Schooner Bowdoin Returns to the Arctic: Maine Maritime Academy Expedition to Greenland
The historic schooner Bowdoin, built specifically for Arctic exploration in 1921 at Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine, is once again bound for the high latitudes. Owned and operated by Maine Maritime Academy (MMA), the vessel is carrying six professional crew members and ten MMA students on a voyage from Maine to Disko Bay, Greenland, and beyond 70° North—its first Arctic deployment since 2008 and more than 100 years after her initial expeditions.
Designed by naval architect William Hand, the 88-foot, gaff-rigged Bowdoin has a storied service history. She completed 26 Arctic voyages between 1921 and 1954 and has wintered over and iced in four times in Arctic waters. Her spars are Douglas fir, her hull is white oak, and she was rebuilt between 1980 and 1984 at the Percy & Small Shipyard at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. The schooner was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989 and was named the Official Vessel of the State of Maine in 1988, recognizing her significance to U.S. maritime heritage and Arctic exploration.
Onboard, Captain Alexander Peacock reported the crew and students are adjusting to conditions in the North Atlantic—thick fog, stiff winds, and a choppy, washing-machine sea state. The voyage’s first landfall was St. John’s, Newfoundland, reached on June 5, following a passage that combined motor sailing with several days of fast sailing in winds that produced 9+ knots. Despite periods of motoring, the vessel maintained an average speed of about 5.5 knots.
The trip doubles as a hands-on educational platform. MMA students enrolled in programs such as vessel operations and technology, marine biology, power engineering technology, and international logistics management are using the voyage to continue their studies. Under the supervision of professional officers, students stand watches, practice navigation, and gain practical experience managing and sailing a traditional wooden vessel in demanding conditions. Captain Peacock described daily life aboard as a steady routine of sleep, watchstanding in wet cold, shared meals, and noon lessons covering topics from the history of fishing on the Grand Banks to engineering systems and ocean currents.
The voyage is supported in part by a $50,000 grant from Maine outfitter L.L.Bean. That partnership has historical roots: L.L.Bean outfitted the schooner’s early skipper, Donald MacMillan, with Bean Boots in 1921. Christina Semanyshyn, L.L.Bean’s senior manager of Partnerships & Charitable Giving, emphasized the company’s long-standing support for Arctic voyages and the cultural value of the Bowdoin as a national maritime treasure.
MMA President Jerry Paul ’89, RADM USMS, expressed gratitude for the grant and noted the pride the academy takes in sailing and maintaining the schooner. He highlighted the vessel’s dual role as both an educational asset and a symbol of Maine’s maritime heritage. The academy also underlines Bowdoin’s wartime service: during World War II she was commissioned by the U.S. Navy to conduct hydrographic surveys along the Greenland coast to support navigational charting for vessels serving U.S. air bases, a mission during which she successfully avoided threats from enemy submarines and mines.
The professional crew sailing with Captain Peacock includes Chief Mate David Stolz (Ohio), Tyler Jupp (Massachusetts), Kimberly Stinson (New Hampshire), Graham McKay (Massachusetts), and Tom Klodensky (Massachusetts). Together they mentor the student crew and ensure safe operation of the historic vessel as she makes her passage toward Greenland’s icy waters.
To follow the schooner’s progress and read daily updates from the crew and students, see the Schooner Bowdoin cruise blog at: https://mainemaritime.edu/schooner-bowdoin-cruise-blog/