Schooner grounds during regatta

Coastguardschoonerpic

An historic schooner carrying 25 people ran aground this week off the Maine coast during a well-known sailing event. 

The 79-foot American Eagle was sailing in the Windjammer Regatta and became stuck in Somes Sound, a waterway bisecting much of Mt. Desert Island, at about 315 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2. Nobody was hurt and there was no pollution, the Coast Guard said in a news release. 

The Coast Guard sent two vessels from nearby Southwest Harbor, Maine, to monitor the stuck schooner. A third vessel from the Coast Guard Auxiliary already in the area assisting with the regatta diverted to its location. 

“The Coast Guard Auxiliary and several good Samaritan vessels transported the 25 guests safely from the sailboat to a local boat yard,” the Coast Guard said in a news release.

The schooner’s five-person crew stayed aboard to refloat the vessel. It was freed with the rising tide Tuesday night. The vessel was not damaged. 

American Eagle is based in Rockland, Maine. The vessel can accommodate up to 26 guests on excursion cruises ranging from two to nine days. 

By Ocean Navigator