BRUNSWICK

It was while stranded off the coast of northern Greenland that captain Donald B. MacMillan dreamed the 88-foot long wooden vessel that would sail more than 300,000 miles through the icy north in pursuit of scientific and cultural exploration: the schooner Bowdoin.

Upon his rescue and return to Maine, MacMillan imagined the specifications of his ideal Arctic vessel and commissioned William H. Hand of New Bedford, Massachusetts, to design the ship and the Hodgdon Brothers of East Boothbay, Maine, to build it. Named after MacMillan’s alma mater, the Bowdoin crossed the Arctic circle on Aug. 23, 1921.

The Bowdoin packs a punch as one of the smallest yet powerful ships designed expressly for Arctic exploration. During its tenure with MacMillan, it regularly carried scientists, students, explorers and adventurers to and from the Arctic. In addition to training young men to sail and do rudimentary science on the vessel, MacMillan also connected with members of northern communities during his voyages, often bringing them radios, equipment parts, clothing, medical supplies and school supplies.

During World War II, the United States Navy purchased the schooner from MacMillan to use as one of few sail-powered vessels in the war effort. Assigned to Greenland Patrol — the designated fueling point for ferrying aircraft to and from Britain — the Bowdoin began its service with its previous owner, Lieutenant Commander Donald B. MacMillan, as commanding officer. It retired from the navy a little over two years later, when it was placed out of commission and purchased by friends of MacMillan, who renovated it for Arctic Exploration.

Fifteen years later, the hardy schooner fell into neglect after MacMillan sailed it to Mystic Seaport, Connecticut and donated it for display. The seaport did little for the vessel’s upkeep and removed the masts, prompting concern from Bowdoin Schooner Association, Inc. — an organization led by one of the last surviving crew member of MacMillan’s Arctic voyages, Dr. Edward Morse, and comprised of of MacMillan’s friends and old crew members.

Mystic Seaport relinquished the Bowdoin to the Bowdoin Schooner Association, and the then-historic schooner, leased to Capt. Jim Sharp for restoration, made a nostalgic voyage to MacMillan’s home in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where the 90-year-old witnessed the schooner sail one final time.

After repurposing the vessel as a wharfside museum and sailing charter, Sharp returned the Bowdoin to the Bowdoin Schooner Association, which then began the steady process of restoration alongside the Maine Maritime Museum.

Today, the Bowdoin serves as the the official vessel of the state of Maine and the front runner of Maine Maritime Academy’s Vessel Operations and Technology Program in Castine. The schooner was sold to the Maine Maritime Academy in 1988 for $800,000 and has since made three voyages above the Arctic Circle as well as stints in Newfoundland, Labrador and Nova Scotia.

Though the Bowdoin isn’t regularly navigating the Arctic as it once did, it continues

MacMillan’s legacy of exploration and seafaring education as the Maritime Academy’s primary vessel of learning and instruction in their sail training program. Each summer, college students at MMA set sail on the schooner up and down the eastern seaboard as they earn their U.S. Coastal Guard licenses.

According to Jennifer DeJoy, director of college relations at the Maine Maritime Academy, the schooner Bowdoin links the past and the present in a way that makes for a remarkable learning experience for those learning to sail on the vessel. At the academy, students begin learning on sailing dinghies, climbing the ranks of various ships before completing their capstone experience on the Bowdoin.

There’s sort of a reverence for the sea, for the history that goes along with that boat that makes it a unique platform for learning and experience firsthand,” DeJoy said. “It’s special.”

“Even though some of it has been renovated and there’s new decking, there’s still this living history that goes back to Donald MacMillan’s time,” she added. “They went through uncharted waters in the Arctic, which was so brutal and unforgiving, and yet this vessel served them so well. That’s one of the things that makes it extremely unique … It’s a connection to another time in history.”

MMA alumnus Will McLean was recently named as Master of Schooner Bowdoin in June. During his time at the MMA, McLean served as the second mate aboard the Bowdoin for two seasons.

“As the flagship of our sail training program, Bowdoin is an extremely important vessel in our fleet,” said Dana Willis, MMA Marine Operations Manager. “I am extremely pleased to welcome Will to the helm because he epitomizes the dedication of our faculty and alumni; he is passionate about sail training and also has a great interest in mentoring and educating students.”

For the foreseeable future, the Bowdoin will stay at the Maine Maritime Academy, where it serves as a floating classroom for young students who dream of life at sea.

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