "standard sailing trip" (not one of the themed trips). When we talked with the booking team, it was billed as a mix of the trips, kind of a "best of all trips" trip. Here is what we found: The boat itself is absolutely gorgeous. It's well-maintained and met our expectations. We had cabin 9, which is a queen bed, and it's tight, but manageable. The bathrooms were adequate. They are shared on the boat, but I thought it was fine, and again, expected. The crew was kind and helpful. Anything you wanted to do that they could help with, they did, and I'm sure they would for you. The captain is very knowledgeable of the waters and made sure to get us to unique places and always had some information to offer. So why a 3*? Here's why: On day 1, you board at 5, then have a captains meeting from 6-7. Then you are released to go back in town to find your own dinner. I think this is a huge miss. We basically paid for the privilege of a safety briefing and a bed on a sailboat for the first night. We didn't leave port, and zero food whatsoever was provided. Not a welcome drink, not a glass of wine, some welcome snacks or even a pitcher of water was out. Once we got the briefing, we were cut loose for dinner in Rockland (not an impressive selection). Why not sail us somewhere and let us enjoy a sunset dinner in a bay. Big miss on day zero IMO. The menu was horrendous. I have no other way to put it. You get 3 lunches, 3 dinners, and four breakfasts. All breakfasts are cooked to order, but are nothing special. Instant pancakes, bacon and eggs, stuff like that. I was totally fine with it, but nothing special to write home about. Day 1: Lunch was a beef stew. Dinner was Atlantic salmon on rice with a sauce on it. Salmon was okay, but nothing special. The stew was not good at all. Day 2: Lunch was a lobster bake on shore. Before going, we were warned to eat a ton because dinner would be light. The lobster bake was well executed. But the funny thing is, the chef doesn't participate, it's all done by the crew. We had lobster, steak, chicken, and corn on the cob. We got handed crackers for the lobster, but had to eat everything with our hands. Fun... Dinner was another soup (chorizo & lamb). The soup again was okay, nothing special. Being warned to eat a ton because dinner is light is another thing in poor taste IMO. What if I don't want to sit around feeling like a fat slug all afternoon because I had to eat so much just to be satisfied? Day 3: this day sealed the deal. Lunch was salad and mac and cheese. Not lobster mac and cheese, not mac and cheese with some kind of meat in it. They fed us like we were in some pre-school on a budget. Dinner was overcooked pork loin. We did have oyster appetizers, thanks to another guest who picked some up on shore, and the captain added another dozen. The oysters, were absolutely amazing. Nothing like top-tier oysters as an appetizer for a pork loin dinner. Needless to say, the food killed the experience for us. This was billed as a "culinary" experience. It was a culinary experience alright...a really bad one. My expectation was that we would eat locally inspired dishes. If you weren't keeping count, there was 1 meal, and it was excellent (lobster bake). It felt a lot more like food was a pesky budget item in the captain's ledger and spending as little as possible is the name of the game, quality be damned. I was fine with the itinerary (post day zero) and thought the captain did a good job of showing us things we wouldn't see on a different style of vacation. Finally, I'll touch on the age range and pace of the trip. This did not factor into my rating whatsoever (the food and day zero killed the rating). I wouldn't recommend this trip for anyone under 65, and that's pushing it. We're in our mid 40's and are active people. We liked the idea of slowing down and "going where the wind takes you". This was just too slow for us. We loved Maine and can't wait to explore it on our own terms.

If you want a real sailing experience, this is it. Stepping aboard the restored 1922 Schooner Ladona feels like walking straight into a maritime fairytale. This isn't your typical cruise ship experience – it's pure magic wrapped in brilliant teak and billowing canvas. I've sailed on Ladona ten times, and while it shouldn't surprise me I love these trips, it always surprises me how much more I get out of them each time. Ladona is a lovely yacht through and through, all the way from Italian marble and Japanese tiled showers to the lacquered woodwork on all surfaces. All of it is impeccably maintained, clearly she is loved by her captain and crew. All the cabins are different, I've been in 5 of them over the years, each with their own thoughtful and delightfully crafted configuration. Captain JR and Chef Anna have been aboard since Ladona was restored and are experts in their professions. But best of all, they and the other crew are much of the fun of the trip. You'll find nowhere else where people are loving their jobs and happy to have you come enjoy sailing with them. They are storytellers, historians, and passionate guardians of maritime tradition. They taught me to tie proper knots, explained the physics of wind and sail, navigation, and shared tales of the ship's colorful past. The other guests are always of like enthusiasm, and all I've sailed with have been wonderful people. This is especially important to me, as a shy, solo traveler. I find it so easy to join the camaraderie that develops almost immediately. You are guaranteed friends by the time the trip is over. And where to start with the food!? A rolling breakfast is cooked to order, and buffet lunch underway feels like a holiday picnic. Once anchored for the evening in a calm private cove, happy hour hors d'oeuvres are offered with fine wine while you build yet more appetite for what's to come. A gourmet plated dinner and dessert is taken at the lacquered table under an awning on deck, merrily decorated with party lights dancing in the light breeze. The trip almost feels like a days-long dinner party with your best friends. Many guests venture to sleep under the stars, or get up early to watch the sunrise and hear the birds and fish going about their day on glassy still waters. Along the way other pleasures are plentiful. Walks in quaint seaside towns, exploring the anchorage on a standup paddle board; sunning while gliding silently past rocky forested islands, and fields of candy colored lobster buoys. You can even take a turn at the wheel of this inspiring Ladona! You can still be on the grid, but you won't want to be. The only sad part is leaving as you say goodbye to your new friends, but become a part of Ladona’s long and distinctive history. If you're looking for crowds, pools and casinos, book elsewhere. If you want an authentic maritime adventure that feeds your soul, this vintage beauty is calling your name. Would I return for voyage number 11? I've already booked my next trip!

Beautiful vessel, great crew, awesome food. I grew up with that boat and it was awesome to see her again after about 30+ years. Keep plugging away.

A delightful week away from the 90F temps in Michigan. Ladona is an luxury experience compared to others in the Maine Windjammer fleet. The cabins are larger (and fewer) with sufficient storage longest (7-day) cruise. Three heads; two with full-size, hot, freshwater, rainfall showers. The galley staff turns out breakfasts to order with plenty of fruits, granola, etc. Lunch, afternoon appetizers and dinners are all excellent. Appetizers and dinner include an appropriate wine pairing. They crew is highly experienced, knows their roles and responsibilities and excels as a team. The vessel is exceptionally well maintained. Few scratches and scuffs; and the brass work gleams.

The schooner Ladona is "the way life should be!" Sample the smell of salt air, scenery of the coast of Maine, lovely sunsets, great food, comfortable accommodations and the opportunity to enjoy a two masted wooden schooner under full sail. We have thorougly enjoyed three sails on Ladona and cherish our memories from each adventure. Interesting people, excursions to small Maine fishing villages, a lobster picnic on an uninhabited island and the finest food and accommodations imaginable have all combined for an opportunity to unplug. Just doesn't get any better than this!! Hope to meet you on our next sail!!